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The Other One's Holly Walsh defends decision to cast Misfits star Lauren Socha

Photo credit: Jonathan Short/AP
Photo credit: Jonathan Short/AP

From Digital Spy

The co-writer of new BBC sitcom The Other One, Holly Walsh, has defended the show's decision to cast Misfits' Lauren Socha.

The BAFTA-winning actor, who has since appeared in minor roles in Plebs and Catastrophe, pleaded guilty to racially abusing and punching taxi driver Sakander Iqbal in Derby city centre back in 2012.

Socha was sentenced to four months in prison, suspended for 12 months. She was also ordered to carry out 80 hours of community service, and pay £450 to Mr Iqbal and £750 in court costs.

Photo credit: Channel 4
Photo credit: Channel 4

When asked by reporters outside the court how she felt following the incident, Socha said (via The Independent): "Of course I care."

Her mother Kathleen Lyons added: "She's very, very sorry for all the distress she's caused to Mr Iqbal and his family. She's grateful to the courts for giving her the opportunity to put this behind her and move on with her life and her career.

"This isn't like Lauren, anyone that knows Lauren will tell you that this is so out of character. It's an awful incident that happened and nobody should have been put through what Mr Iqbal was put through on that night.

"She takes full responsibility for her actions and she's deeply sorry for this."

Photo credit: BBC
Photo credit: BBC

The Other One, which kicked off on BBC One on June 5, is a comedy about one man's secret family and the fallout from that.

Socha's Cat and Ellie White's Cathy had always thought they were only children, but that all changes when the truth about their dad's secrets come to light.

Chatting to Digital Spy about Socha's casting, especially in light of the collective conversation currently happening worldwide, Walsh said: "I think everything that Black Lives Matter and everything else before is doing is making us all question our decisions and look at what we're doing as an industry, as individuals. It's about sitting down and looking at things and realising what was right, what was wrong.

Photo credit: BBC
Photo credit: BBC

"I stand by my decision to do it in so far as we made that decision, that decision was already made. We can't change any of that. But I think that we do have to look at everything that we do and see how we can improve and what we can do to change things and make it a more equal and fairer playing field for everyone, and that's how TV is made better.

"The decision was made, it's been made, she's great in it and as time goes on, through discussion, we all talk more and we realise things and we're all learning a lot from this and rightly so. The key thing is to be looking at what we can do to make everything more fair, more equal, and kinder. What has happened has happened, but it's now about what we can do in the future."


For more information on how you can support Black Lives Matter, please visit its official website or donate here. Readers can also donate to the UK anti-discrimination group Stand Up To Racism, and the Unite Families & Friends Campaign, which supports those affected by deaths in police, prison and psychiatric custody.


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