List of East Enders Characters (1996) - Reenie Branning

Doreen "Reenie" Branning played by Joy Graham, is the first wife of Jim Branning (John Bardon), and mother of Derek Branning (Jamie Foreman) April Branning (Debbie Arnold), Carol Jackson (Lindsey Coulson), Suzy Branning (Maggie O'Neill), Max Branning (Jake Wood) and Jack Branning (Scott Maslen).

Reenie had dated Jim in the early 1960s and gave birth to their oldest child Derek out of wedlock. When she got pregnant again with daughter April, Jim then stepped up and proposed, and they married in a shotgun wedding. However they never got on well together and fought like cat and dog, but Reenie depended heavily on her husband and whenever they got close to separating and ending their marriage, she got pregnant. This resulted in her giving birth, in chronological order, to Derek (1960), April (1961), Carol (1962), Suzy (1966), Max(1969) and Jack (1972).

Reenie was said to be very maternal and doted on all of her children, despite their faults. She was particularly close to her oldest daughter April, whilst her relationship with daughters Carol and Suzy was notably strained due to their choice of lifestyle. She was also said to be very distraught when her son Max walked out on the family in 1989, and despite keeping in regular contact with her grandson Bradley (Charlie Clements) and Max's ex-wife Rachel, she rarely saw Max and disapproved of his mistress, Tanya Cross (Joy Joyner) who he went onto marry. Reenie appears on-screen in April 1996, in the lead-up to April's wedding to her fiancé Nikos.

Off-screen, in October 1999 it is revealed that Reenie is critically ill, and her daughter Carol leaves Walford to care for her. A few weeks later Reenie dies, and it is mentioned by her grandson Robbie (Dean Gaffney) that her funeral was attended by Carol, Carol's ex-husband Alan (Howard Antony) and her grandchildren Robbie, Sonia (Natalie Cassidy) and Billie (Devon Anderson). Her oldest granddaughter Bianca (Patsy Palmer) was notably not present at the funeral due to her feud with her mother. A month after her demise Reenie's husband Jim arrives in Walford to care for their grandchildren Robbie and Sonia after Carol reconciles with Alan.