Toyah's Baby
We spoke to Georgia Taylor about whether Toyah and Eva's baby plans will result in their happily-ever-after...
Does Toyah feel bad about the web of lies she is spinning?
This plan is so crazy and doesn’t ever seem like it’s going to work but once they have started it there’s never really a good time to back out, they’ve gone too far and they get in too deep. If this did work, it would be perfect for everyone but of course, this is soap…
How confident is Toyah that this plan will work?
She is definitely not confident, she has entered into this with a sense of trepidation. With Toyah being a counsellor, what is interesting is that if this were happening to a friend of hers, she would strongly advise against this but she is so desperate for a child and so vulnerable that the rational side of her has been overruled and her heart has led instead of her head.
What happens when Toyah gets to the cottage and finds that Eva is in labour?
Toyah hears screams and Eva says she has gone in to labour but unfortunately the door to the bathroom has fallen off with Eva trapped inside. Toyah smashes the hell out of that door because she is going to make sure that Eva and her baby are okay. Toyah finds herself delivering the baby and what I love about this so much is it reminded me of my days on Casualty because this is the kind of thing happens on those kind of shows all the time, total flashback!
Isn’t it quite ironic that Toyah is the one delivering the baby?
There is a real dramatic currency to the moment that Toyah is the one who is quite literally on her knees receiving the child from Eva.
What is going through Toyah’s head in that moment?
As terrified as she is, she knows that there is nobody else here and she needs to get on with it. Ultimately she is trying to save her child’s life.
When they go to hospital, Eva holds the baby for the first time. Does this worry Toyah?
When Toyah leaves Eva for the first time with the baby in the hospital, she is on Cloud 9. At this point, she believes this plan is going to work and everything is going to be perfect. Genuinely, Toyah is not worried about Eva going back on the deal, she is so in love with this baby and thinks all her dreams are going to come true.
What happens when Toyah returns to the Rovers?
She comes up with this plan to cover her back; it is far-fetched and there’s a chance that Peter is not going to buy it but he is so overwhelmed that he almost doesn’t have time to think or to question, so he just goes along with it. Toyah turns up at the Rovers with baby Susie and there is jubilation and she thinks that it is all going to be fine.
What is going through Toyah’s head that first moment that she arrives in the Rovers when with Susie?
She is completely overwhelmed with love and she is in a bubble. Everyone is so thrilled for them. Ken is delighted and is one of the first people over to congratulate them and see the baby. There is a really powerful moment when Peter picks up what he believes to be his child for the first time; she sees the love in his eyes and at that moment she absolutely believes that she has made the right decision for the right reasons.
It looks as though Toyah has got her perfect family until Simon tells Leanne he thinks Toyah is having an affair.
Yes, Simon found the form for the cottage that Toyah is renting for Eva. When Eva goes in to labour, there’s so much drama that momentarily Toyah almost forgets about the whole thing. She thought she had to put it to bed but it rears its ugly head again when Simon tells Leanne he thinks Toyah is cheating on Peter.
How does Toyah feel when Leanne confronts her?
It’s a nightmare because it’s just more lies and also another person to lie to, the person she grew up with who knows her, in a lot of way, better than anyone. That just shows how desperate she is.
Is Toyah thinking that in the long run, she will be able to keep these lies up forever?
I don’t know if she can, things do have a way of coming out. By accident, she has become a deceitful person but she doesn’t have the traits of a naturally deceitful person. But she does have a conscience, so there is always a chance that she won’t be able to contain her guilt forever.
Do you think that Toyah would make a good mum?
Yes, I totally do but I wish it would be under more normal circumstances! She has a lot of love to give and I can see her putting the baby in her papoose and going, “Right, we are going on an adventure.” A baby would bring out the very best in her.
What was your reaction when you read the storyline?
I thought it was absolutely bonkers, in the way that a lot of the best soap storylines are. Often the most interesting drama comes out of characters going against the grain and not making obvious decisions and not making the most rational choices.
What were these scenes like to film?
It was so intense but I am so lucky to work with people like Catherine Tyldesley, Jane Danson and Chris Gascoyne - they make it so much easier. It was full on but that’s what you want, you want to feel that sense of achievement playing these storylines.
What do you hope the reaction will be from viewers?
What we are creating is a sense of foreboding so that the audience knows that things are going to go wrong before the characters do. What we are telling is a story that is almost unbelievable but does come out of emotion that is someone being desperate for a baby. Toyah’s house of cards is going to collapse before she can see it and that’s part of the drama, waiting for that house of cards to collapse.