Denise Fox

Denise Fox
Denise Fox in 2010
EastEnders character
Portrayed by	Diane Parish
Introduced by	Kate Harwood
Duration	2006—
First appearance	11 May 2006
Classification	Present; regular
Spin-off appearances	"East Street" (2010)
Profile
Alias	Denise Turner (married name) Denise Wicks (married name) Denise Johnson (married name)
Date of birth	29 January 1969
Occupation	Post Office assistant (2006–07) Taxi driver (2008–09) Shop assistant (2008–11) B&B worker (2011) Shopkeeper (since 2012)
Family Husband Owen Turner (1991–2000) Kevin Wicks (2007) Lucas Johnson (2009–11) Mother Ada Fox Half sisters Kim Fox Daphne Fox Daughters Chelsea Fox Libby Fox Stepsons Jordan Johnson (2009–11)

Denise Celeste Fox (previously Turner, Wicks and Johnson) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Diane Parish. She made her first appearance on 11 May 2006. Parish temporarily left EastEnders in early 2008 to give birth to her second child. Her exit coincided with the permanent departures of cast members Phil Daniels (Kevin Wicks), Kellie Shirley (Carly Wicks) and Matt Di Angelo (Deano Wicks). She returned to Walford on 6 June 2008.

Storylines

Backstory

Brought up by her mother Ada, Denise never knew her father; the only clue she had as to his identity was that he played in a band called "The Five Hectors", the members of which were Patrick Trueman (Rudolph Walker), Aubrey Valentine (Joseph Marcell), Cedric Lucas (Ram John Holder), Dwight and Earl. Denise and Lucas Johnson (Don Gilet) had a relationship when they were teenagers and she fell pregnant with his baby at sixteen. He was a drug addict and constantly let her down. He could not cope with being a father and fled, leaving Denise to bring up their daughter Chelsea (Tiana Benjamin) alone. Denise went on to meet Owen Turner (Lee Ross) in 1989 and after starting a relationship, she fell pregnant in late 1990. Owen and Denise married in a shotgun ceremony a few months later, and Denise gave birth to daughter Libby (Belinda Owusu) in July 1991. Owen was a doting father but later became an alcoholic in 1999 and was abusive to Denise. Denise eventually left him, taking the children with her. Their divorce was finalised a year later, 2000.

2006—

Moving to Walford in May 2006, Denise has a tempestuous encounter with Kevin Wicks (Phil Daniels); however, an attraction develops and they begin dating. Denise's ex-husband Owen tries to reunite with Libby and he later kidnaps her. He tries to drown himself and Libby but she recovers and Owen is arrested. Denise thinks that Patrick may be her father but a paternity test proves that he is not. When Kevin's ex-wife, Shirley Carter (Linda Henry), arrives in Walford, she causes numerous problems for Denise and Kevin. Shirley reveals Kevin's secret, that he is not the biological father of Shirley's children Deano (Matt Di Angelo) and Carly (Kellie Shirley), and in the wake of this, Kevin flees, abandoning Denise. Upset, Denise threatens to move away, but she is stopped by Kevin, who returns and proposes marriage. Shirley tries to ruin their wedding but is unsuccessful. Denise weathers various problems, including Chelsea and Deano's imprisonment for framing Sean Slater (Robert Kazinsky), Kevin's dishonesty when he attempts to cover their crime, and a feud with her boss at the post office, Zainab Masood (Nina Wadia). Kevin starts selling cars for Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), but later discovers they are cut-and-shuts; he tries to destroy the cars but dies in an accident. After scattering his ashes, Denise leaves Walford.

Denise returns in June 2008, but is angry to discover Chelsea is using drugs and is in contact with her father, Lucas Johnson. Denise is initially hostile to Lucas, but she warms to him when she sees he has changed and they eventually reunite. Denise then proposes to Lucas but marriage is impossible as Lucas is still married to Trina (Sharon Duncan Brewster), the mother of his son Jordan (Michael-Joel David Stuart). Trina continues to seduce Lucas but he accidentally kills her. Owen's body is discovered eight months later, having been strangled by Lucas. Lucas confesses to Denise, claiming he killed him in self-defence. When Denise refuses to submit to God, he strangles her, then fakes her suicide, murdering a prostitute Gemma (Rita Balogun) and identifying her as Denise, while keeping Denise prisoner in the basement of the empty house next door. Denise escapes and Lucas is arrested. Chelsea and Libby then move to Spain.

Patrick and Denise attend the funeral of the murdered prostitute. When they return home, Denise's sister Kim Fox (Tameka Empson) arrives saying that she has left her boyfriend Dexter (Robbie Gee), and asks to move in with them. Kim and Denise later purchase the house next door and open a bed and breakfast. Denise talks to Zainab, who helps her move on by destroying past memories of Lucas. Denise attends Lucas's court hearing where he receives life imprisonment. Denise starts a relationship with Yusef Khan (Ace Bhatti), Zainab's ex-husband, but ends it after realising he is still in love with Zainab. On Christmas Day, Denise opens a present containing a broken toy car and a USB stick with a recording of Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) talking about his part in Kevin's death. Denise then starts calling Phil a murderer and tries to get him arrested but fails in doing so. The B&B is set on fire and Denise is forced to move out. The insurance company refuses to cover the damage. Patrick then decides to retire and gives the Minute Mart to Denise and Kim.

