Darren Miller
Darren Miller | |
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EastEnders character | |
Summer Swann |
Darren Miller is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Charlie G. Hawkins. He made his first appearance on 6 September 2004 and departed in the episode broadcast on 20 September 2011.
Storylines
The Miller family move to Walford in 2004. Darren is presented as a mischievous child who causes trouble for the residents of Walford including the theft of a donkey as a gift for his twin sister,
Darren finds employment at
Keith and Mickey Miller leave Walford to join Rosie and Demi in the Cotswolds. Darren's last relatives in Walford, Dawn and her daughter
Darren meets
Darren tries to win Jodie back by making her laugh and tries to explain that he had a circumcision but she will not listen to him because he did not tell her about Max and Vanessa. However, she finally reads a letter he wrote and they reunite. They go on to have sex for the first time. Harry later returns to Walford with Vanessa to get to know Darren better. Darren worries when Max jokes that Abi must fancy him, not realising it is true. Max and his elder daughter Lauren (Jacqueline Jossa) later tell Darren it was a joke and she would never fancy him. Abi however remains keen to show affection to Darren. She uses the opportunity of the death of her cousin Billie Jackson (Devon Anderson) to get physically close to Darren to seek emotional support. Although Darren is at first willing to offer this support he later appears uncomfortable with Abi's close attention. When Harry asks Jodie to move out, she moves in with Darren. Harry then humiliates Vanessa and Darren confronts him but learns that Harry is not Jodie's real father. Darren begs Harry not to tell Jodie is it would break her heart. He then worries about what to do as he does not want to lie to Jodie. Later when Jodie says Harry has phoned her, Darren assumed he has told her when he has not. Darren then inadvertently reveals the truth to Jodie.
During a New Year's Eve party, a drunken Jodie persuades Darren to tell her he wants to marry her. Darren is unsure at first but goes to propose, but she stops him as she was not serious. Max decides to relaunch the car lot with Jack as his new business partner. Jealous, Darren tries to sabotage the relaunch by not sending out the flyers but Max finds out and sacks him. Darren blames his sacking on Jodie, so she dumps him. At the
In November 2011, Tamwar reveals that Darren is staying with Libby in Oxford. Jodie realises she and Darren were meant to be together so leaves Walford to find him. In March 2012, Social Services try to find Darren after Heather is killed and George is left without his parents. They are able to trace him to India but are unable to find any more information so George is sent to live with his godmother, Shirley Carter. Phil eventually is able to contact Darren and tells him to come back to England. Social Services then collect George from Shirley and Phil and take him to Darren. In February 2023, Darren and Libby go on a trip together at the Cotswolds.
Creation and development
Casting
The casting team held workshops, screen tests and script readings with the potential actors. Shana Swash, the sister of Joe Swash, was cast as Mickey's younger half sister Demi Miller.[2] Other family members included stepfather Keith (David Spinx), mother Rosie (Gerry Cowper) and Demi's twin brother Darren, played by Charlie G. Hawkins. The casting director Katrine Collins had worked with Hawkins before and decided to cast him as Darren Miller.[3]
The family were publicised as "troublemakers" who were joining "in order to drum up conflict with existing characters." Louise Berridge said, "This lot are trouble. Even the dog is dodgy [...] They're set to cause havoc all over the square..." The family's introduction in September 2004 followed a survey in the Daily Mirror newspaper, which suggested that 57% of EastEnders viewers thought the soap had lost its appeal.[4]
Hawkins discussed his character in 2004: "Darren's a bit of a rough kid. He's a great character to play. There are resemblances of myself in there, although that's a matter of opinion. It's good to play someone like that, where you can have a laugh".[5]
Storyline development
In 2009, a "whodunnit"-style storyline saw the character of
In December 2009, the show's executive producer Diederick Santer was asked what his favourite storyline of the year had been. He replied "I loved the way the 'Who's The Daddy?' story with Heather played, too. As time goes on, I expect we'll discover more about what happened that night. It makes sense to me – he's a horny, drunk 18-year-old! Everyone thinks that they did it in the [toilet] cubicle, but it's surely clear that they went home?"[8]
Departure
It was announced on 30 April 2011 that Hawkins had decided to leave the series. He said "I've enjoyed my time at EastEnders immensely, it's been a terrific chapter in my life and I've loved every minute of it. I've had tremendous support throughout my duration on the show and I would like to thank Bryan and the whole team for believing in me."[9] Hawkins told the Sunday Mirror that he could "barely remember life before EastEnders" and said he was leaving so he could "chill out and enjoy being a normal 20-year-old".[10] Darren departed in the episode broadcast on 20 September 2011.[11]
Reception
Darren's 2010 circumcision storyline was criticised by a member of NHS staff who said Darren would not qualify to have the operation provided free of charge by the NHS as he does not have a valid medical reason for having it done, and that his apparent circumstances in the show make it seem unlikely he could afford to have the operation privately. The staff member also said the storyline lacked research, as Darren would have to study Hebrew to be accepted into the Jewish faith, though the storyline made no mention of Darren attempting to convert.[12]
References
- ^ "EastEnders - 2004-12-25". TheTVDB. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
- ^ "Finding a family for Mickey". BBC. Retrieved 15 May 2008.
- ^ "Charlie G Hawkins: Summary". TV.com. Archived from the original on 17 August 2010. Retrieved 30 March 2009.
- ^ "Troublemakers to join EastEnders". BBC. 9 August 2004. Retrieved 15 May 2008.
- ^ "Charlie G Hawkins". BBC Online. Archived from the original on 18 November 2004. Retrieved 3 August 2009.
- ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (15 October 2009). "Hawkins: 'Darren as dad would rock boat'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
- ^ Green, Kris (23 October 2009). "EXCLUSIVE: Who's The Daddy? Darren Miller, that's who!". Digital Spy. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
- ^ Green, Kris (17 December 2009). "Producer's Perspective 2009: Diederick Santer". Digital Spy. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
- Hachette Filipacchi UK. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
- Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
- ^ "Who's in Who's Out". Inside Soap (36): 28. 10–16 September 2011.
- ATV Network. Archived from the originalon 19 August 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2010.