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EastEnders welcomes a new character to Walford this week in the form of Darnell Larson, who finds himself at the hospital within minutes of his debut scenes.
Darnell was located by Kim Fox (Tameka Empson) earlier this week amid a search for potential relatives of sister Denise (Diane Parish), who has been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).
Thus far, Denise has undergone two rounds of intense chemotherapy but doctors informed her earlier this month that neither round has had the desired effect on her cancer.
A stem cell transplant is therefore the next phase of treatment.
Due to her battling a serious chest infection, Denise was put into a medically induced coma, with doctors assuring her it that such a thing gives her a better chance of survival.
Kim, meanwhile, was unable to visit her sister due to a cold and thus has instead been searching for any long-lost relatives who might be a match for Denise.
To her shock, a long-lost brother named Darnell was discovered via an ancestry website – and the hunt is on to track him down.
But if you want to know everything there is to know about Darnell – including the actor who plays him and where you’ve seen him before – you’re in luck as we’re on the case.
Who is Darnell Lawson in EastEnders and who plays him?
Darnell is a half-brother of Denise’s. He is played by actor Christopher Colquhoun, known for roles in Absentia and Fleabag – but he is perhaps best known for playing registrar Simon Kaminski in Casualty between 2002 and 2004.
In EastEnders, Denise had no idea Darnell existed and – given that her life hangs in the balance – time is of the essence when it comes to trying to find him.
Kim and Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) successfully locate Darnell, who is pleased to meet with them upon learning that he’s got a sister he didn’t know about – but he remains unaware of the real reason why they reached out.
‘Darnell is simply excited to discover a side of his family he never knew existed,’ said star Christopher.
‘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.’
Jack and Kim subsequently reveal Denise’s condition to Darnell, who is taken aback but agrees to accompany them to the hospital. He finds the situation incredibly overwhelming, however, and thus makes a hasty exit.
‘He’s not angry about being misled. Instead, he’s overwhelmed by the enormity of the situation, especially having only just learned Denise exists,’ Christopher explains. ‘As the story develops, we also begin to understand why hospitals are such a difficult and triggering environment for him.’
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