Oscar Branning is the son of Max Branning and Tanya Cross and brother of Lauren Beale and Abi Branning. He is also the half-brother of Annie Carter and Bradley Branning. He made his first appearance on 14 December 2007.
Storylines
2007-2013: Birth and life in Albert Square
In May 2007, Tanya tells Max that she is pregnant. In December 2007, Oscar is delivered by Max as Tanya had left it too late to go to the hospital. The midwife gives Max instructions over the phone and Oscar is named by his sister, Abi, although Max is not keen on the name. Tanya later asks Jane Beale to be Oscar's godmother and she accepts. In March 2008, Tanya reveals that every time she looks at Oscar, she remembers Max's affair with stepdaughter-in-law Stacey Branning. In December 2009, Tanya leaves Max, taking Lauren and Oscar with her after discovering the true extent of Max's financial problems and that her salon was still in Max's name, despite his promise to put her name on the deeds.
In January 2011, Tanya and Oscar return with Tanya's new fiancé, Greg Jessop, and rents a house. At Tanya and Greg's wedding in April 2011, Oscar walks down the aisle with Tanya. Whilst in the care of Tanya's mother, Cora Cross, Oscar suffers a fall whilst playing and suffers minor injuries. In September 2012, Oscar starts Walford Primary School and makes friends with Dennis Rickman, as Tanya and Dennis's mother, Sharon Rickman feud briefly. In June 2013, Tanya, Lauren and Oscar move to Exeter so Lauren can go to rehab for her addiction to alcohol. Lauren returns alone in August 2013 and reveals that Tanya and Oscar are staying permanently in Exeter.
2014-2017: Brief returns
Oscar returns in April 2014 and stays with Max, whilst Tanya is on a night out in London. Abi collects him and brings him to Max in the café and Lauren and Abi take him bowling while Max meets Lucy Beale. In May 2014, Oscar visits again after Lucy's murder and plays with Abi and her boyfriend, Jay Brown. Lauren is upset and angry that everyone is carrying on as normal and ignoring the fact that Lucy is dead. Oscar and Tanya attend and Jane and Ian Beale's wedding in February 2015 and Tanya announces that she is taking a fashion course in Manchester. She allows Oscar to stay with Max for a while but he returns to live with Tanya when Max is arrested and charged with Lucy's murder in July 2015. Disgusted by Max's relationship with Lucy, Tanya refuses to allow Max to see Oscar.
In June 2017, Max's brother Jack Branning arranges for Oscar to visit Max on Father's Day. Oscar returns, and both him and Max are happy to see each other. He spends the day with his family, including Jack, Lauren and Abi, drinking with them in the Queen Vic and playing poker together, although Abi walks out during this game. Before he goes back to Exeter, Oscar asks his dad when he can see him next.
When Oscar is due to visit Max for his tenth birthday in December 2017, Tanya changes her mind on letting Max see him when Denise Fox informs Cora about Max's part in conning the neighbours with Weyland & Co as a form of revenge for being falsely imprisoned for murder. Later, Jane reveals that Max killed Steven and even tried to kill her. Between 2017 and 2025, Oscar begins going off the rails, he begins smoking and hanging around with Mike. The two quickly get into an altercation and Mike attempts to petrol bomb Oscar and Tanya's house, but he hits the neighbour after Oscar changes the house numbers Oscar has a girlfriend during this time, but breaks up with her, saying his reason being her dad was better looking. He eventually goes joyriding and crashes into a dumpster behind a Poundland in Hackney and is sent to young offenders.
2025-: Readjusting from Young Offenders and attacking Patrick Trueman; romance with Jasmine Fisher
In July 2025, Lauren gets a call from the young offenders institute, calling on behalf of Oscar. She comes and collects him, where he reveals he spent 3 months in the institute for stealing a car, and got kicked out of Tanya's house. He is released on probation, and has an ankle monitor for a curfew. It is later revealed he has some unfinished business Mike's gang. He then later moves in with Lauren and Peter, where he flirts with the latter. Oscar and Ian later argue and after a conversation with Jack, Oscar offers a truce which Ian denies. Oscar, in retaliation, stages a fall in Beale's Plaice, resulting in Ian giving him money to keep quiet. When Ian realises he is lying, he and Oscar argue as Suzanne Hardwick, Jimmy Beale's social worker, is leaving. Upon seeing the altercation between Ian and Oscar, she has another conversation with Lauren and Peter, and says she would need to visit more often.
