School-based drama Waterloo Road comes to
´óÏó´«Ã½ ONE, Thursday 9 March 2006
Camilla Power plays Lorna Dickey
Describe your character:
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Lorna is a teacher at Waterloo Road. She is highly organised
and a genuinely nice person but her hyper-efficiency obscures that.
She is in a long-term relationship with Tom who is also a teacher at
the school but the relationship has almost run its course.
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However Lorna is
desperate to salvage what she can and her need to do so sometimes
clouds her judgement.
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Describe your character in three words:
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Organised, quiet, desperate.
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What do you like about lorna?
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I love how organised Lorna is and that she has a good and decent heart.
I think she would come out of her shell a lot more without Tom though
- I think there is room for development!
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What do you like least about Lorna?
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She is a bit too anal for my liking. I would tell her to chill out.
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What are Lorna's life values and do these differ from your own?
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We both have a very strong view of the family unit but we differ in the fact
that Lorna is desperate to get a ring on her finger - I'd rather
have my eyes poked out!
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Does your character have a love interest?
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Tom and Lorna have been together for five years and it is a case of opposites
attract. Whereas Lorna is more quiet and straight-forward, Tom is
very down to earth and laid back.
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I think that their relationship has
run its test of time and that they are bogged down with the mundane
details of every day life. But whilst Lorna can live with this, Tom can't
and this causes tension.
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Lorna will do anything in her power to keep the
relationship alive.
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Which character at Waterloo Road does Lorna relate to best?
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Lorna and Izzie are very close. Like Tom, Izzie is very down to earth and
Lorna likes to surround herself with good spirits.
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Do you think you would make a good teacher?
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Not at all. I'd be rubbish. I can tell my family off
but I think I'd be intimidated by 15 year-old girls who have bigger
boobs than I! And who have bigger attitude.
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What school did you go to?
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Sylvia Young Theatre School.
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Which aspect of school did you enjoy the most?
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I loved learning. I was very self-contained and was happy just getting on with what I was doing.
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I did have lots of friends but I was equally happy sticking
my head into a book.
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I was very focused and knew what I wanted to do and a lot
of my friends didn't at the time so that set me apart I suppose.
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What was your favourite subject?
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English, History - anything that didn't involve numbers.
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What was your least favourite subject and why?
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Maths because I hate numbers.
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What were your school reports like?
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I was always a good student so had good grades. When I was younger I was a little more aloof and liked to keep to myself but I wasn't a bad kid at all.
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Did you have to wear a uniform? If so what was it like?
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Standard boring grey, grey, grey. Though it was the fashion to roll up your skirt to show some extra leg.
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Did you have a teacher who has made an influence on your life?
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Sylvia Young was really inspirational - she was so supportive of all the kids and gave everyone the confidence to achieve their best.
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Have you continued to study in any form?
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I am about to start an Open University course - I'm not sure what I will study, perhaps a language, history or psychology.
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Any funny or interesting school days stories?
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I was famed for doing Madonna impressions at school!
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Do you still keep in touch with anyone you were at school with?
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Not really. I do occasionally bump into people who were at Sylvia Young at the same time, like Denise Van Outen but that's about it.
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Have you ever been a victim of bullying?
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Nothing too major - I was called Big Ears when I was little but it hasn't caused any problems in later life!
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Any words of advice to kids who are victims of bullying?
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Don't lose your sense of self or belief in yourself - I use to ignore the jibes and go into my own little world and not let it get to me.
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How do you think you would do if you went back to school?
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I think it would be difficult, it would be like doing your driving test again - you'd probably fail!
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I would be nervous and as much as life experiences would
help out for perhaps social and friendship issues I think the technicalities
such as writing essays would be scary.
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If you have kids of your own - do you take a keen interest in their education?
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I do have a child, Joe, who is six. He attends a lovely international school and he is really happy. He has small classes which I think is really important and does lots of sport which I think is essential when growing up.
