Leila Roy is a
fictional character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...
from the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
''
Hollyoaks
''Hollyoaks'' is a British soap opera which began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera ''Brookside (TV series), Brookside''. Since 2005, episodes have been aired on ...
'', played by
Lena Kaur
Lena Kaur (born 1986) is a London-based British actress, perhaps best known for her role as Leila Roy in Channel 4 soap ''Hollyoaks''.
Career
Lena Kaur grew up in Almondbury in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire and is of Asian descent. She attended ...
. The character made her first appearance in June 2008. In November 2009, it was announced that Kaur had decided to leave Hollyoaks. Lena made her last appearance as Leila in January 2010.
Character creation
Backstory
Leila was born in 1989 to
Govinda
Govinda (), also rendered Govind and Gobind, is an epithet of Vishnu which is also used for his avatars such as Krishna. The name appears as the 187th and the 539th name of Vishnu in '' Vishnu Sahasranama''. The name is also popularly addresse ...
and
Bel Roy
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'' in 2008, by order of first appearance.
Kieron Hobbs
Father Kieron Hobbs was the new priest at St. Timothy's Parish Catholic Church in January ...
. She is their eldest daughter and sister to
Ash
Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...
,
Ravi Ravi may refer to:
People
* Ravi (name), including a list of people and characters with the name
* Ravi (composer) (1926–2012), Indian music director
* Ravi (Ivar Johansen) (born 1976), Norwegian musical artist
* Ravi (music director) (1926–201 ...
and
Anita. Leila, a keen artist, had told her father that she was at college studying a law course in order to retrieve his dream of her becoming a lawyer. When Leila was four, Gov and Bel adopted Anita, who Leila grew up believing to be her sister.
Casting
Regular role auditions were held for the part of Leila with actress
Lena Kaur
Lena Kaur (born 1986) is a London-based British actress, perhaps best known for her role as Leila Roy in Channel 4 soap ''Hollyoaks''.
Career
Lena Kaur grew up in Almondbury in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire and is of Asian descent. She attended ...
securing the role. In November 2009, it was announced that Kaur would leave the soap. Speaking of her decision, Kaur stated: "I decided to leave a while ago because I wanted to do something else. It's the same with every soap - you don't get time to rehearse, there are ups and down and it's so quick to film. You learn all the technical side of things, which is fabulous but for me, I want to move on. It seems like a good time to go as projects are being commissioned that are big for Asian actors - the casting world is moving forward. Young Asian actors are being cast in lead roles in which the characters are who they are regardless of their skin colour. Casting's definitely on a turn compared to what it was five or ten years ago."
Development
Personality and identity
Leila is kind, generous and forgiving. She is a firm believer in the spirit world,
karma
Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...
and
horoscopes
A horoscope (or other commonly used names for the horoscope in English include natal chart, astrological chart, astro-chart, celestial map, sky-map, star-chart, cosmogram, vitasphere, radical chart, radix, chart wheel or simply chart) is an ast ...
and on several occasions, has used her horoscope to envision her life. In August 2008,
Lena Kaur
Lena Kaur (born 1986) is a London-based British actress, perhaps best known for her role as Leila Roy in Channel 4 soap ''Hollyoaks''.
Career
Lena Kaur grew up in Almondbury in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire and is of Asian descent. She attended ...
praised ''Hollyoaks'' producer
Bryan Kirkwood
Bryan Kirkwood (born 1976) is a British television producer. He was the producer of the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'' from 2006 until 2009, and was the executive producer of the BBC soap ''EastEnders'' from 2010 until 2012. He returned as t ...
for not stereotyping
Asians on the programme. Speaking to ''Take 5'' magazine, she stated, "The storylines for me and
Stephen
Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...
(
Ravi Ravi may refer to:
People
* Ravi (name), including a list of people and characters with the name
* Ravi (composer) (1926–2012), Indian music director
* Ravi (Ivar Johansen) (born 1976), Norwegian musical artist
* Ravi (music director) (1926–201 ...
) aren't being dictated by the colour of our skin. We're both British Asians in real life as well as in the show. We are both totally westernised. We've been brought up in Britain, so the storylines will reflect people like Stephen and me."
Storylines
Leila arrives as a student at Hollyoaks Community College, where she moves into the halls of residence. Shortly after arriving, Leila begins to develop feelings for
Justin Burton
Justin Burton is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Chris Fountain. Justin arrived in 2003 and departed on 3 June 2009. Justin arrived in a family of six, however by September 2006, the Burton fami ...
