Rising star Lauren Cornelius is a force to be reckoned with.
The multi-faceted actress and producer has an infectious passion for storytelling, which is evident across the variety of projects she’s been involved with during her career so far. With a rich background in theatre, film, and radio, her early career foundations were set through her work with the National Youth Theatre and as a member of Hampstead Theatre’s ‘Heat&Light Young Company’.
This lead to Lauren embarking on a number of voice acting opportunities, including Maggy in BBC Radio 4’s Little Dorrit as well as playing a fan-favourite companion in Doctor Who Audio Adventures. Plus, she recently appeared in Call the Midwife and has taken on her first producing role which will be released later this year.
Most recently, Lauren was part of Christmas Day television history, starring in the Gavin and Stacey finale, which premiered to 12.3 million viewers on BBC One. Regarded as one of the most highly anticipated sitcom finales, Lauren played Anna, one of bubbly bridesmaids at Sonia’s hen party. In the episode, Anna and the bridesmaids play a game of ‘Mr & Mrs’ to test Sonia’s knowledge of Smithy, with some eye-opening results.
We caught up with Lauren to get the lowdown on her amazing Gavin and Stacey experience, as well as her voice acting roles, producing, and goals for 2025.

Congratulations on being a part of Christmas Day history! Can you tell us a little bit about your Gavin and Stacey experience and the audition process?
I am a really big Gavin and Stacey fan so for me, this was genuinely a dream come true. It was something that, as an actor sort of working their way up and, you know, developing in my career and projects that I take on, it was just something that I never ever thought could be possible because it’s such a small cast and it’s quite a tight knit thing.
I just got an availability and a self-tape request, which is pretty standard from my agent, back in July and it was just for a BBC comedy, no other details. So I did the tape, didn’t really think anything of it and then found out that I got a recall, which was going to be early August. It was only at the recall stage that I realised it was for Gavin and Stacey. So I auditioned for it without knowing what the project was or what anything was! Everything up until the read through was just all dummy scripts. I think I was reading for a birthday party or something, so it was very, very different to what ended up on air.
Then I went into the recall. I knew that Ruth Jones and Chris Gernon the director were going to be at the recall but I didn’t know that James Corden was going to be there so that was a big surprise when I walked in and was like, “oh my goodness, it’s Smithy, Nessa and the director”! I did the second audition with them in the room and from the second I walked in, it was so warm and so welcoming. You could just tell how much love everyone had for it, including the casting directors, Lauren and Melissa. Everyone was so excited to be there, including me – I was bouncing off the walls!
I think I did the audition on a Monday and then had to have a really agonising wait until the rest of the week before I got the call on the Friday to say that I got the part of Anna and I was going to be one of Secret Sonia’s Hens, which was so incredible. But then obviously I had to keep it a secret from the beginning of August, up until the 25th of December, which was, for me, a big challenge. I’m such a blabbermouth and also being a fan, I was so excited about it.
It took every inch of my being to not say it. I kept panicking anytime anyone would talk about it, I felt like I was playing a real life game of The Traitors! Obviously I knew about Sonia so I was guarding a really big secret. So with the weight of that, I was just so relieved when she was revealed in the episode. I was like, “right, that’s it, I can, I can just let go of this secret now” because it’s been the biggest secret I’ve ever had to keep in my life by far.
Everyone was very, very excited about this and I can’t get over how difficult it must have been for all of you to have to keep the secret especially knowing that fans were coming up to try and catch glimpses of people being filmed and things. Did you pretend that you were working on a different job or how did you go about kind of keeping the secret that you were involved?
In terms of keeping the secret, I just would not say anything about it. I would just actively avoid any conversation about Gavin and Stacey, which is weird because whenever I see something about the show on social media, my instinct is to share it. I was trying to really lay off sharing anything about it and it wouldn’t have been out of character but I was so paranoid that someone was going to clock something. So yes, I was actively not trying to draw attention to anything Gavin and Stacey related in the lead up, actively ignoring anything to do with it, which goes completely against my love and passion for it as a show.

You were also really involved during the table read – what was that experience like?
After I got the part, I went to the read through which was amazing. James and Ruth did a speech welcoming everyone in and they were so warm and friendly. They acknowledged the new members of cast, all of us hens, and I just thought that was so lovely because, you know, we’re in a room full of BBC big wigs and a cast that have known each other for almost 20 years so it was incredibly exciting for me to be there, but also massively overwhelming because I’m coming into something where they are a family. It’s that cliché thing, but that they are a total tight knit family, they’re all very close and have such genuine love and warmth towards each other. So to be welcomed in and acknowledged as a part of this read through of TV history was just such an amazing day.
I was sitting opposite Pam Ferris. I was like, “oh my god, I’m opposite Ms. Trunchbull. What the heck? This is crazy”. So that was really, really cool. I’ve been a big fan of hers for many, many years, what an amazing actor. Unfortunately Sheridan Smith couldn’t be at the read through so I read for Rudi. That was a very, very cool experience because again, I’ve grown up with the show effectively so I know her very well and got to do my best Rudi impression!
