Rachel Duffy, the gang's accountant in BBC One's This City is Ours, is killed in the second series after a secret deal with Jamie puts her on a deadly path. Played by Laura Aikman, Rachel is Jamie's cousin and is wed to senior gang member Robert "Bobby" Duffy (Kevin Harvey).
In the new series, Rachel strikes a business deal behind her husband's back and finds herself ostracised by the rest of the gang. Actress Aikman said: "This whole series is about shifting power, both in the business and in people's relationships. We're going to see Michael (James Nelson-Joyce) more powerless than we've seen him before, and Rachel more powerful than we've ever seen her. But as is true to the show, power is always up for grabs."
A Character Seeking Power
Aikman added: "For Rachel, I desperately wanted for her to get more power, it felt like she was so unheard, and pent up with anger at being ignored, so that starting to happen for Rachel in series two was all of my dreams coming true for her."
The actress also shared a scene in which Rachel questions whether her actions would be judged so harshly if she were a man. Aikman said: "That scene was really satisfying and makes you examine who you're rooting for and why. I think the viewers all root for Michael, as do I, when I'm watching the series. This is a man who we saw murder his best friend (Ronnie, Sean Bean), and at no point do we think Diana should leave him. We want Michael to win. But when Rachel does something far less catastrophic, she is judged harshly."
Rachel's Fate and Freddie's Confession
Rachel meets her end in the second series, shown being carried away in a body bag after last being spotted dancing at a nightclub. Several suspects are questioned over the shooting, including her husband, and new villain Ozzie Thompson (Shaun Evans) interrogates Freddie (Adam Abbou) about his role.
Ozzie attempted to help a vulnerable Freddie flee to Ireland, with Michael Kavanagh aware that Freddie had shot Rachel. Once Michael tracked him down, Freddie admitted to the killing and surrendered to the authorities. Ozzie ultimately faced justice after it emerged he had manipulated Freddie into murdering Rachel.
The Season Finale
In the season finale, Michael, Jamie, Bobby, and Banksey (Mike Noble) executed Ozzie by shooting him four times – one bullet each. Ozzie had cynically exploited Freddie to strike at the Phelan family's inner circle, triggering a wave of violent retaliatory acts throughout the series.
This City is Ours is streaming on BBC iPlayer, with episodes airing weekly on BBC One on Sundays and Mondays.
