Helen Lederer in Hollyoaks

[Perdita]

Comedian Helen Lederer has confirmed that she will appear on Hollyoaks.

The Welsh star - who appeared on ITV diving series Splash! earlier this year - appears to have filmed scenes with stars Alex Fletcher and Nick Pickard, who play Diane and Tony.

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Helen Lederer
© PA Images / Dominic Lipinski/PA Archive
Helen Lederer


The 58-year-old tweeted about her role, adding that she had a "warm glow" after being made welcome on set.

She went on to praise co-stars Fletcher and Pickard and suggested that she may have filmed scenes in a nurse's outfit.

Fletcher replied to Lederer's messages, describing her as "absolutely fabulous". She also suggested that Lederer will return to film more scenes on the soap next week.

The Channel 4 show's fans have recently seen Tony and Diane deal with Tony's cancer diagnosis. Tony kept his condition a secret from Diane at first because of her pregnancy.

Earlier this year, Pickard said he was "honoured" to have been given the storyline.

[Perdita]

Actress and comedian Helen Lederer has confirmed that her upcoming Hollyoaks return will run for 10 episodes.

As previously reported, Hollyoaks bosses have signed up Lederer for another guest stint following her appearance last year, but the length of her stay wasn't confirmed at the time.

Lederer will return to filming at the Channel 4 soap later this year, reprising her role as the midwife who delivered Diane O'Connor's twins and Tegan Lomax's daughter.

Her return will tie in with the shocking twist that saw Tegan discover that she is not the biological mother of the little girl she has been raising for the past year.

Viewers subsequently learned that Tegan and Diane's daughters were switched at birth and Lederer's character Mariam was to blame for the mix-up, as she was drunk at the time they were delivered.

Speaking about her upcoming stint on the soap, the star teased that she would be playing a "surprisingly dark role", which is a contrast to the eccentric character she was first introduced as.

Lederer told The Telegraph: "I play an alcoholic midwife. I'm in ten episodes.

"It's been fabulous getting to know the cast up in Liverpool where it's filmed, although learning the lines is a bit of a grind."

[tammyy2j]

Hollyoaks welcomes back Helen Lederer this week as she reprises her role as troubled Mariam, the midwife who accidentally switched Diane O'Connor and Tegan Lomax's baby daughters at Dee Valley Hospital in 2013.

With all parties now aware of the shocking mix-up, this week's episodes see Mariam try to wriggle her way out of trouble with help from her ex-husband Dr S'avage.

Digital Spy recently caught up with Helen to hear more about the future of the baby plot and where Mariam goes from here.

Have you enjoyed being back at Hollyoaks with such a big storyline?
"Oh I've loved it, I really have. When I was first there a year and a half ago, they did say that my storyline might come up again. I didn't think anything more of it, but then suddenly, back I was! It was so nice to work with Alex Fletcher, Anna Passey and Andrew Greenough. They're really nice people and we've had a lot of fun."

Has it been nice to be back for a longer stint this time?
"Really nice, because then you get the chance to work with different directors, all of whom are very different. You also get a chance to understand how these storylines evolve. This particular storyline is such an awful situation, due to the horrendous consequences for the two mothers of the babies who have been switched. I can't help but feel awful personally for what I've done! (Laughs.)"

Even back in 2013, did you know this baby swap storyline was possibly coming up?
"When I was in the show originally, the storyline was mentioned as an option, so I knew that would be the kind of story they'd be doing if I did come back to the show.

"But I had no idea then how dramatic Mariam's time on the show would become, because it's not just that - there's lots of other things going on as well. Mariam is going to be part of a whole load of dramatic storylines, not just that one. That was a real treat for me."

Mariam's character was played for laughs the first time around. Do we still see her comic side this time?
"Good question! Mariam's comic side is there less so this time. Beforehand she was more settled in her job and was busy doing it - albeit in a way that some people might see as scatty! So that was more leaning towards the comedy.

"This time around, we see that Mariam has a difficult home life, we learn that she can't have children of her own, and she also ends up going into a psychiatric unit. She's hit with a lot of extreme situations. As a knock-on effect of all the relationships she has with the different characters in the show, nothing is straightforward and everyone has their own agenda.

"Mariam is much more of a victim this time, although she herself was responsible for wrongdoing. So it's a mix of having sympathy with her and wanting to kill her - that's my attitude towards the character!"

Does Mariam feel any remorse for her mistake with the babies?
"I think Mariam is deluded and at first she can't face up to the consequences of what she's done. She's also slightly blindsided by her mixed feelings for her ex-husband Dr S'avage, and I think she just can't face it.

"At the same time, Mariam desperately wants to work again and desperately wants to put things right. She wants to go back to the scene of the crime and fix things. I'd want to run away to the hills in that situation and hide, but Mariam is determined to get back in there and put it right somehow."

What can you tell us about the relationship between Mariam and Dr S'avage?
"Mariam really loves Dr S'avage and she wants him back, but equally she still has an agenda and it's a mix of feelings. It's love/hate, but I think Mariam's love for him is not returned. It's also not helped by her dependency on the old booze!

"Mariam was once a perfectly competent wife and midwife in a medical marriage, but it's all been stripped away and she doesn't have any dignity left. Equally, she still wants to get back on her horse. So it's split motives."

Why does she start blackmailing S'avage?
"It's her steely determination to stop at nothing to get the result that she wants. She veers between love and wanting him, to 'I'm going to nail you unless you do what I want!' It's like she has a split personality going on."

Are the cast welcoming when a new person joins?
"Definitely! In the funny building where the show is filmed, you need a pass to get around. There are so many doors and you spend your life holding the door open for somebody or waiting for them to hold the door open for you. I was forever losing my pass! Throughout my time there, really beautiful young men were always holding the door open for me, so I was more than happy to slip through, I can tell you! (Laughs.)

"From the word go, they were all really welcoming and friendly. I've filmed my final scenes now and I was really sad to go. It's been lovely to be part of it and I've made some good friends - I've got some phone numbers. It's lovely when you do a job and you make some new friends."

Who are you keeping in touch with?
"I left some cards for the people I've been working most with. I love Alex, Andrew and Anna so they all got a little card and some chocolate!"

[lizann]

think she could be next victim of glove killer