I also got to read in for Anna Maxwell Martin as the celebrant so that was a really nice experience to be fully immersed in the read through. I thought that was really cool of them to give me the opportunity to jump in and it just massively helped that I was a fan of the show because I just got the humour, got the style and was able to just kind of run with it.
What would you say drew the biggest gasp during the table read?
Of course, Sonia coming back was a really big moment so that was an inevitable gasp. But one of the biggest gasps was Gwen and Dave Coaches. That moment when Dave is revealed and comes down the stairs – everyone, including me, gasped and screamed.
It was such an amazing moment. I looked over towards James and Ruth and they were sort of looking and giggling like school kids. They were so delighted with the reaction. It was just such a joy to be a part of that moment and watch that because the whole room erupted. Obviously we didn’t want to disrupt the flow of the read through, but it was such a notable kind of gasp and just a big ‘oh my god’ moment. I don’t think anyone saw that coming. So yeah, that was a huge, huge moment.
I would say it really paid off on screen as well, because as a viewer, I think it was kind of obvious that Gwen had a secret and I was speculating that she had a boyfriend but not once did I think Dave Coaches was going to come down the stairs! I remember being at home screaming as well so I can just imagine what the reaction would have been like in that room.
And again, that was another secret to keep. I was like, oh my god, these keep piling up, I’ve got this one now too! But yeah, that was just an epic twist that we didn’t see coming, a huge gasp moment.

What was your favourite part of the filming experience?
The filming took place in early September down in Cardiff and I remember the night before I could not sleep a wink, I was just so excited. I set about six alarms, but I didn’t need any of them. I woke up at half four just buzzing, just ready to go. We were on set by six and straight into hair and makeup, which felt really wild getting into fake tan and costume and hair at like six in the morning. It felt like I was genuinely getting ready for a big wedding!
I think what was really nice about it was all the back and forth, the car journeys from the set and the trailer to the set, because you get to just have chats with these incredible characters, as the real people, of course, the actors, but that was just really fun. Just having early morning gossip and cups of tea in the cars with effectively like Stacey, Gwen, Dawn, Pamela…getting to know everyone as an actor, you know, having watched them all for years. It was just like a pinch me kind of moment, here I am just coming to live this incredible story with you all. That was just a really, really nice highlight of the day.
Everyone was having the best time and we all had such a laugh when Damien the stripper was shooting his scene. His entrance and his lap dance with Sonia… it was really difficult to keep a straight face there because obviously, us hens were really not meant to be enjoying it. Stacey, Pamela, Gwen, and Dawn were whooping away and dancing, I just wanted to be with them! Damien’s dancing was hilarious, it was so much fun.
It was a really long day, but everything about it was just incredible. From start to finish, we had so much fun, and you could tell that all the actors were having a great time. James Corden was there watching, alongside Chris Gernon the director, and he was just cracking up. He was having a whale of a time. He kept coming over and saying, “that’s brilliant, keep doing more of that”. He was really encouraging – as an actor, obviously you want to stay true to the script and the dialogue, but you also want to play around with it and really immerse yourself in the world.
I was trying a few different things and he was just so supportive like, “That’s brilliant. Keep that energy up.” so I felt really, really supported by him. That is something that I’ll remember and treasure forever. It can be quite an overwhelming experience when you’ve been rehearsing this scene on your own or with your mum or someone reading in, to then getting on set and it’s just masses of people both in the scene and on the other side. Behind the cameras you’ve got so many people doing incredible jobs and you just have to deliver. It was quite nerve-racking but it was a really lovely warm atmosphere.
Whilst filming with the likes of Ruth Jones, Alison Steadman and Joanna Page, did you get any words of wisdom or advice from them too?
They didn’t give me any words of wisdom, but what was nice is that they kind of just welcomed me in as one of their own. Even though I was sort of having a pinch me moment, because as you saw we were stood up in our little trio of doing the quiz for the hens, the whole room was watching us and that was quite intimidating in itself. Obviously I was having the best time ever, but it was intimidating. And I think the best thing takeaway from all those incredible actors that I’ve looked up to for years is that they welcomed me in.
Alison came over at the end and just said, “you were fantastic”. I said, “that means so much coming from you”. It’s only my third telly job that I’ve done so as someone who’s quite new to the TV world, this has been my big moment, my big switch over into TV. I remember her saying, “well, it won’t be your last”. I will hold on to that for the rest of my acting career because coming from Alison Steadman, that was just the biggest sort of mood booster and confidence booster and it just kind of gave me that drive and passion. It’s such a hard industry and it’s more no’s than it is yeses. Even if you’re so right for something, there’s a multitude of reasons why you won’t get something and it can be really tough auditioning. But to have that little vote of confidence from Alison Steadman, it’s just keeping that fire burning and it’s keeping me really excited for what’s to come.
I could talk about Gavin and Stacey with you all day, but I would also like to talk about some of your other projects that you’ve done! Gavin and Stacey falls into the comedy pocket, but you’ve also done Call The Midwife, which is more of a period drama. What was that experience like in comparison for you?
