Derek Branning - Reception

Reception

For his portrayal of Derek, Foreman earned a nomination for Best Newcomer at the 2012 British Soap Awards. While the character received a nomination for Best Villain from the All About Soap Awards. BT's Tim Guest described Derek as "dodgy" and branded him a "psycho." The Guardian's Stuart Heritage called Derek Max's "malevolently pudding-faced newcomer brother." Tony Stewart of the Daily Mirror described Derek's arrival: "What a busy time bad boy Derek Branning has of it. He terrorises Roxy, sleeps with Rainie and then turfs out some squatters for Janine. "Some men are born rotten," Fat Pat declares. "Derek's one of the worst." Stewart later called Derek a "vicious and sadistic thug" and despite criticising some of the character's storylines, described Foreman's performance in the role as "superb." He also said "wearing a heavy overcoat and a 1920s-style newsboy flat cap, Derek looks as though he could easily be one of Al Capone’s hoodlum". He also added that Derek may be the "most vicious villain in Soapland". Kate White from Inside Soap named Derek as the best new soap opera character of 2011. She added that the "brutish Derek stormed into Albert Square and scared the bejesus out of everyone". The Guardian's Sarah Dempster said that Derek played by Foreman has the "face of a dyspeptic pug and the charm of an abandoned Threshers." She added: "Within seconds of his arrival the bastard was crashing through the Square like a herniated tank, spraying wide-boy aphorisms everywhere, insulting Pat's earrings, calling Michael Moon's handshake "a bit mincey" and banging on about his time "inside" and ow fings ain't wot they used to be wot wiv the lack of "respect" and the current proliferation of Liffooanians."

Jane Simon of the Daily Mirror states that Jamie Foreman is the "best thing to happen to EastEnders in years." She compared Derek and David Wicks, saying that Derek looks exactly like a "shorter, fatter, cartoon version of David drawn by someone with a cruel sense of humour." Jim Shelley, also from the Daily Mirror, called Derek the "long-lost villainous brother" and a "rough diamond". He also said that Derek is the "sort of bloke who has a lock-up full of 'moody' merchandise". He also added that Derek is nothing like Dirty Den, Johnny Allen, Steve Owen, Jack, Max or "Whispering David Essex". He continues to write: "Derek is thoroughly unpleasant: a pig’s head in Brylcreem. He looks so much like one of the Krays he’s practically walking round with a cardboard cut out of Mad Frankie Fraser." Shelley also nicknamed him "Derek the Menace." Jake Wood said that Foreman is "fantastic" to work with and that his character has had a "huge impact" on the show. Foreman stated that Derek is worse than any gangster he has ever known.

Upon the announcement that Derek was to show a "softer side", a writer from Soaplife said that Derek was certainly not a "baddie we love to hate" and more of a "baddie we hate". They questioned whether Derek could even pull off a soft side and predicted that the transition would be like watching "a speeding car screeching and skidding into a U-turn". Carena Crawford from All About Soap said that Derek needed to ditch his "ridiculous" flat cap, which made him look more like Del Boy than David Beckham. Crawford opined that while Derek was turning the Brannings into the Kray twins; she would advise him steer clear of Phil. The latter has outlived many gangsters and Derek was not "even half as menacing as some of them were". The writer also predicted that their feud would generate weeks of "fuming facial expressions and gurning glances as they vie to become ruler of Walford". David Brown from Radio Times said that Derek "connives like an East End Jabba the Hutt" in his scheme to prevent Carol from leaving. Another writer for the Daily Mirror said: "Call Dirty Derek Branning an over-protective father, or just a psychopath, but Lucy isn't safe when he wants revenge because she spiked his precious daughter Alice's drinks last week."