List of The Brittas Empire Characters - Laura Lancing/Farrell (series 1-5)

Laura Lancing/Farrell (series 1-5)

Laura Lancing/Farrell (born 1971, aged 19–26) is the Deputy Manager Dry of Whitbury Leisure Centre.

Laura is calm and extremely efficient at management, often bringing normality back to the centre after a disaster has escalated. She's also the voice of reason, talking sense into those around her. Laura is usually warm and understanding, and has peoples' best interests at heart.

A common thing she does is comfort colleague Tim when he suspects Gavin is having an affair.

She understands that however much chaos her boss Gordon Brittas causes with his half-baked ideas, he means well, so she will occasionally defend him from criticism by staff, councillors and even Brittas's unhinged wife, Helen. Laura is often seen lending support to Helen, who goes into states of shock and panic whenever Laura is away or planning to leave. Helen is convinced the centre won't cope without Laura, with no-one there to "pick up the pieces" after Brittas has caused another disaster.

Brittas is seen to be very fond of Laura, perhaps because of her kind, helpful nature and his lack of close friends in his personal life. In later series, hints are dropped at a possible romance between Brittas and Laura. In one episode of series 3, she kisses Brittas in a flurry of emotion, leaving him in a state of shock. No more is said about it, but in the next series, when Helen deliberately books a holiday that she knows Brittas can't attend, Laura proves very supportive towards him, and the two bond further. A scene in series 5 shows Laura finally confessing her feelings for Brittas and passionately kissing him, although this turns out to be Brittas fantasising. As a result of this, Laura is the only girl whom Brittas has ever considered having an affair with.

Laura is legally married to Michael T. Farrell III, the son of an American billionaire. However, she has been estranged from him for over two years and uses her maiden name, Lancing, in everyday life until he appears one day, searching for her at the centre. Despite the best efforts of a jealous Brittas, Laura gradually reconciles with Farrell again, and becomes pregnant with his child. Because of this, she turns down the opportunity to take over from Gordon as manager of the leisure centre, and moves to Chicago, USA to start a new life with Farrell at the end of series 5.