Derek Branning

Derek Hagrid Branning was the racist brother of April Branning, Carol Jackson, Suzy Branning, Max



Branning and Jack Branning. He was seen in 1996 when he attended April's wedding to her Greek fiancé Nikos. Derek and his father Jim goaded Carol's black boyfriend Alan Jackson, and tried to start fights with him. He still lived with his parents and did his best to split Alan and Carol up. He didn't succeed, and Carol and Alan married that same day after April was jilted at the altar. He and his father walked out of their wedding in protest and Derek continued to goad Carol and Alan after the ceremony. Carol retorted by humiliating him about still living at home at 32. Derek subsequently attacked Alan, but was stopped by David Wicks, Carol's former teenage sweetheart, who then beat him

up as revenge for Derek roughing him up when they were teenagers. A shamed Derek departed.

In 1999 Jim, then living in Southend, mentioned to Carol (who was visiting at the time with her children, son-in-law, Ricky Butcher and new partner Dan Sullivan) that Derek was going through a messy divorce.

On 22 October 2007, Derek's younger brother Max Branning revealed, during a discussion about his son Bradley's upcoming wedding to Stacey Slater, that Derek was in prison and therefore unable to attend.

2011 - Present
Derek returned to Walford alongside his younger brother Max in December 2011. He quickly earnt a reputation amongst the locals as somebody not to be messed with. Derek was involved in several storylines such as fueding with Phil Mitchell, terrorising the Moon Family and expressing a dislike for Tanya Cross.

In 2012, Derek caught up with his old rival David Wicks and he wanted revenge because David got his 14 year old sister Carol pregnant, and Derek stated to Carol that David poisoned his relationship with Jackie Bosch when they were teenagers.

Derek found out that he had a long lost daughter and son. He meets with his daughter, Alice, but she keeps leaving as she finds out he is lying about something and he is not telling the truth.

Derek tells Anthony that he has to take Alice on a date, as Derek can see Alice likes Anthony. But at a party, Lucy spikes Alice's drink to get revenge on Derek, and she is sick in a gutter. Derek is angry at Lucy and gets revenge by making her life a misery, and taking money out of the cafe's till.

Derek's son Joey is set to appear, but he does not forgive his dad and wants to make him pay for never contacting them over the years.

Joey has tried many things including faking his father has punched him and running away with his cousin Lauren (without success) but it true that Derek will now be killed off due to the fact that the man who plays him is not able to pay his bills and therefore, the Eastender team have decided to kill him off.

On 20th December 2012 he was revealed as Kat Slater's mystery lover!