Lauren gets an idea for Oscar to work on the Fruit and Veg Stall with Peter to keep him occupied, but Oscar is reluctant to get a job. He later places a bet against Penny Branning which he loses - his forfeit is to work on the stall for a day. Whilst working on the stall, he initially annoys Peter by playing loud music, however he later uses this to his advantage to appeal to female customers. Whilst on his break from the stall, Oscar gets presents for Lauren's children - a lighter for Louie and sunglasses for Jimmy. Lauren is offended, especially considering Jimmy is blind, but realises Tanya never told Oscar. He later gets a new gift for Jimmy - a sensory toy with multiple textures.
Linda and Annie Carter bump into Oscar and he introduces himself, as Lauren's brother. Linda starts panicking as she does not want Max to find out about Annie, but Oscar thinks she does so because she is attracted to him. Linda later asks Lauren to not tell Oscar, but Lauren explains that Oscar is not in contact with Max, and that everyone else knows so it is only a matter of time. After speaking to her mother, Linda decided to tell Oscar the truth. To Linda's concern, Oscar says that he cannot wait to see the look on Max's face when he finds out about another child he has neglected. After talking to Lauren, he decides to not tell Max.
Oscar sleeps has a one night stand Isaac, yet tells him he isn't looking for a proper relationship, and promptly ushers him to Walford East Tube Station. Whilst babysitting Louie and Jimmy, Mike breaks in and threatens Oscar, but flees when Peter and Lauren return home. This heightens Oscar's anxiety, resulting him in nearly stabbing Peter the next evening, as he thought he was Mike again. Peter kicks Oscar out but after a conversation with Lauren where he informs her of his daily beatings in the Young Offender's institute, she changes her mind. Oscar is approached by Mike when he is working on the stall, and they agree to a deal - £2,000 within the next week for them to leave him alone, with some money upfront. Oscar is forced to hand over the profits from the stall, but later tricks Billy Mitchell into buying his trainers to cover these costs, after Penny suggests doing as such.
After Mike returns, increasing the price to £5,000 by the end of the day, Oscar confides in Lauren and informs her of this debt. Both parties work to find this money - Lauren goes back to the Car Lot whilst Oscar approaches Ian with a proposition of a fish & chip van in the park (similar to Beales on Wheels). Oscar convinces Ian of this idea, but is unable to convince him to hand over a deposit for the van. As he is walking out of the chippy, Oscar sees Patrick Trueman walking out of Heart Bet with £6,000, and witnesses his argument with Yolande Trueman about betting behind her back. He later breaks into Patrick's house and steals the money from underneath his hat. As he is leaving, Patrick catches him and a struggle ensues resulting in the latter lying unconscious whilst a mask keeps Oscar's identity hidden.
Oscar in a panicked state calls the emergency services on Patrick's phone, but stops when he hears Howie Danes walking in. Oscar hides around the corner, and once he sees Howie talking to the emergency services, he runs out. Upon returning home, he finds out that Lauren was able to obtain the money needed - so his attack and theft of Patrick had all been in vain. As the ambulance arrives, Oscar gets increasingly more tense and fears the worst. Feeling guilty, he leaves the stolen money with an apology note and is about to leave when Lauren walks in, aware of the truth.
The police start making the rounds to ask neighbours if they had seen anything suspicious. Oscar prepares to come clean but Lauren unexpectedly gives him an alibi, saying to the police that they were both in all night. Oscar disposes of the outfit he wore during the break-in and is observed by Howie. Howie comes to the door and reveals that he remembers seeing Oscar's ASBO tag and knows it was him who took the money. Lauren tells Howie they don't have the money and shoos him out of the house. Around this time, the police start searching the bins, and Oscar quickly moves the evidence from the front bin to the back, observed once again by Howie, who confronts him with the evidence. He demands the money, but Lauren and Oscar quickly realise that Howie wants all the money for himself and does not intend to return it to Patrick.
Oscar asks Kathy Cotton about Patrick, and convinces her to give her some food from the Cafe to give Yolande. Lauren walks in on the pair talking in the Launderette and drags him out, but he later helps her behind Lauren's back. The next day, he helps her again and she insists he stays for a cup of coffee. Patrick comes in and is startled by Oscar, but later reminisces about his and Jim's domino games, so Oscar suggests they play. During the game, Yolande and Patrick say that Oscar is a good person, but Oscar states he is not and uses his ankle tag as reasoning for this. Yolande says that Dot used to judge people as they are, and she does the same.