Creation and development

Casting and introduction

On 7 November 2005, the BBC announced that Diane Parish had been cast in EastEnders as a "sassy, strong" character with links to the established Wicks family, who would be "a force to be reckoned with." Parish had previously appeared in the serial as singer Lola Christie in 1998. In January 2006, Parish's character was revealed to be Denise Fox, who would embark on a romance with fellow newcomer Kevin Wicks (Phil Daniels). Tiana Benjamin was cast as Denise's daughter Chelsea, and spoke of her admiration for Parish, eagerly anticipating the opportunity to work with her. Lara Gould of the Sunday Mirror described the new characters as the "feisty Fox family", revealing that Denise would have a second, younger daughter, Elizabeth ["Libby"], played by Belinda Owusu. Gould reported that the family would "arrive in Albert Square with a bang and [...] cause friction from the off", expanding: "The Fox girls don't take any nonsense – they'll be a force to be reckoned with." Lee Ross was later cast as Denise's ex-husband and Libby's father Owen Turner. Kris Green of media and entertainment website Digital Spy described Owen as having had "a disappointing life", revealing that Denise had separated from him as a result of his heavy drinking.

Storyline development

Denise went on to marry Kevin, acting as stepmother to his children Carly (Kellie Shirley) and Deano (Matt Di Angelo). Parish briefly departed from the show to take maternity leave, and when Daniels declined to renew his contract, he, Shirley and Di Angelo were written out permanently, coinciding with Parish's temporary exit. In Denise's absence, Chelsea reunited with her estranged father Lucas Johnson, with Don Gilet cast in the role. Upon Parish's return, Denise and Lucas ultimately reunited, with Gilet commenting: "He's found a woman who's strong-willed, strong-minded, a good mother to their shared child and to Libby and [Lucas' son] Jordan (Michael-Joel David Stuart). It's kind of ideal and he's worked so hard for it. Nothing, but nothing, should stop that - he deserves to have this. It's one of these situations where he likes the idea that he's earned this relationship. That seems to be more of a priority than the pure love he has for her. He loves what he's earned and he's now this respectable person who wants to hold on to what he has by any means necessary."

When Lucas' ex-wife Trina (Sharon Duncan Brewster) began interfering in their relationship, Lucas was instrumental in her death, and went on to kill Owen when he came close to discovering the truth. In May 2010, Green reported that in an upcoming episode, Lucas would be seen to strangle Denise and dispose of her body in a canal. He questioned whether Parish was to be written out of the soap, following the announcements that both Benjamin and Owusu would be leaving EastEnders later in 2010. Discussing the storyline, Gilet refused to reveal whether Lucas would kill Denise, but indicated that events may not be as they seemed. Parish commented: "It looks really bad as he gets Denise in a headlock and chokes her. If she survives, it'll be a miracle." Following the episode where Denise appeared to be strangled by Lucas, entertainment journalist Sharon Marshall appeared on This Morning, saying there would be "twists and turns" but would not confirm whether Denise was dead or alive. It ultimately transpired that Lucas had faked Denise's death to hold her hostage in a basement. Parish found it difficult to keep details of the storyline a secret, and struggled to lie when questioned by members of the public.

Questioned about the future for Denise following the departure of her daughters, Parish responded: "She is lost without her babies, but then her sister Kim comes along and she's a brilliant distraction. As for men, I think Denise should give them up and get a cat, but I'm sure she'll end up in another destructive relationship." She told Daniel Kilkelly of entertainment website Digital Spy: "I don't think she'll be looking for a new man any time soon. I think she's just going to take it easy on the man front. I think what needs to happen with the family is that everybody just needs to find their own way to find their own peace. I think that's the future really for all of them."

Reception

Parish has been nominated for several awards for her portrayal of Denise. In 2007, she was nominated for the "Best Actress" award at the British Soap Awards, while Denise was nominated in the "I'm A Survivor" category at the All About Soap Bubble Awards. In 2009, Parish was nominated for the "Best Actress" award at the Inside Soap Awards, and in 2010, she received a nomination for the "Best Soap Actress" award at the TV Choice awards. In January 2011, Parish was nominated for Serial Drama Performance at the 2011 National Television Awards for her portrayal of Densie but did not make it through to the shortlist.

In 2009, Ruth Deller of entertainment website Lowculture—who runs a monthly feature chronicling the most popular and unpopular soap opera characters—profiled Denise, stating: "The Foxes are one of the strongest families on EastEnders at the moment, and that's pretty much all down to Denise, who is a-mazing. We also love her frenemy-ness with Zainab." Jim Shelley of the Daily Mirror questioned the credulity of the storyline which saw Lucas hold Denise hostage having faked her suicide. He quoted Denise's line: "Another thing I don't get. Why am I supposed to have killed myself? What 'reason' did I have?!" observing: "NO REASON of course. The writers hadn't even made one up - although that didn't stop Walford CID quickly deciding Denise had killed Owen and Trina even though they had no evidence and she had a watertight alibi." Nathan Bevan of the Wales on Sunday also deemed the storyline far-fetched, commenting: "she'd been kept prisoner in the basement of the abandoned house next door [...] and no one heard her screaming for help through the walls? What part of the East End is this?" Inside Soap stated in January 2011 that whilst Denise headed up the Fox family, they were "a right bunch of miseries" and opined they would party with lively sister Kim and only let Denise come if she "promises to crack a smile".

See also

• List of fictional postal employees

External links

• Denise Fox at BBC Online