From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Dennis Rickman
Dennis Rickman
Dennis Rickman Andy Hunter and developed a warm relationship with lo-
cal gossip, Dot Cotton.
Dennis quickly became established as the show’s
leading man and a "soap sex-symbol",[2] with Harman
noted for his "dark good looks" and "fantastic"
physique.[3] In 2003, Harman won the "Best Newcomer"
award at the National Television Awards, and for two
years straight (in 2004 and 2005) won both "Best Actor"
and "Sexiest Male" categories at the British Soap Awards
and Inside Soap Awards.
Storylines
Dennis, the product of a fling between Paula Rickman and
"Dirty" Den Watts in 1974, makes his first appearance is
EastEnders character in handcuffs, as he is on day release from prison to attend
his mother’s funeral. His introduction as a full-time char-
Portrayed by Nigel Harman acter is marked by a fight with Phil Mitchell, in which
Created by Louise Berridge he floors Phil with a single punch. This launches a ri-
valry with Phil which continues when Phil reneged on
Duration 2003–05
an agreement to meet Dennis for a fight at Phil’s garage
First appearance 14 April 2003 by bringing several associates who give Dennis a severe
beating. Dennis infuriates Phil by seducing his sister Sam,
Last appearance 30 December 2005
his wife-to-be Kate Morton (who was a former flame of
Classification Former; regular Dennis’s) and his daughter’s nanny, Joanne Ryan. The ri-
Profile
valry with Phil is concluded by Dennis’s father Den when
he returns from Spain. Den and Dennis trick Phil into
Date of birth 28 August 1974 committing an armed robbery at a local factory. They
Date of death 1 January 2006 then abscond with the escape ladder and most of the
cash, though Den leaves Phil with a few stolen notes and
Occupation Bookmaker a gun to incriminate him. The feud brings Dennis closer
to his father.
Dennis Rickman is a fictional character from the BBC Dennis sees East End ganglord Jack Dalton as a father
soap opera EastEnders, played by Nigel Harman. He en- figure as he worked for him collecting debts, amongst
tered the show on 14 April 2003 and made his last appear- other things, and his prison stint is due to working for
ance on 30 December 2005, when he was fatally stabbed Jack. After Dennis’s release, Jack orders Phil to kill Dennis
as the midnight fireworks began. He is part of the Watts after he becomes independent of him. Dennis persuades
family, though his identity was unknown for almost thir- Phil to kill Jack instead so they can both be free of him.
ty years. His storylines centre around his difficult past Dennis marches him out into the woods at gunpoint and,
and childhood, relationship with his infamous father, following Dalton’s admission that he ordered Den’s mur-
Den Watts, clashes with the rival Mitchell family, and for- der in the 1980s, shoots him in the head. Dennis remains
bidden romance with his adopted sister, Sharon. friends with Dalton’s second-in-command, Andy Hunter,
Dennis is characterised by his roguish manner, a "bad and is left the bookmakers in Andy’s will after his death
boy" cast in the mould of a "young Dirty Den". Harman at the hands on Johnny Allen.
described his character as "a bit of a rough diamond" but Dennis has a passionate fling with Den’s adopted
with "a sensitive side".[1] During his time, Dennis often daughter Sharon on the eve of Den’s return but finds
butted heads with various alpha-males, including Phil himself rejected when Den replaces him. They resume
Mitchell and Johnny Allen, but was friends with mobster their affair in secret but Den cannot accept a relationship
between his children and plots to split them up. Den
taunts Dennis with the insinuation that someone had
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Dennis Rickman
sexually abused him while he was in a children’s home, him. The three women then buried his body in the base-
successfully provoking Dennis into accidentally hitting ment. Dennis and Sharon bring Chrissie to justice and
Sharon. A guilt-ridden Den later apologises and explains sell The Queen Victoria back to the Mitchells, apparently
his reasons for not wanting his son and daughter togeth- concluding the Watts/Mitchell feud.
er, because he wants both of them in his life and he can-
not have that if they are sleeping together. Den then tries
to explain to Dennis that his feelings for Sharon are sim-
ply misguided due to the abuse he suffered as a child,
which leaves Dennis confused and he decides to break up
with Sharon in order to have a father-son relationship.
