As Christmas descends in the village, Charlotte Bellamy (Laurel) gives us an inside look at a Christmas filled with ‘warmth and love’ at Mulberry Cottage, and the complicated man threatening to break her heart.
For Laurel, this year isn’t about grand gestures; it’s about a fresh start. Charlotte explains that Laurel is entering the holidays with a renewed sense of hope: ‘She has a new love in her life, she is optimistic. Ray is the most charming person and he totally has her hooked. So Christmas is really sweet, because she has no expectations. And of course, he has never really had a proper Christmas.
So it is full of warmth and love and you know, twinkly lights and a Christmas tree. He’s never had that. And of course, he’s just walked into this huge hug of Mulberry Cottage. So it’s a surprise for him as it is a surprise for Laurel.’
While Laurel is blinded by romance, the audience sees a different side of Ray. However, Charlotte suggests that the story is far more nuanced than a simple villain arc: ‘Oh, my God, she’s going to get heartbroken, but he’s going to get his heart broken too. I think I’m excited about them finding out and seeing the other side of the monster that they think is Ray.
That is the clever bit of this story. It is that you hate his character because he’s so awful, but then the more you find out about him, you realise that he is actually just a product of being groomed himself and that he has never seen any other way.’
She continues, noting the pull Laurel has on Ray’s guarded heart: ‘And so suddenly this woman has opened up his heart and he’s actually falling in love and he’s never had that before. He’s always had just maybe a bit of skirt, which he says in one of the episodes. He’s never had a problem in getting women, but he’s never been emotionally involved or connected with them. And suddenly the goodness of Laurel is magnetic.’
The question is whether Ray’s past defines his future. Charlotte acknowledges the difficult moral ground the characters are walking: ‘That’s the dilemma, isn’t it? Because on one hand, you think it’s not fair. He’s a product of abuse, isn’t he? Of mental physical emotional abuse.
Did he ever have a chance when he was groomed from such a young age like that. But on the other hand, you think, is he redeemable? He wants to be a good man. He desperately wants to redeem himself, but Laurel really is his only chance.’
Filming the Christmas scenes has also provided moments of joy: ‘Yeah, we have a couple of really lovely scenes. One where Ray tries to do a little Christmas for Laurel and brings over a Christmas sandwich, which is really sweet. In fact, we have scenes where we do a typical Christmas day with charades, and there are family and friends.
Nicola is there and there is laughter and silliness, connection and warmth and he loves it. Ray doesn’t even know how to play charades. So that kind of shows you the kind of background he’s had.’
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