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EE: Did you like Derek Branning as a character?


View Poll Results: Were you a fan of Derek Branning?
Yes 20 40.00%
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Old 16-07-2014, 19:41
wizardt
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Some people liked him and others hated him.

Did you like him or detested him? Was it fair to say Derek was overused?
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Old 16-07-2014, 19:47
Dr K Noisewater
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I really liked him during his first couple of weeks onscreen he had a real presence and came across as a right hard case, a proper nasty piece of work. From then on though he went downhill as the writing for him was terrible. He became a ridiculous panto villain and the arrival of dopey Alice was the final nail in the coffin. Their scenes together were excruciatingly painful. He was completely overused as well by the end I was sick of him and glad to see him killed off.
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Old 16-07-2014, 19:59
dale0693
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I really wish Derek and Ronnie crossed paths
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Old 16-07-2014, 20:00
J-B
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They got him so, so, so completely wrong. Jamie Foreman could have been a great villain but Derek was hilariously pathetic.
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Old 16-07-2014, 20:00
Keyser_Soze1
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I really liked him during his first couple of weeks onscreen he had a real presence and came across as a right hard case, a proper nasty piece of work.
From then on though he went downhill as the writing for him was terrible. He became a ridiculous panto villain and the arrival of dopey Alice was the final nail in the coffin. Their scenes together were excruciatingly painful. He was completely overused as well by the end I was sick of him and glad to see him killed off.
It was TPTB's and writers obsession with the torrent of Philth as Top Dog that ruined Derek.

He came in as man who scared Pat of all people, but then as always happens with a new 'hardman' in Walford his character was preposterously softened as soon as Philth gasped, wheezed and waddled into view.

Jamie could have been brilliant at making Derek a really fearsome individual but instead was reduced to playing at totally shit 'comedy' brawls in the Vic.

Wasted opportunity.

After all he does know a thing about real life hard cases - his father is Freddie Foreman FFS!
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Old 16-07-2014, 20:01
Kim_x
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They got him so, so, so completely wrong. Jamie Foreman could have been a great villain but Derek was hilariously pathetic.
This. He had real potential. Not many people could scare Pat.
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Old 16-07-2014, 20:01
Keyser_Soze1
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This. He had real potential. Not many people could scare Pat.
See my reply above.

I totally agree.
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Old 16-07-2014, 20:07
QueenAmy
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I despised him
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Old 16-07-2014, 20:10
Harlowe
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I think it was a combination of bad writing and panto villein-ness that killed it with him.
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Old 16-07-2014, 20:13
benbenalen
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He was alright, but BK/LN really shat on Dereks character, could have been good, but he's dead!
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Old 16-07-2014, 20:17
SecretLifeoBees
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I don't think he was as bad as people made out. Jamie Foreman did a great job with the material he had. The whole affair with Kat storyline was awful for all concerned though.
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Old 16-07-2014, 20:17
paton1983
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For me, the problem was that he was brought in as 'thug' character then tried soften him via alice. I always think a baddie should be settled in before we discover their bad side. Otherwise, i cant engage or invest in the character
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Old 16-07-2014, 20:20
maurice45
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Derek Branning: smug, angry, jumped-up super-douche with a stick up his backside, shoehorned into almost every storyline for an entire year. I'm glad he'll never be back.
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Old 16-07-2014, 20:23
Yoshi Fan
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I did (someone had to!), though I can certainly see why he was unpopular. If the writing/production been better, he could've been a truly legendary villain.

For me, the problem was that he was brought in as 'thug' character then tried soften him via alice. I always think a baddie should be settled in before we discover their bad side. Otherwise, i cant engage or invest in the character
They made the same mistake with Johnny Allen...got a good actor in, made the character seem promising in his early days, then introduce a drippy daughter and it's all downhill.
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Old 16-07-2014, 20:35
Keyser_Soze1
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I did (someone had to!), though I can certainly see why he was unpopular. If the writing/production been better, he could've been a truly legendary villain.

