Interesting that Denny's grandads are Den and Gavin. Quite the lineage and IMO it's fitting they recasted him with a more convincing head.

So if Den was Sharon's adoptive dad, does it mean that she's also Denny's adoptive aunt

to be fair, i assume that lily's surname is Branning as that was stacey's when she gave birth so there is a family connection that way. Bradley would have been Lily's stepfather, had he lived.

Are we sure that any of the Carters are not related to the Beales the Mitchells and the Brannings

Max wasn't in prison at the time of the conception.

Oh Christ yes she would be

On the face of it, she should be yes.

I think the crucial thing, legally is whether Den was Dennis' birth certificate - ie legally his father rather than just biologically. If he was, then legally Dennis and Sharon were brother and sister and i would have thought, unable to marry. As they did marry, I assume that Dennis either had another man listed as his father or it was kept blank.

ETA.

I've just looked it up and apparently adopted siblings are not automatically excluded from marrying each other although adoptive parents and children are. With step siblings, they apparently look at the circumstances, whether they lived together in the same household, as children or whether they met as adults. I imagine it might be similar with adoption though it is probably less rare for them not to be brought up together than step siblings.

So, given that Sharon and Dennis didn't meet until they were well into adulthood, they would probably have been okay, whether Den was legally dennis' father or not.

But onto Denny, yes technically both Mum and Aunt, and Father and Uncle if Dennis has lived.

PMSL!

For Children in Need they should do an EE Who Do You Think You Are?
Has Shazza got the most twisted family tree or can anyone top her?

It's amazing.

When Sharon came back a few years ago all she had was Denny. Now she has a father (Gavin), a stepmother (Kathy), 2 step brothers (Ian and Ben), 2 step sons (Jay and Ben), an aunt (Margaret) and a husband (Phil). That's without mentioning Ronnie and Roxy as her inlaws, Peggy as her mother in law (again!) and Grant and Sam as her brother and sister in law.

If any character deserved to be put at the centre of the show like this it has to be Sharon. She's been a drama magnet for 30 years. This is twice now that the show has given her an extended family. Let's hope they all manage to stay alive this time!

Sharon was Den's daughter-in-law as well as his daughter. Denny is Den's adopted grandson via Sharon and his natural grandson via Dennis.

BIB: Dennis's surname was Rickman which was his mothers so I assume there was no father on the Birth Certificate

I didnt know adopted (and therefore legally brother and sister) siblings were allowed to marry

I thought Sharon was Den's only legal child, both Dennis and Vicki was born illegitimately and most likely without the father on the birth certificate.

Same goes for Sharon, very unlikely Gavin was on her birth certificate.

I'm not sure they are as it does seem strange but they are not specifically listed in the categories that can not marry, unlike adopted parents and child.

I would have thought that as the adoption affords any child the same legal status as a biological, legal child, marriage to their siblings would be illegal - as legay that have the same status to each other as if they'd been biologically born to the same parent. But, as i say, not specifically listed as such.

I think it is probably a very grey area where the couple might be able to get some kind of dispensation - say for example there is a biological child from a first marriage, then the parent adopts during their second marriage so the children grow up in separate households and maybe have very little contact at all.

I love that Ian and Sharon are now stepbrother and stepsister. They've always had a sibling-style relationship its nice that its now official.

And Kathy and Sharon's relationship will be an interesting one to watch as well as Kathy is now Sharon's stepmother as well as her husband's ex-wife.

Well a child (or adult) having a different surname to their father does not necessarily indicate that there isn't a legal link. An unmarried woman could put the father's name on the birth certificate, thus in this day and age, bestowing them parental responsibility which is legal recognition, but choose to give the child her surname.

Also, I believe that back in the 1970s, the father did not need to be present to confirm that they were indeed the father so she could have put Den's name down without him even knowing at that time, this legal recognition but raised him as A Rickman.

But, I suspect, that Den was not on the birth certificate. If he was, the Registrar would surely have queried them having the same father on their documents, even though one was adopted.

But, on the otherhand, the Police were satisfied that Dennis was a relation as they used him for the DNA to identify Den as Den when the corpse was found and you'd think the legalities would have to be in place for that?

And dead mothers best friend.

People seem to forget about that one, they just see Kathy and sharon as enemies because of Phil but Kathy and Angie were very close, sharon grew up with her as a sort of surrogate Aunty so there was a friendly bond there originally.

Sharon really is an amazing person:

She had an affair with her brother in law who she subsequently married
She married her brother and had a child with him
She has had two dads return from the dead
Her stepmother used to be married to her husband
Her stepson is her step brother
Her fiancé died in a fire
She's had two or three other fiancées who she never got round to marrying
She had an abortion, was told she couldn't have children but did conceive another child eventually
Her best friend had an affair with her father and got pregnant with his baby
Her half sisters half brother is her nephew by marriage

Kathy and Sharon's lives are so entwined and it's why I don't mind Kathy returning from the dead as its given Sharon a new lease of life