Laura Burns (Hollyoaks)
Encyclopedia
Laura Burns is a fictional character
from the long-running Channel 4
soap opera
Hollyoaks
, played by Lesley Crawford between 2000-2002.
, Andrew Somerville and Elize du Toit
. She had three months in which to prepare for filming. In 2002, Lesley quit the series to pursue her lifelong ambition of becoming a midwife.
’s (Nick Pickard
) student house and soon found herself fending off Tony’s advances. Laura struggled to finance her first year of college, reaching such desperate measures that she stole the cloakroom money from The Loft. She soon had a fit of conscience and owned up to what she had done.
Laura then became friends with Mandy Richardson
(Sarah Jayne Dunn
), but then she began to develop an unhealthy obsession with Mandy’s life, which reached its peak when she started dating Luke Morgan
(Gary Lucy). After the relationship fizzled out, Laura continued to drive a wedge between Mandy and Luke, and seemed to enjoy the problems Mandy had when Mandy's brother Lewis Richardson (Ben Hull
) committed suicide. After Mandy and her mother Helen became estranged, Laura filled the gap and enjoyed being part of the Cunningham family.
As Laura continued to control Mandy, Laura's brother Brendan arrived in the village and started calling her Kerry, but Laura refused to recognise him. Laura wanted to get away from Hollyoaks and decided to go Cape Town and take Mandy with her.
However, when Mandy felt suspicious and rejected Laura, Laura reacted by hitting her on the head with a glass bottle.
Laura continued to taunt Mandy as she locked Mandy and herself in Mandy’s flat until Tony arrived with Becca Hayton
(Ali Bastian
), Max Cunningham
(Matt Littler
), Adam Morgan
(David Brown), and Brendan to rescue Mandy and get some help for Laura. It turned out that Laura’s real name was Kerry, and Laura was taken from her best friend’s name who had died at the age of 11. Kerry was still recovering from that, and since then, Kerry found Mandy as a replacement to Laura and had more feeling for Mandy than a friend and had tried to keep Mandy to herself. Laura is most likely still in the mental institution she was taken into after trying to kill herself and Mandy.
said that Laura became Hollyoaks answer to Single White Female
as her obsession "took hold".
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the long-running Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks is a long-running British television soap opera, first broadcast on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was originally devised by Phil Redmond, who has also devised shows including Brookside and Grange Hill...
, played by Lesley Crawford between 2000-2002.
Character creation
Actress Lesley Crawford was part of the first Hollyoaks: On the Pull campaign to find new young actors and actresses to appear in the show. Crawford originally auditioned in Belfast, she was put through to the final round at the Liverpool auditions where she won the role. The other three chosen were Marcus PatricMarcus Patric
Marcus Patric is an English actor, possibly best known for the role of Ben Davies in the British soap opera Hollyoaks and its spin-offs Hollyoaks: Let Loose and Hollyoaks: In the City, which he won after entering the televised open-audition "Hollyoaks: On The Pull".-Filmography:*2000 - 2005...
, Andrew Somerville and Elize du Toit
Elize Du Toit
Elize du Toit is a South African born actress best known for playing the role of Izzy Davies in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks from 2000 to 2004, with a brief return in 2007.-Biography:...
. She had three months in which to prepare for filming. In 2002, Lesley quit the series to pursue her lifelong ambition of becoming a midwife.
Character development
Laura was often shown on-screen doing outlandish things such as stealing and having no guilty conscience afterwards. Laura also had psychotic tendencies, of which Johnston theorized: "I think she's been alone for a lot of her life and she's scared of that. I play it as if there's a mental disorder there."Storylines
Laura arrived in Tony HutchinsonTony Hutchinson
Anthony "Tony" Hutchinson is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Nick Pickard. Tony first appeared on-screen on 23 October 1995, the first episode of the series, and is the only original character still on the show to the present day...
’s (Nick Pickard
Nick Pickard
Nicholas "Nick" Pickard is an English actor, best known for his role as Tony Hutchinson on soap opera Hollyoaks.He is currently the longest serving cast member and appeared in the very first episode in 1995...