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Were you good at sport at school?
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I didn't really do much sport at school but I did do dancing. I was always the lanky one at the back in the all-in-one black lycra outfit, gangly and looking out of place.
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How do you keep in shape nowadays?
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I stopped my gym membership recently as I never went and thought the money would be better spent on new shoes!
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But I have a lot of energy naturally so am always on the
move. I do enjoy playing tennis and I honestly feel I am in the best shape
I have ever been but imagine it will go all go askew when I hit 30!
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What do you think about school dinners?
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Luckily my son has fabulous school dinners - they even have cheese and fruit instead of pudding which makes a nice change. I find it comforting to know he is getting fed decently at school.
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Where were you born and brought up?
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I was born in Cork, Ireland but grew up in Wimbledon/Putney.
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Where do you live now?
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South London.
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If you had to teach what subject would you like to teach most?
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I would enjoy teaching Drama as I would like to teach
something that kids enjoy engaging in.
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What were your first impressions of arriving at the Waterloo Road set?
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Oh no, I'm going to be filming in Rochdale during the winter!
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My first impression was that it was a weird, depressing
building but it does grow on you and it is does make you feel like you
are back at school with the sense of institution and the smells.
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Describe the staff room at Waterloo Road?
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Manky brown with a fish tank and weird coffee cups that teachers usually drink from.
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Do you think Waterloo Road is a realistic portrayal of a school?
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Yes I think it is - it is an old disused school so visually it looks perfect
and the props and everything look exactly right.
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What do you think of rochdale?
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Rochdale is quite beautiful in an obscure way. It is surrounded by hills
so there is a brilliant view, but I don't think I would want to live there.
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What was your favourite school term at school and why?
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I
loved Summer term as you did more activities outside and more importantly,
you knew you had a long holiday coming up!
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How did you spend your school holidays?
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Working, filming, playing with friends.
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Did you have a Saturday job?
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I worked in Stefenal and we had a right laugh - it was a good fun job.
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Do you have brothers and sisters and were you at school together?
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I did have my younger brother at school with me but I think he found it annoying
as he was always getting compared to me. I didn't like him there because
he knew everything about me and what I got up to.
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Can you remember how much pocket money you used to get?
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None! But when I was about seven my dad used to give my brother and I a one
pound note which I used to either save or spend on sweets.
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Were you naughty at school?
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I wasn't particularly naughty at school and if I was, I think I was generally
ignored as I was so good for the rest of the time.
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What was the worst thing you did and did you get caught?
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I did bite a little girl called Lucy Elliot when I was
eight - she was winding me up and it got too much so I bit her. I was
sent to headmaster's and told off.
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But when I was younger, I remember being tied to a chair
with another boy by my teacher, because we couldn't remember the times
tables. You couldn't do that these days...
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What age did you leave school?
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16.
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And what did you do next?
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I got a scholarship to do A levels and I had started to do that when I
got my role as Jessica McAllister in Emmerdale. So I left and went to live
in Leeds.
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What was your first ever job?
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An advert for chicken nuggets when I was about eight years
old.
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What was your first professional acting role?
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I did a film call A Summer Story when I was ten.
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What role are you best known for?
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The press tend to drag out my role in Emmerdale whenever they refer to me
so I would have to say that.
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What is your favourite storyline coming up and why?
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The journey that Tom and Lorna take together through the ups and downs of
their relationship is interesting and I also enjoy the love triangle storyline
between Izzie, Tom and Lorna.
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What have you enjoyed most about recording Waterloo Road?
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The lunch breaks - we had great catering on set and I always looked forward
to meal times!
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Have you had a holiday recently?
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I recently visited Munich this year to see some friends and loved it - it
is such a beautiful place and I really like their open culture.
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Have you any long term goals or ambitions for the future?
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I just want to keep on doing what I'm doing and will see where life takes
me.
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