Again, I’m a TV addict so I love all different genres and styles and Call The Midwife is a Sunday night staple that me and my mum watch. I think it’s currently on season 14 and I was in season 13 so it’s been going for absolutely ages and it’s brilliant. I absolutely love it and I’m a big period drama fan. That was always one of my top acting goals, if you will. It’s been on my vision board for years to do an episode of Call the Midwife, so to get cast in that was a real career win. It was my first sort of primetime TV gig so I feel really, really privileged and lucky to have been in such an iconic show.
I really hope to do more period drama because of that sort of style where a lot of the stories are based on true stories and incidents that have happened in that time period. I think it’s a really wonderful way to educate, but still you can lose yourself in the magic of the drama and their story lines and their relationships. I really enjoyed it, although, you know, the character I was playing was quite bitchy and mean so I got a bit of hate on Twitter for it.
People were just saying how she was so mean to the poor girl in the factory and it just made me laugh because I felt, well, ‘I’ve done my job’. I provoked a reaction and people have an opinion. So if you’ve got an opinion, I’ve done something right. It was great to sink my teeth into it and just play that character. I love Call the Midwife and I’m watching it at the moment in terms of the new season. We’re in the 70s now, which is really cool so I’m excited to see where this season goes and if they want me back at any point, I’d be delighted!
Well, hopefully you will get to – I love that so far you’ve been able to get roles where you actually love the show itself as well. That must be such a dream come true.
It makes such a difference too, because you get it and you get the world and you understand the characters and you understand this tone and the style. I think it just makes for a seamless kind of transition. I love it!
As well as being on screen, you do a lot of voice acting, including playing Maggy in Little Dorrit on People’s Radio 4. How do you prepare for a voice role in comparison to an on screen performance? Do you have to approach in a different manner at all?
I teach a lot of radio drama as well at drama schools so I feel like I give back to that community, which is really rewarding. I have got my method of approaching a text for audio drama, but I find that audio drama is quite similar to TV in that the mic is sort of effectively like the camera and it comes to you. You don’t have to do too much because it will pick up what you’re doing.
I find that with audio and TV prep, I use a very similar kind of actor method and process when I’m marking up my script and I’m working out my character’s story arc. All my prep work, I find it’s got a lot of similarities, which has been really helpful because I’ve done so much in the way of audio. I was on the BBC Radio Rep company for many years so I’ve done a lot of great scripts. I worked with Hayley Atwell and Andrew Scott on The Merchant of Venice, which was incredible. I find attacking the story and the text for audio is really similar to screen so I found that all my audio work has massively helped me in the transition into TV and film now which I’m really loving.
You are also a triple threat because you’re making your producer debut later this year with a release of Murder Ballads: How To Make It In Rock ‘N’ Roll. Can you tell us a little bit more about this film?
We have a distribution date now, which is really exciting, so the film should be out in April 2025. This has been my first time producing and I have loved it because not only did I get to sort of oversee casting and piecing everything together, but I also got to act in it too so I kind of feel like I have lived and breathed the world of this movie.
We’ve got Simon Callow in it, the film is centered around him effectively in his character and he was just wonderful to work with. It’s been a real learning curve, but something that I’m really passionate about. I’m just so passionate about stories – good stories, funny stories, sad stories, you know, everything and everything in between. This one is more of a comedy, but it’s been a real learning curve and I’ve enjoyed it so much I’m now producing a second one, a kind of romcom movie, which I’ve not done before.
I’ve got the producing bug now. Margot Robbie is a massive influence of mine, and I love how she produces, acts in things. I’m not sure if she’s directed, but I’m sure she’ll add that to her list of things she can do if not. I think it’s an industry where you’re so out of your depth a lot of the time in terms of you don’t have too much control. You can control your acting and the work and the craft and the dedication that you put into things, but you don’t necessarily have a lot of control over what you get cast in or when you get cast in stuff.
Whereas if you can take the bull by the horns, so to speak and tell stories that you’re passionate about telling, it just gives you a bit more creative control and I really like that because then people get to enjoy more drama and you know, the world is a better place when there’s lots of entertainment options available to people to switch off. I’m excited for the producing chapter of my life to keep growing and continuing alongside my acting.
I couldn’t agree more and I’m really excited to watch it. It sounds fantastic and it’s just great that you’ll get to be both in front of the camera and behind it as well!
It’s just extra learning, you know, I’m just soaking it all up!
Lastly, you mentioned earlier about having Call The Midwife on your vision board for many years. What’s some of your goals or what’s on your vision board for this year?
I would love to do a really kind of gritty BBC, ITV or Netflix drama, but something that’s quite kitchen sink, Mike Leigh-esque, something really gritty. I’m a big fan of shows like Happy Valley, I love Sally Wainwright. I’m hoping and praying to the universe that there’ll be another good gritty crime drama coming up soon that I can throw my hat in the ring for. I feel like I’ve ticked off comedy. I’ve ticked off period drama. I really want to do a gritty crime thriller next.
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