) student house and soon found herself fending off Tony’s advances. Laura struggled to finance her first year of college, reaching such desperate measures that she stole the cloakroom money from The Loft. She soon had a fit of conscience and owned up to what she had done.
Laura then became friends with Mandy Richardson
Mandy Richardson
Mandy Richardson is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Sarah Jayne Dunn...
(Sarah Jayne Dunn
Sarah Jayne Dunn
Sarah Jayne Dunn is an English actress best known for playing Mandy Richardson in Hollyoaks.-Biography:Dunn was born in Leigh, Lancashire and educated at Lowton High School, excelling in drama and performing arts, and a part time career as a model...
), but then she began to develop an unhealthy obsession with Mandy’s life, which reached its peak when she started dating Luke Morgan
Luke Morgan
Lucas "Luke" Morgan is a fictional character from long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Gary Lucy. He played the part between 1999 and 2001 before a brief return in 2002. He was introduced as part of the Morgan family alongside sisters Beth and Zara, brother Adam and parents Andy...
(Gary Lucy). After the relationship fizzled out, Laura continued to drive a wedge between Mandy and Luke, and seemed to enjoy the problems Mandy had when Mandy's brother Lewis Richardson (Ben Hull
Ben Hull
-Career:Ben's first appearance was in 1994 when he appeared ITV Drama, Revelations.He then went on to appear as Martin Wells in Children's ITV series Children's Ward....
) committed suicide. After Mandy and her mother Helen became estranged, Laura filled the gap and enjoyed being part of the Cunningham family.
As Laura continued to control Mandy, Laura's brother Brendan arrived in the village and started calling her Kerry, but Laura refused to recognise him. Laura wanted to get away from Hollyoaks and decided to go Cape Town and take Mandy with her.
However, when Mandy felt suspicious and rejected Laura, Laura reacted by hitting her on the head with a glass bottle.
Laura continued to taunt Mandy as she locked Mandy and herself in Mandy’s flat until Tony arrived with Becca Hayton
Becca Dean
Rebecca "Becca" Dean is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Ali Bastian. She debuted on-screen during episodes airing in 2001 and departed on 14 February 2007.-Storylines:...
(Ali Bastian
Ali Bastian
Alexandra Louise "Ali" Bastian is an English television actress, best known for playing Becca Dean in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks from 2001 to 2007, and PC Sally Armstrong in long-running ITV drama series The Bill from 2007 to 2009.-Biography:Born in Windsor, Berkshire, to Paula C. Marriott...
), Max Cunningham
Max Cunningham
Max Cunningham is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Matt Littler. From 1995 to 1996, Max was portrayed by Ben Sheriff before Littler took over. In 2008, Max, along with Tony Hutchinson , was the longest running character in Hollyoaks...
(Matt Littler
Matt Littler
Matt Littler is a British actor and director born in Bury, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom. He is most famous for playing the role Max Cunningham from 1997 to 2008 in the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks.- Career :...
), Adam Morgan
Adam Morgan (Hollyoaks)
Adam Morgan is a fictional character from the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by David Brown.-Background:Adam is the son of Andy and Sue Morgan and brother of Beth, Luke and Zara...
(David Brown), and Brendan to rescue Mandy and get some help for Laura. It turned out that Laura’s real name was Kerry, and Laura was taken from her best friend’s name who had died at the age of 11. Kerry was still recovering from that, and since then, Kerry found Mandy as a replacement to Laura and had more feeling for Mandy than a friend and had tried to keep Mandy to herself. Laura is most likely still in the mental institution she was taken into after trying to kill herself and Mandy.
Reception
Television magazine What's on TVWhat's On TV
What's on TV is a weekly television listings magazine published by IPC Media, a Time Warner subsidiary.-Overview:What's on TV is a weekly UK television magazine. It publishes features, TV listings, news and gossip from soap operas, as well as puzzles and competitions...
said that Laura became Hollyoaks answer to Single White Female
Single White Female
Single White Female is a 1992 American erotic thriller based on John Lutz's novel SWF Seeks Same. The film stars Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh and is directed by Barbet Schroeder.-Plot:...
as her obsession "took hold".