Since his entry into EE at the end of 2011, Derek has gone through many changes.

He entered the programme as a two- dimensional villain who had no redeeming qualities. The way he terrorised Pat and then David, Alfie, etc created a character who was one of the most hated on DS.

Recently we have seen a different side to him. There is his unusual friendship with Cora where we have seen the gentler side to his personality. His more recent interactions with Tyler and Alfie have also shown his softer and more vulnerable side. We have seen that he is not completely bad.

Do you think that he has now successfully settled into EE ? Do we see him as a fully developed character or is he still seen as the 'toad' ? ()

There's been a clumsy softening of the character, possibly as a result of viewers' initial misgivings, but I still don't think the character is working the way a character should.

It will be interesting to see if the character improves under the new producer, but seven months of unconvincing is a lot to try and come back from.

I always liked him, but love him now. Jamie Foreman's great, and those Alice scenes showed him as a human being and not just a villain. He's still rotten to the core, but he's got a good front too with his daughter.

Everyone hated Michael when he first arrived, remember!

We can still like him and call him The toad aswell.

Definitely, there have been several polls now about him and the ones I've seen, most people either have always liked him, or are warming to him now. Great character.

I've always thought he was a great and interesting character.

I've spent meany a thread wittering away by myself, trying to outline the dimensional aspects of Derek's characterisation. A lone wolf howling in the dark...

It does seem that more people (not everyone) seem to enjoy watching him now though. I think sometimes with new characters the first few months can be a bit bumpy for the audience. The writers/producers/actor are still working out the finer kinks of the character, and what the best route to take for them is. I think after this 'settling in' period, most of the audience can really see if a character works or not.

Joey the kitten changed my mind about him

When he's not being what he was originally bigged up to be, he's more likeable - like Jack. Jack's supposed to be this super stud-machine and ueber sexy, but when he's in that mode, he's like a plank of wood.

Put him with one of his siblings interacting, or with Dot, and it's completely different. Same with Derek. The two-dimensional gangster from the Kray days didn't work. Interacting with Jack, Max, Carol or now Alice, even Tyler Moon, and he's humanised.

I just wish he hadn't be shoved down our throats at the beginning and given a scene with Pat on her death bed... I'd rather it had been like with Ray...

They're trying too hard to make him liked now, imo.
The character has had a complete personality transplant, he was completely different when he arrived - a one dimensional pantomime villain.
I still think he should go.

Yeah without doubt, Jamie Foreman has really grown into the role in recent months

No, he is a thug!

Agreed, but I STILL prefer him to Tanya...

I'm not Tanya's biggest fan myself, I'm looking forward to her 'break'.

Same, hopefully it's permanent.

Not as big a thug as Mitchell

same tanya is getting really tediuos.

Exactly. And I'm still moaning about the fact that only a couple of months after threatening Tyler with his life, and Michael taking a beating from Derek on Tyler's behalf, that I'm now expected to accept Tyler and Derek living together swapping food recipes.

I would say I'm finding Derek less unwatchable, which I suppose is an improvement.

I get why Derek's ok with living Tyler and gets on with him. For Derek, as long as people are abiding by his moral standards and not doing anything he doesn't like, then he's dandy with them. It's only when they do something that questions his control or power that he takes issue, rather nastily.

It is a bit strange how Tyler's fine with it though. Derek's family you can understand why they forgive him and put up with him, but Tyler's got no reason to like him. Unless it's just self preservation, a keeping your enemies close type of thing.

No, he's still a nasty piece of work and not in a gangterist way. He is a bully and picks on the weak, usually women.

Yes, I think my annoyance at that is more directed at Tyler than Derek.

It's good we're seeing a different side of Derek, but it's so diametrically opposed to what we saw of him at the beginning, it's taking longer than accepting a character, e.g. like Ray, who we're slowly getting to know, so whatever we see of him is more acceptable.

With Derek, it feels more like the writers tested the water with his all out 'bad-boy' beginning, and now that's proved to be unpopular (particularly his monopolisation of Pat's exit storyline), they're backtracking and trying to find ways to make him more likeable. I'd say overall it's working, but he's still got a long way to go for me.

I've got a feeling it will be. What's left for her to do?

If in doubt, blame Tyler.

I think with any and all new characters there is a 'bedding in' period. I can think of no characters that were exactly the same six months after, as they were when they started. First off, I think it's because the writers need to slightly 'define' the character for their first week or two so certain parts of their character are enhanced and brought to the forefront. It's in a sense spelling out to the audience who this character is, why they are there and why we should give a fig that they've come into the lives of the characters we know and love.

Secondly, I think it is very much trying to find the right levels of their different character traits. During that first 6 months some things will be dialed up and some dialed down. Also the writers/producers are starting to see what's working for the character, and also the little nuances that the actor brings to the character and they are started to be written in, so you get more of a link with the actor reacting off the writing and the writing reacting off the actor.

I don't feel that they've backtracked on Derek being a 'bad boy' character. Obviously everyone has different views on the character, but for me they've always played up the fact that he can be sweetness and light and charm people and be good to his family, but if you do something he doesn't like the mask drops quickly and he turns nasty. As we saw the other day with Tanya.

I quite like Derek now. However, I never hated him....

No I still don't see the point of him and his stupid dodgy deals and sofa surfing, his constantly conning money out of people who would in real life tell him to shove it, he is still a one dimensional 'villain' even bring in some family I don't think will make people like him, his just a dud joke of a character sorry but will never particular like him.