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EE: Did you like Derek Branning as a character? |
| View Poll Results: Were you a fan of Derek Branning? | |||
| Yes |
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20 | 40.00% |
| No |
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30 | 60.00% |
| Voters: 50. You can't vote on this poll right now - are you signed in? | |||
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#1 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 1,744
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EE: Did you like Derek Branning as a character?
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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#2 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 6,731
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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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#3 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Yorkshire
Posts: 1,467
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I really wish Derek and Ronnie crossed paths
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#4 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Winter is coming.
Posts: 13,324
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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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#5 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: The Sixth Circle of Hell
Posts: 20,237
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Quote:
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.
Quote:
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.
![]() 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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#6 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 3,444
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Quote:
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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#7 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: The Sixth Circle of Hell
Posts: 20,237
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Quote:
This. He had real potential. Not many people could scare Pat.
I totally agree.
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#8 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 2,547
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I despised him
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#9 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 14,372
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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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#10 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Albert Square
Posts: 10,674
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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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#11 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Dorothy Fish Common Room
Posts: 31,209
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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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#12 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Kilmarnock
Posts: 973
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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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#13 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Quahog
Posts: 28,142
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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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#14 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: The end of time.
Posts: 12,104
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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.Quote:
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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#15 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: The Sixth Circle of Hell
Posts: 20,237
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Quote:
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. ![]() Sorry!
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#16 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Middleton
Posts: 13,839
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I kinda did
![]() I clicked fan although more in between he was alright. |
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#17 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 69,012
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Quote:
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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#18 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: The Sixth Circle of Hell
Posts: 20,237
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Quote:
I agree. I think he might have been a completely different character under DTC
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. 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
![]() 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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#19 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 69,012
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Quote:
[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). ![]() 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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#20 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: EastLUNDERN
Posts: 6,247
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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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#21 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 9,152
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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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#22 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Alcohol aisle in Tescos *gulp*
Posts: 12,043
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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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#23 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 6,968
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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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#24 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,170
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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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#25 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: England.
Posts: 3,762
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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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), though I can certainly see why he was unpopular. If the writing/production been better, he could've been a truly legendary villain.