Howie warns Oscar to not go to Patrick's stag do, but he goes anyways. This results in the two fighting. Jack finds out that Oscar is the one who attacked Patrick, and urges him to confess, but is tempted by Lauren not to. Jack confides in Denise about Oscar, who shouts at him and threatens to expose him, but Jack convinces her to keep quiet. However, Oscar goes round to Patrick's house and confesses to him. This is revealed to the Trueman household, who have conflicting feelings on whether to call the police on Oscar. After Cindy Beale lies to Anthony Trueman about Oscar's wrongdoings, he has Oscar arrested.
Whilst Jack hires a lawyer for Oscar, Lauren threatens Howie to convince Patrick to change his statement, or else she will report him for stealing Patrick's money. Howie succeeds in this and Oscar is released, angering the Trueman Family. He buys Patrick a bottle of rum as an apology and thank you present, but Patrick turns him away, saying he wants nothing to do with Oscar and to leave him and his family alone.
Oscar sees Harry Mitchell looking suspicious behind the Arches, and a gun he has hidden. He hides it from Lauren and Jack at 25 Albert Square, but later reveals it to Jack. Feeling guilty, Oscar keeps trying to help with the wedding, but Kim Fox shuts him down. However, after struggling to set it up last minute she agrees to let Oscar help, who succeeds. Patrick and Yolande are told this at their wedding reception, where they thank him and agree to be on civil terms. After Zoe Slater is shot outside the Queen Vic, Oscar calls Jack to ask if it was by the same gun. Jack lies and tells Oscar not to worry, and that he turned the gun into the police before the shooting, and that this was gang-related. Upon finding out the truth, Denise questions Oscar but leaves mid-conversation after seeing Ravi Gulati.
After matching with Jasmine Fisher on a dating app, Oscar becomes infatuated with her and continually makes romantic moves towards her. Initially, she waves him of as being to nice but he counters this by showing his ankle tag and stealing a necklace for her. Cindy attempts to warn Jasmine off by claiming that Oscar is a bad-hearted criminal, but Oscar counters this by telling her about Cindy's fake death and affair with Junior.
When Max returns for Lauren and Peter's wedding, Oscar is excited to build a relationship with him. Lauren warns Oscar that Max does not stick around, and he will disappoint him however Oscar brushes off these concerns. After much persuasion, Max says that he will be staying in Walford near all his family, and he is introduced to Jasmine. However, once Max and Zoe Slater's relationship is discovered, Max flees Walford, walking out on Oscar once again.
Oscar becomes close to Nigel, after witnessing him struggling with his dementia. He helps Nigel in selling his car to Lauren via Square Dealz. Whilst Cindy is away, Gina Knight remarks the Albert is quiet, and that Jasmine should close up early. Oscar comes along and starts playing around, resulting in a few smashed bottles. When Jasmine warns him to be more careful, he storms out. He later visits her in hospital, where she asks him to leave suspiciously. Continuing to grow suspicious, after advice from Elaine Knight, Oscar searches Jasmine up on the internet to find no results. At this moment she walks in, annoyed that he doesn't trust her. She later explains to him that her parents were incredibly sheltered about her online presence up until the age of 18.
Kill count
Attempted murder victims
- Patrick Trueman (4 August 2025) - Pushed Patrick to the ground after being caught stealing from the Trueman household.
Residence history
| Address | Years |
|---|---|
| 5 Albert Square | 2007-2013 |
| Exeter | 2013-2024 |
| Young Offender's institute | 2024-2025 |
| 25 Albert Square | 2025- |
Employment
| Occupation | Years |
|---|---|
| Student | 2010-2024 |
| Fruit and Veg Stall holder on Bridge Street Market | 2025- |
Quotes
- To Abi Branning ('when leaving in 2013; last line): "Bye Abi." (28 June 2013)
- To Max Branning (when returning in 2014; first line): "You cheated." (28 April 2014)
- "You're the smartie pants." (when leaving in 2014; last line) (5 May 2014)
- To Max Branning (when returning in 2017; first line): "Hey Dad." (19 June 2017)
- To Max Branning (when leaving in 2017; last line): "When can I see you again?" (20 June 2017)
- To Lauren Branning (when returning in 2025; first line). "About time! Did you bring any munch? I'm starving." (14 July 2025)