Lauren Branning
| Lauren Branning | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| File:Lauren branning.jpg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 2006— | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 3 July 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Present; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Created by | Kate Harwood | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Lauren Branning is a fictional character in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. She is played by Madeline Duggan. She first appeared on the show on 3 July 2006.
Character creation and development
Lauren Branning, played by Madeline Duggan, was introduced in 2006 by executive producer Kate Harwood. She and her immediate family - father Max (Jake Wood), mother Tanya (Jo Joyner) and younger sister Abi (Lorna Fitzgerald) - are an extension of the popular and long-running Jackson/Branning clan, who had appeared in the serial since 1993.
Lauren's primary storylines concerned a school girl romance with Peter Beale (Thomas Law), a friendship with the delinquent Lucy Beale (Melissa Suffield), and being caught in the middle of her warring parents, who separated in the serial in 2007 when Tanya discovered Max was cheating on her with Stacey Branning (Lacey Turner), Lauren's half brother Bradley's wife. In the storyline, Lauren played an intergral part in the discovery of the affair; as a result of a practical joke, Lauren unwittingly recorded Max and Stacey kissing on video camera, and sent the recording to Bradley as a Christmas present in December 2007 as means of revenge on her father.[1] Despite a change of heart, the recording was seen by the entire Branning family on Christmas Day, drawing in 13.9 million viewers, 55.3 per cent of the total audience share.[2]
The character will become involved in one of EastEnders' most controversial storylines in 2008, when she is "groomed" by a paedophile, Tony King (Chris Coghill).[3] Tony King had been introduced in September 2008 as the love interest of Lauren's relative Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer). However, in a plot twist, it was revealed that Tony was already in a sexual relationship with Bianca's 15 year old step daughter Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty). After losing interest in Whitney, Tony turns his attentions to 14 year old Lauren. An insider said: "He has got away with abusing Whitney for years but it seems one young girl isn't enough."[4] .[5]
Storylines
Lauren is the product of an affair between Max Branning and Tanya Cross. Max left his wife Rachel and young son Bradley to marry Tanya and be a father to Lauren.
Lauren moved to Walford with her parents and sister Abi in July 2006. She made friends with Lucy Beale and began dating Peter Beale in November 2007, to Max's annoyance. In November 2007, Lauren hid her video camera in her parents' room on the day of Bradley and Stacey Slater's wedding, catching Max and Stacey kissing on film. Lauren burned the footage on DVD and planned to give it to Bradley for Christmas as revenge for her father's infidelity. She later changed her mind and threw the DVD away, but Tanya found it and put it under the Christmas tree. On Christmas day, the family watched the DVD and Max and Stacey's affair was revealed. In the aftermath of the revelation, Max and Tanya split up and Tanya filed for divorce, leaving the Branning family in ruins.
Lauren grew jealous of Peter performing love scenes with Whitney Dean for a school play in September 2008. She went to talk to Whitney about the situation, but instead met Whitney's stepfather Tony King, a paedophile who was having a secret love affair with 15-year-old Whitney. Tony was instantly attracted to Lauren and started grooming her after she separated from Peter, who dumped Lauren after Max ordered him to. When Lauren discovered what Max had done, she was furious; she rejected her father after he attempted to throttle Peter, who had been trying to defend her from Max's outburst. Shortly after, Max was run down in a planned hit and run and left battling for his life in hospital. Amidst a police investigation, Lauren admitted to her mother, Tanya Branning that she knew what she had done and that if her mother doesn't confess to what she has done, Lauren will wait day after day for her life to fall apart again just like it did after her father's affair was exposed to the whole Branning family. Tanya subsequently confessed and was arrested. When Max grounded Lauren for planning to attend a music concert with Tony, she asked her uncle Jack if she could move in with him, telling her father she wished he had died.
On December 1 2008, Tanya was seen talking to someone on the phone, saying "Everyone thinks it's me." and "They have no idea it was really you!". It was then revealed that Tanya was talking to Lauren, revealing her as the true culprit who tried to kill Lauren's father Max Branning.
On December 5 2008, Lauren decided to move in with Lucy and her family when she thought Jack might not be able to cope with her. But once she moves in, Lucy's father Ian explained that she should live with her dad. Unbeknownst to Ian and Jane when they were arguing, Lauren stood in the kitchen in the dark and had listened to their conversation involving her not staying at the house.
When Tony's abuse of Whitney was eventually revealed on 9 December 2008, Lauren realised that she was Tony's next target after Whitney. She confesses to Jane about this and she advises her to talk to the police. Lauren does so as she went to Bianca's house with Jane.
References
- ^ "In Pictures: Tanya slaps Stacey in fit of rage(". Digital Spy. 2007-12-21. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "BBC wins Christmas Day ratings battle(". The Telegraph. 2007-12-28. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Paul Revoir (2008-09-17). "Scores of complaints as EastEnders shows scenes of a paedophile grooming a teenager (". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2008-09-18.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "EastEnders paedophile Tony King is set to strike again(". The Mirror. 2008-09-29. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Enders' Tony sets sights on new victim?(". Metro. 2008-09-19. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
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