Despite Sharon’s heartache, the Watts reform their
strong bond, including the introduction of Den’s new
wife Chrissie. Dennis moves in with Zoe Slater but cannot
reciprocate her love and Sharon seduces him again. They
continue their affair in secret behind Zoe and Den’s backs
they become sick of sneaking around and they plan to
leave on Christmas Day. When they announce that they
are in love and going to America together, Zoe, desperate
to keep Dennis, announces that she is pregnant. Dennis
does not want to be an absent father to the baby, so
Sharon leaves without him. He stays with Zoe but refuses
to sleep with her. She is desperate to get pregnant for re-
al and resorts to sleeping with Den. Dennis catches them
Dennis’s death
in bed and leaves after informing Chrissie about Den and
Zoe.
On Christmas Day 2005, Sharon is admitted to hos-
pital with suspected food poisoning, but finds out she is
pregnant, despite the previous belief that she was infer-
tile. They prepare to leave on New Year’s Eve to start a
new life in the United States. Sharon does not tell Dennis
that Johnny has threatened to kill him if they have not
gone by midnight, but she confides in Phil, who then us-
es Dennis as a weapon against Johnny. Phil tells Dennis
about Johnny threatening Sharon and also that Johnny
had murdered Andy. Although Dennis realises Phil was
manipulating him, he takes the bait anyway and beats
Johnny to the brink of death. Johnny begs for help as he
thinks he will die, so Dennis tosses him a mobile phone
and says if he can reach it, he will live. Johnny is able to
Dennis marries Sharon
reach the phone and instead of calling for medical assis-
tance, he contacts a henchman to murder Dennis as re-
Dennis and Sharon return as a couple, after several
venge for his beating.
months away and demand to see Den. Dennis sees
After cleaning his hands of Johnny’s blood, Dennis
through Chrissie’s story that Den has left her for another
makes his way towards the Albert Square Gardens where
woman but drops the matter to spare Sharon’s feelings.
the locals are setting up fireworks, to meet Sharon. As
Dennis and Sharon go on to marry, and following this,
they lock eyes, Dennis is stabbed and collapses, dying in
they learn that Sam Mitchell had exhumed their father’s
Sharon’s arms. His last words are "we did it" in reference
body from his grave in the cellar of The Queen Victoria
to their unborn son who was born six months later and
public house. Den was murdered by Chrissie after she,
named Dennis in honour of his father. It is later revealed
Zoe and Sam confronted him about his manipulation of
that Dennis was killed by Danny Moon.
lies regarding the three of them (Den had tricked Sam
into selling him The Queen Victoria). Chrissie had also
lured Sharon back to overhear Den’s confessions so that Character creation
Den would lose the one person in his life that he truly
Dennis Rickman was created by the show’s producers as
loved. Den attacked Chrissie and Zoe hit Den with a
the hardman successor to the character of Steve Owen,
doorstop to stop him. Den then grabbed Chrissie who de-
who had bowed out during the previous year.[4] It was al-
livered a fatal blow, leaving Zoe to believe she had killed
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Dennis Rickman
so part of a move to bring the Watts family back to the
forefront of EastEnders, with the re-introduction of Vicki
See also
Fowler occurring at the beginning of 2003, and the high- • List of soap opera villains
ly anticipated return of Den Watts in September.[5][6] Ex-
ecutive producer Louise Berridge was also keen to rec-
tify what she felt was a gender imbalance in the cast,
References
commenting after his arrival that Dennis had "provided [1] ^ Gilby, Ryan (2 December 2003). "Nigel Harman:
a surge of testosterone in a show that was rather female- Cockney rebel". The Independent (London).
heavy since the arrival of the Slaters."[4] http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/
profiles/nigel-harman-cockney-rebel-575298.html.
Casting Retrieved 2009-12-20.
[2] "Nigel Harman on playing Rich Black". Plus One. 23
"It took weeks of auditions and I didn’t have a clue who
December 2008. http://www.channel4.com/
I was going to play - it was such a secret. When they told
programmes/plus-one/articles/nigel-harman-on-
me I was playing Den’s son, I laughed my head off. It’s a
playing-rich-black. Retrieved 2009-12-10.
real challenge and I know a lot is riding on this."