, which she tells friend
Nancy Hayton
Nancy Osborne (also Hayton and Dean) is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Jessica Fox. The character first appeared on 6 July 2005. Since the character's inception she has been involved in many ...
. Leila accidentally knocks Justin over. He hits his head and is knocked unconscious. One of the nurses at the hospital tells Leila that Justin has lost his memory. Leila then pretends to be Justin's girlfriend when he leaves hospital. At a party, Justin's friend
Ste Hay tells him that Leila is making their relationship up. Justin decides to go along with it and gets back at her by making her do housework. Justin then proposes to a shocked Leila, he then admits to knowing she is lying and reveals he has not lost his memory.
Leila has fun with
Gilly Roach
Gilly is a municipality in the district of Nyon in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.
History
Gilly is first mentioned in 1179 as ''de Iusliaco''. In 1278 it was mentioned as ''Gillie''.
Geography
Gilly has an area, , of . Of this area, or 5 ...
and they share a kiss, which makes Justin jealous. Gilly and Leila go on date, but are forced to take
Archie Carpenter
Archie Carpenter is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Stephen Beard. The character first appeared on-screen on 3 November 2008 until his exit on 28 May 2010. He was introduced as the younger brot ...
and
Rhys Ashworth
Rhys Ashworth is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Andrew Moss. He made his first on-screen appearance in September 2005. Rhys was killed off in the Enjoy The Ride storyline in an episode airin ...
with them. Leila then turns down Gilly and starts a relationship with Justin, who finally realises feelings towards Leila. Leila begins to sleepwalk, which is discovered when she is caught on camera eating her own chocolates from an advent calendar. The novelty of Leila and Justin's relationship begins to ware off when Justin realises his true feelings for
Hannah Ashworth
Hannah Ashworth (also Osborne) is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Emma Rigby. Hannah first appeared on-screen on 30 September 2005 and her last appearance was on 12 February 2010.
The characte ...
. During
Sasha Valentine
Sasha Valentine is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Nathalie Emmanuel. Sasha first appeared on-screen on 17 July 2006 as part of the newly introduced Valentine family. Sasha has been at the cen ...
and
Josh Ashworth
Josh Ashworth, played by Sonny Flood, is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera, ''Hollyoaks.'' His first appearance was on 3 October 2005. Josh's storylines have included attempted murder, underage sex, drugs, drinking ...
's joint birthday party, Justin kisses Hannah and is seen by Hannah's boyfriend
Ash
Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...
and
Elliot Bevan
Elliot (also spelled Eliot, Elliotte, Elliott, Eliott and Elyot) is a personal name which can serve as either a surname or a given name. Although the given name has historically been given to males, females have increasingly been given the nam ...
, who has developed feelings for Leila. Leila and Elliot kiss outside and are seen by Ash. Elliot tells Leila he wants to start a relationship, as Justin does with Hannah, however Leila feels guilty and continues her relationship with Justin. Justin the splits up with Leila, who then helps him ask out Hannah. Leila and Elliot share a kiss, their love for each other and begin a relationship.
Leila begins feeling ill. When Elliot takes her for a romantic picnic, Leila, who is still ill, appears uninterested, prompting Elliot to believe she has lost interest in their relationship. After a confrontation, Leila tells Elliot she thinks she may be pregnant. Elliot runs off, worrying he would be a bad father like his own. He tries to avoid Leila, who claims to have taken a pregnancy test. Elliot returns and she reveals she is in fact pregnant. Elliot then runs out again. Leila tracks him down and tells him she never took the test and wanted to see how Elliot would react. With a strain already on their relationship, Leila takes a test and discovers she is not pregnant, to the relief of the pair. Leila contacts Elliot's father
Gareth, however
Kris Fisher
Kris Fisher is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera '' Hollyoaks'', played by Gerard McCarthy. The character first appeared on-screen in September 2006 and left in August 2010 after McCarthy quit the show. He is noted f ...
tells her that Elliot does not want anything to do with his father. Leila then gets Elliot and Kris to take some of her art to a gallery, in order for her to tell Gareth to leave when he arrives. Gareth turns up just as Elliot prepares to leave for the gallery, however he assumes Gareth is a delivery man. Finally the truth comes out and Elliot is angry at Leila for interfering. Leila grows suspicious of Gareth, whose relationship with Elliot has grown. She discovers Elliot's half brother Maynard is in fact the same age as Elliot and not fourteen as Gareth had said. Realising Gareth is lying to Elliot and had obviously cheated on Elliot's mother
Bonnie
Bonnie, is a Scottish given name and is sometimes used as a descriptive reference, as in the Scottish folk song, My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean. It comes from the Scots language word "bonnie" (pretty, attractive), or the French bonne (good). That ...
