EastEnders shares the first pictures of Denise’s half-brother and his daughter

EastEnders has released the first pictures of Darnell and Grace, as Denise’s half-brother and his daughter arrive in Walford next week.

It was recently revealed that two new members of Denise’s (Diane Parish) extended family would be arriving soon, as her half-brother Darnell Larson and his daughter Grace arrive, played by Christopher Colquhoun and Krysstina Frempong.

Later this week, Denise’s ongoing treatment brings more bad news for the Fox-Truemans. With Kim (Tameka Empson) and Howie’s (Delroy Atkinson) wedding just around the corner, Kim heads to the hospital for a private celebration with Denise, but they’re soon forced to cut it short when it becomes clear that Denise isn’t up for it.

In Thursday’s episode, the doctors reveal to Denise that her exhaustion is coming from the fact that her chemo isn’t working as well as they’d hoped. Her recovery now rests on her having a stem cell transplant, meaning they need to find a suitable donor.

Next week, the family launch a donor drive at the community centre as they try to find a suitable stem cell match. However, back at the hospital, things take a turn for the worse with Denise and she’s put into a medically induced coma.

After some digging by Kim, the Fox-Truemans get a glimmer of hope when they learn that Denise has a half-brother on her father’s side, one that she never knew about.

The following day, the family begin the search for Darnell, her half brother, and a desperate Jack (Scott Maslen) takes matters into his own hands to try and speed up the search. Thankfully, Kim has already made contact, and Darnell agrees to meet them.

However, arriving in Walford, he’s shocked to discover that the real reason they’ve tracked him down is because his half-sister is ill. Despite his initial reluctance, Darnell eventually agres to visit Denise, and he heads to the hospital, but the experience soon proves overwhelming and he makes a hasty exit.

On Wednesday, Denise begins to show signs of improvement, relieving Jack as she’s brought out of her coma. However, the doctors reveal that the search for a stem cell donor is becoming all the more desperate.

While Denise takes comfort from the news about Kim tracking down her half-brother, Jack is becoming increasingly desperate to find him.

However, when Darnell returns to the hospital with his daughter Grace, Jack struggles to contain his anger, leaving the family fearing they may have lost their best chance of helping Denise.

Returning to the hospital, Jack delivers the bad news, sparking a furious reaction from Kim…

Photos from Thursday’s episode show Darnell paying Denise another visit – but will he be willing to be tested to see if he’s a suitable donor and offer Denise a hope of survival?

In a pre-arrival interview with Christopher Colquhoun, he reveals more about his character Darnell and what’s going through his mind as he meets Denise’s family for the first time:

What has it been like joining the cast of EastEnders?

It’s been brilliant. Everyone’s been so welcoming, and I’m absolutely loving it. I have huge respect for the actors in EastEnders. They work under immense time pressures yet consistently strive to deliver truthful, nuanced and often emotional performances, which is not easy! So, I’m proud to be among them and excited for the challenge ahead!

How would you describe Darnell as a character?

Darnell is a real “what you see is what you get” kind of person. He’s a bit nerdy, anxious, curious, and full of enthusiasm; a person with zero interest in confrontation whatsoever. A science buff and single dad, he’d much rather understand how and why something works than get involved in a fight (so I do worry about him on the Square!).

What attracted you to the role of Darnell?

I was drawn to how unapologetically himself Darnell is. He brings a new and very particular energy to the Square, and I loved his warmth, vulnerability and optimism. For me, as an actor, it’s exciting to play someone with his backstory and such a unique outlook on the world and he feels very different to anyone I’ve played before, so that was a big draw.

Darnell is part of a previously unexplored branch of the Fox-Trueman family tree. What has it been like joining such an iconic Walford family and working alongside those actors?

It’s an honour to join one of Walford’s most loved families and, I’m sure Darnell would also say, one of its best! (laughs). I actually went to drama school with Diane back in the day, so reconnecting with her after all these years is genuinely exciting and reassuring too as I know she’s got my back! Also, Scott and Tameka have both been incredibly supportive and welcoming from day one, and the energy and commitment they bring has made setting in very easy. I love them all.

What do you think is going through Darnell’s mind when he meets Kim and Jack for the first time?

Darnell is simply excited to discover a side of his family he never knew existed. He’s naturally open and trusting, so he doesn’t spend time questioning why they’ve reached out to him.

He wants to get to know them and, in typical Darnell fashion, almost loses sight of the bigger picture because he’s so fascinated by the connection itself and doesn’t even question why Denise isn’t there!

Does his perspective change when they reveal why they’ve reached out to him and tell him about Denise’s cancer diagnosis?

The penny drops and he suddenly realises, “Where’s my sister?” But he’s not angry about being misled. Instead, he’s overwhelmed by the enormity of the situation, especially having only just learned Denise exists. As the story develops, we also begin to understand why hospitals are such a difficult and triggering environment for him.

Jack remains determined to convince Darnell to help Denise and tracks him down. What can you tease about that confrontation?

Darnell likes Jack, but he doesn’t respond well to pressure or aggression. When he’s pushed, his instinct is to withdraw rather than fight back.

That leaves Jack in a difficult position because Darnell represents a rare source of hope for Denise and the family – it’s all or nothing for them at this point.

We also meet Darnell’s daughter, Grace. What can you tell us about her as a character?

Grace and Darnell have an incredibly close bond. While Darnell is relatively gentle and avoids confrontation, Grace is fearless, protective and takes no prisoners. They balance each other perfectly, he’s her dad, but she often looks out for him in ways he doesn’t even realise he needs.

What was it like working with Krysstina to build that on-screen bond?

To be honest, we just instantly hit it off. There was a real sense of trust between us from the get-go, which hope helps make the father-daughter dynamic feel very natural on-screen as it did for us doing the work. We even discovered some funny off-screen similarities. She’s great as Grace and I’m really looking forward to working with her more.

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