Jack Branning - Development

Development

Upon announcing his casting, Maslen described the character of Jack as "an extremely competitive man who always likes to win in business and in pleasure". He mentioned that there would be an "instant attraction" between Jack and fellow newcomer Ronnie Mitchell, and explained that he already had a longstanding friendship with Samantha Janus who plays Ronnie, having known her since he was 16 years old, and being godfather to her children.

The relationship between the two characters developed quickly from friendship to romance, with Janus commenting that due to her friendship with Maslen; "Our first kissing scene felt really uncomfortable, it was terrible, but we're over it now." Several media publications commented on the fact that the attraction between the two characters had been obvious, and bound to develop into more than a professional relationship.

As the character's personality developed, questions were raised over whether his intentions and motivations were good or bad, with Maslen explaining: "I call him amoral; neither good nor bad. He gets what he wants out of the situation but that isn’t necessarily just a selfish thing. He’s not an evil character, but if there are people that are threatening him, his business or his family, he will do whatever he needs to do to eliminate that problem."

In April 2011, it was reported by The Sun that Jack would have a one-night stand in May after trying to get over the loss of his son. It was said that Jack would return to his wild ways and bed Tanya's sister, Rainie Cross (Tanya Franks). An insider said, "Jack's a real mess. He's lost his son and his wife. Rainie is there for him."