He will star alongside Peter Kay as Danny’s father, Fred ‘Spud’ Baker, and Lucy Speed as long-suffering wife Bet Baker.
Alice Sykes (represented by Troika) and Frankie Wilson (represented by Middleweek Newton) play Danny’s siblings Sharon and Michael.
This is 21 year old Laurie's (represented by Felix De Wolfe) first lead role, after guest roles in BBC Doctors and Casualty.
Set in 1974, the eight-part series follows the real life events of Danny and his family, with the 15 year-old Danny Baker as the guide through the ups and downs of life with the family. Fred ‘Spud’ Baker (Peter Kay) is a proud south London docker with a penchant for cheeky scheming. Wife Bet (Lucy Speed) loves him deeply but longs for the family to go 'straight’ and play by the rules.With eldest daughter Sharon’s (Alice Sykes) looming wedding, the docks facing closure and Danny’s struggles to get closer to the opposite sex, times are tough.
Danny Baker said of the new series, which he has co-written with Jeff pope: “Well this is weird and there's no way around that. To see your life played out by actors is always going to be peculiar and also, frankly quite tremendous. I always knew these stories were thunderingly entertaining incidents and that I seemed to be hurtling through a particularly unpredictable, high velocity life peopled by extraordinary characters. Now here they are. This will be a fantastic, rich voyage back to a boisterous often maligned era, true tales told large - a strong family in a magnificent working class community just getting on with life.”
Cradle to Grave is currently shooting in Manchester, to be broadcast on BBC Two later this year.