Enders' Derek Branning demands half of Mitchell empire

EastEnders' Derek Branning will demand half of Phil Mitchell's empire after the Walford bad boy faces a life behind bars for the murder of Kevin Wicks.

EastEnders' Derek Branning will demand half of Phil Mitchell's empire after the Walford bad boy faces a life behind bars.

With the burly mechanic - played by Steve McFadden - facing murder charges over the death of Kevin Wicks (Phil Daniels), the East End gangster issues him a dramatic ultimatum and says unless he makes him a partner in the Mitchell businesses, he will take them by force.

An insider told The Sun newspaper: "It is a clash of the titans. Phil knows his family are struggling but can he really lose face to Derek?"

Jamie Foreman - who plays Albert Square newcomer Derek in the BBC One soap - has previously admitted he based his alter-ego on his gangster father, Freddie 'Brown Bread Fred' Foreman, who served jail time for assisting notorious East End criminals Ronnie and Reggie Kray in two killings.

He said: "I'd go into a pub with dad and it would all go quiet. He's in his 80s now, but back in the day he was a top man in that world. I've always grown up with a very loving father, but he was a very dangerous man.

"That is what I wanted to bring to Derek. He's an ordinary guy. He can be nasty and he can be dangerous, but he's got humour and charm. He's not a monster walking round the corner. He's just like the men I grew up with, I'm a pedigree in that world."