, Leila calls her. After Gareth leaves, Elliot rejects Leila.
Leila,
Bel,
Loretta, Kris and
Anita discover
Ravi Ravi may refer to:
People
* Ravi (name), including a list of people and characters with the name
* Ravi (composer) (1926–2012), Indian music director
* Ravi (Ivar Johansen) (born 1976), Norwegian musical artist
* Ravi (music director) (1926–201 ...
is involved in an illegal fight, which could cause his
aneurysm
An aneurysm is an outward bulging, likened to a bubble or balloon, caused by a localized, abnormal, weak spot on a blood vessel wall. Aneurysms may be a result of a hereditary condition or an acquired disease. Aneurysms can also be a nidus (s ...
to rupture. Angry Ravi taunts Ash, who then punches him. Ravi falls into a coma and Leila blames Ash, who tries to apologise. Ash tells Anita that she is adopted and manipulates her into keeping quiet. When Anita tells Gov she knows, Leila is shocked that her family lied to her and Anita. The Roys then disown Ash. Leila tells Gilly that Ash had hidden food in
Hannah Ashworth
Hannah Ashworth (also Osborne) is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Emma Rigby. Hannah first appeared on-screen on 30 September 2005 and her last appearance was on 12 February 2010.
The characte ...
's room to make it look like her eating disorder had returned, Ash then leaves Hollyoaks. Leila ends her relationship with Elliot and has a one-night stand with
Archie Carpenter
Archie Carpenter is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Stephen Beard. The character first appeared on-screen on 3 November 2008 until his exit on 28 May 2010. He was introduced as the younger brot ...
, who later asks her out but she declines. When Bel and Gov move away to
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
, Leila, Ravi and Anita move into a smaller flat, previously occupied by the Cunningham family. Leila begins to worry Anita has an eating disorder after a confrontation from Hannah. However, Anita is pretending for attention. Leila overhears Anita and
Theresa McQueen
Theresa McQueen is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Jorgie Porter. She made her first appearance on 24 November 2008. The character was introduced as an extension of already established McQueen f ...
talking, and believes Anita has lost her virginity. Anita then pretends she has, due to Leila treating her more like an adult. When Anita collapses due to taking
MDMA
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), commonly seen in Tablet (pharmacy), tablet form (ecstasy) and crystal form (molly or mandy), is a potent empathogen–entactogen with stimulant properties primarily used for Recreational dru ...
, Leila and Ravi believe
Dave Colburn
David Colburn is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera, ''Hollyoaks'', played by Elliot James Langridge. He first appeared in ''Hollyoaks'' online spin-off '' Hollyoaks: The Morning After the Night Before'', which explored ...
spiked her drink. However, Anita admits she took it herself to impress him.
Leila creates a sculpture as part of an exhibition. During an interview for a job with artist Jack Welsh, she is told the job is in Paris. Not knowing whether to take the opportunity, Leila confides in Elliot, and the pair grow close again, much to the dislike of his girlfriend
Sheila Buxton
The following is a list of characters that first appeared on the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'' in 2009, by first appearance.
Hayley Ramsey
Natty
Natty, played by former ''Emmerdale'' actor Danny Tennant, made his first on-screen appea ...
. Anita accidentally smashes Leila's sculpture during a party, possibly ruining her chance for the job. However, Anita and
Ravi Roy
Ravi Roy is a Character (arts), fictional character from the Television in the United Kingdom, British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Stephen Uppal. He first appeared in an episode airing on 20 May 2008, introduced by series produ ...
reconstruct her sculpture and she is then offered the job. Initially she is reluctant because of her feelings for Elliot, however he persuades her to move on, and she decides to leave. After a tearful farewell with Ravi and Anita, Leila leaves.
References
External links
Character profileon th
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roy, Leila
Hollyoaks characters
Television characters introduced in 2008
Fictional artists
Female characters in television
Fictional Indian people