They made the same mistake with Johnny Allen...got a good actor in, made the character seem promising in his early days, then introduce Philth and it's all downhill.
I just could not resist.

Sorry!
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Old 16-07-2014, 20:41
Sick Bullet
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I kinda did

I clicked fan although more in between he was alright.
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Old 16-07-2014, 20:42
sorcha_healy27
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I really liked him during his first couple of weeks onscreen he had a real presence and came across as a right hard case, a proper nasty piece of work. From then on though he went downhill as the writing for him was terrible. He became a ridiculous panto villain and the arrival of dopey Alice was the final nail in the coffin. Their scenes together were excruciatingly painful. He was completely overused as well by the end I was sick of him and glad to see him killed off.
I agree. I think he might have been a completely different character under DTC. In Fact I doubt the who shagged Kat storyline would have ever happened under him either. He may not be perfect but he is excellent at character development IMO
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Old 16-07-2014, 20:45
Keyser_Soze1
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I agree. I think he might have been a completely different character under DTC
. In Fact I doubt the who shagged Kat storyline would have ever happened under him either. He may not be perfect but he is excellent at character development IMO
I agree.

And as I say Jamie does know a thing or two about real-life hardnuts.

He was great in Gangster NO 1 for example (and what a way to go as well).
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Old 16-07-2014, 20:48
sorcha_healy27
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[b]

I agree.

And as I say Jamie does know a thing or two about real-life hardnuts.

He was great in Gangster NO 1 for example (and what a way to go as well).
It was obvious Jamie wasn't happy with how his character was written and developed.
Also it was ridiculous that the 3 Branning brothers were able to bang as many women given 2/3 were completely repulsive

Max was the exception
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Old 16-07-2014, 21:23
GeekInfected
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I liked the idea of Derek Branning and the undefeatable philmitchellesqueness that he brought to the Branning family but I think the writers/producers didn't leave Derek's character in the oven long enough before serving him up to the discerning palates of the public. I also think Jamie Foreman got too much of a hard time for his portrayal of the character from my point of view he did what he could with what he was given.
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Old 16-07-2014, 21:32
mo mouse
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Absolutely loved him. A hard, hard man. Easy for people on here to have a pop at him hiding behind their computer screen. A scary individual. Taken from us at too young and tender an age. RIP Dell. Amen.
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Old 16-07-2014, 22:00
attitude99
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In the first few weeks, Derek was great. Like a male Peggy Mitchell IMO, all abaaat faamily.
To me, he had bought back something that EastEnders had lost, but I can't quite put it into words.

But he soon bored me & it was no surprise he was the one who had done away with Kat Moon, everyone had guessed it by the time it played out on screen.

I was glad then when he died in the middle of the square, I practically cheered at the screen.
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Old 16-07-2014, 22:02
MrJames
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I wanted to like him as a character but there was absolutely nothing about him that made we actually like him.

His character direction was all over the place, and for somebody who acted like a villain, he was never actually that threatening or did anything that terrible. They should have been pushing his character traits as far as they could but instead they reigned him in before he could ever become a frightening figure. And frankly, Jamie Foreman was very weak in the part and seemed to ham up every scene.

I was so relieved when he finally died on Christmas Day and his omnipresence was put to an end.
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Old 17-07-2014, 00:15
Seymour Butts
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Why do they always have to bring in children for these villains in an attempt to show their softer side? They did the same with Johnny Allen who was never the same when his daughter and girlfriend arrived and he started having afternoon tea with Dot.

I want a proper Nick Cotton villain who is out and out bad

With Derek they could have just shown a more human side to him in scenes with Carol and Max without wasting him on horrors of Chewbacca Joey and MyAlice
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Old 17-07-2014, 00:44
cobwebsoup
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I can see why a lot of people didn't like him, he was very much a panto-villain, but I thought he was a very entertaining character at times and was disappointed with his exit.
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