Dennis Rickman
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| EastEnders character | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Dennis Rickman | |
| Portrayed by | Nigel Harman |
| Duration | 2003–2005 |
| First appearance | 14 April 2003 |
| Last appearance | 30 December 2005 |
| Date of birth | 28 August 1974 |
| Date of death | 1 January 2006 |
| Marital status | Deceased |
| Home | 29 Albert Square |
| Occupation | Bookmaker |
| Family | Sharon, Den, Paula, Vicki, Dennis Jr |
Dennis Rickman was a fictional character in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. He was played by Nigel Harman.
Contents |
[edit] Arrival in the Square
His mother, Paula, had had an affair with 'Dirty' Den Watts and Dennis was his son, although he was twenty-nine by the time they first met. The relationship between the two became a highlight of the show after Den's return; the violent and unpredictable Dennis became almost puppylike when humoured by Den, who never hesitated to exploit Dennis's desperate need for a father in order to manipulate him.
Dennis's half sister is Vicki Fowler, while his adoptive half sister Sharon Watts later became his wife. Other flames include old friend and lover Kate Mitchell, her sister-in-law Sam Mitchell, Joanne Ryan, Kat Slater and finally Zoe Slater.
When Dennis first arrived in Walford he ran after some muggers who took Dot Branning's handbag and became firm friends with Dot. Dennis speculated that Dot's mothering him had something to do with the established irredeemability of her own son, Nick.
[edit] Jack Dalton's death
East End ganglord Jack Dalton was Dennis's father figure but Dennis marched him out into the woods at gunpoint and, following Dalton's admission that he had ordered Den's murder, shot him in the head. Despite this, Dennis remained friends with Dalton's second-in-command, Andy Hunter, was best man at the latter's wedding to Sam Mitchell and was left the local bookmakers in Andy's will.
Dennis was put in charge of security at Angie's Den, the nightclub owned by the Watts family, which was subsequently bought by Johnny Allen and renamed Scarlet.
[edit] Feud with Phil Mitchell
Dennis's first appearance was in handcuffs, as he was on day release from his prison sentence for GBH in order to attend his mother's funeral. His introduction as a full-time character was marked by his flooring previous Albert Square hardman Phil Mitchell with a single punch in The Queen Vic. This launched a rivalry with Phil which continued when Phil reneged on an agreement to meet Dennis for a fight at Phil's garage, The Arches, by bringing along several associates who gave Dennis a severe beating. Although Phil outwitted Dennis on this occasion, it can safely be assumed that Dennis had more fun; he infuriated Phil by seducing his sister Sam, his wife-to-be Kate Mitchell, his daughter's nanny Joanne Ryan and according to later reports would also have seduced Phil's mother Peggy had actress Barbara Windsor not fallen ill.
The rivalry was concluded more successfully by Dennis's father Den upon his return to Albert Square. Den tricked Phil into committing an armed robbery of a local factory then absconded with the escape ladder and most of the loot, though he did leave Phil with a few stolen notes to avenge his attacks on Dennis and Sharon and a gun to incriminate him. Phil subsequently escaped from custody but was arrested in April 2005 when he returned to the Square to beg for money.
[edit] Fling with Sharon
Dennis had a passionate fling with Sharon on the eve of Den's return but found himself rejected when her father replaced him. They resumed their affair in secret but Den couldn't accept a relationship between his children and used his keen observations of Dennis's psychology and past in elaborate plots to split them up. Most memorably Den taunted Dennis with the insinuation that 'some sick nonce' had sexually abused him while he was in a children's home, successfully provoking Dennis into accidentally hitting Sharon. Den later apologised and offered Dennis a chance at reconciliation to manipulate him into breaking up with Sharon. Dennis moved in with Zoe Slater but couldn't reciprocate her love and Sharon seduced him again. Den advised Zoe to pretend she was pregnant, knowing Dennis wouldn't be able to leave his child fatherless just as Den had left him. This plan backfired on Den, as his daughters Sharon and Vicki returned to the United States during Christmas dinner, while Dennis stayed with Zoe but refused to sleep with her. Den took advantage of Zoe's urgent need to get pregnant to extort sex, taking revenge on his son for what he saw as stealing Sharon away from him. In February 2005 Dennis finally caught his girlfriend in bed with his father, who greeted him with a smirk and a cheery 'Hello son!'.
[edit] Marriage to Sharon
Dennis left the Square a broken man upon this discovery and did not appear again until the following June. Den was murdered by Chrissie in his absence but as she gloated that Den was gone and she had got away with it, the happily reunited Dennis and Sharon returned to the Square, preceded by an urban fox symbolic of the Watts family. They stayed with Pauline Fowler and then moved back into The Vic with Chrissie. Dennis saw through his stepmother's story that Den had left her for another woman but understandably avenging his father was not a priority for him and he dropped the matter to spare Sharon's feelings.
On 31st August Dennis and Sharon returned from their wedding to learn that Sam Mitchell had exhumed their father's body from his concrete grave in The Vic's cellar with a pickaxe and had consequently been arrested on suspicion of his murder. On 8th November Dennis and Sharon brought Chrissie to justice with the help of former foe Phil Mitchell and his brother Grant and sold The Vic back to the happy Mitchells, apparently marking the conclusion of the Watts/Mitchell feud. Sharon and Dennis went on a late honeymoon and then Dennis's new friend Phil helped them find their own house at 29 Albert Square.
[edit] Death
On New Year's Eve 2005 Dennis was ready to leave Albert Square with his wife and make a new start in the States. Sharon had talked him into leaving without telling him the real reason why: that Johnny Allen had threatened to kill him if they weren't out by midnight. Unfortunately she confided in Phil Mitchell, who saw an opportunity to use Dennis as a weapon against Johnny. Phil told Dennis about Johnny threatening Sharon and also that Johnny had murdered Dennis's friend Andy Hunter. Although Dennis acknowledged that Phil was manipulating him, he took the bait anyway and beat Johnny within an inch of his life in the office of his nightclub, Scarlet. Johnny begged for help as he thought he was dying so Dennis tossed him a mobile phone at him and said if he could reach the phone to call an ambulance then he could live. Instead Johnny called Danny Moon, who shortly afterwards stabbed Dennis in the chest as he crossed the Square to meet Sharon. He died in her arms as fireworks filled the sky, a few steps away from the taxi in which he planned to escape his life of violence. His last words were 'we did it', in reference to their baby, who was born six months later and named Dennis in honour of his father and grandfather. Despite Dennis's best efforts his son would grow up without him after all.
[edit] Family
- Father: Den Watts (deceased)
- Mother: Paula Rickman (deceased)
- Wife: Sharon Rickman
- Half-sister: Vicki Fowler (paternal)
- Son: Dennis Rickman Jr.