[3] "A woman’s guide to Nigel Harmon". Women
Nigel Harman[7]
Republic. http://www.womenrepublic.co.uk/
Harman was working as a lorry driver for supermarket
entertainment/nigel_harman/. Retrieved
chain Sainsbury when he was cast in the role of Dennis
2009-12-10.
Rickman: "They said: ’You’ve got the job.’ I was sitting
[4] ^ "Ant & Dec the new Morcombe and Wise".
there in my Sainsbury’s fleece, with Mrs Bloggs’s gro-
Ananova. http://www.ananova.com/
ceries in the back, and I just laughed my arse off."[1]
entertainment/story/
However, Harman revealed in a 2003 interview that he
sm_906509.html?menu=entertainment.comedy.
actually auditioned for a character called "Tim",[8] and
Retrieved 2009-12-20.
had no idea that he was set to join the Watts family
[5] Osborn, Michael (29 October 2008). "The great
as the unknown son of the soap’s most "iconic" figure,
British soap comeback". BBC News.
Den Watts.[9] Part of Harman’s appeal lay in his dark
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/
good looks and appealing physicality. EastEnders execu-
7067504.stm. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
tive producer Louise Berridge noted: "We cast Nigel for
[6] Harrison, Jane (9 December 2008). "Dirty Den
his tremendous acting ability and his screen presence,
comes clearn to Ealing Gazette". Ealing Gazette.
but there’s no question he’s also a very sexy young
http://www.ealinggazette.co.uk/lifestyle-ealing/
man."[4] Dennis Rickman’s role as "EastEnders beef-
whats-on-ealing/theatre-ealing/2008/12/09/dirty-
cake"[10] made Harman uncomfortable. In an interview
den-comes-clean-to-the-ealing-
with The Independent in 2003 he commented on his char-
gazette-64767-22437707/. Retrieved 2009-12-10.
acter’s status as a sex symbol: "It’s Dennis, not me... I am
[7] ^ Cunningham, Teresa (26 April 2003). "Nigel’s a
a bit embarrassed... I don’t get off on it. I walk into the
knockout". The Mirror. http://www.highbeam.com/
living-room in the morning in my jogging pants, with my
doc/1G1-100662564.html. Retrieved 2009-12-10.
hair all over the place, and my flatmates say: ’So, you’re
[8] Botfield, Jules. "BBC Breakfast interview with Nigel
supposed to be one of the sexiest men in the country?’
Harman". BBC Breakfast. http://news.bbc.co.uk/
And I go: ’I know. I don’t get it either.’"[1]
media/video/39397000/rm/
_39397648_dennis_rickman_interview_vi.ram.
Character development Retrieved 2009-12-10.
[9] Liddiment, David (19 September 2005). "Why street
Personality cred matters". The Guardian (London).
Dennis Rickman was described in a 2004 article as the http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2005/sep/19/
show’s "bad boy pin-up character".[11] The representa- broadcasting.mondaymediasection. Retrieved
tion of Dennis as "smouldering thug"[12] was apparent 2009-12-09.
from his first appearance in Walford, when he hit resi- [10] Hirons, Paul (17 January 2008). "Nigel Harman in
dent top dog Phil Mitchell. In an interview with the Daily City of Vice". TV Scoop. http://www.tvscoop.tv/
Mirror Harman declared, "He is a total bastard and if I 2008/01/exeastender_nig.html. Retrieved
met him in real life, I’d be bloody scared. [But] that’s 2009-12-10.
why he’s such a brilliant part."[7] According to the official [11] Flett, Kathryn (26 September 2004). "I blame
EastEnders website, "Dennis may well be able to turn on forgettable characters, outlandish story lines and
the charm with the ladies, but he has a certain sinister absent stars". The Observer (London).
edge."[13] http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2004/sep/26/
3
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Dennis Rickman
edinburghtvfestival2004.broadcasting. Retrieved [13] "EastEnders character Dennis Rickman". BBC.co.uk.
2010-01-01. Archived from the original on 2003-02-23.
[12] Wise, Jon (14 June 2009). "Actor Nigel Harman joins http://web.archive.org/web/20030608065841/
Hotel Babylon". People Magazine. www.bbc.co.uk/eastenders/characters/
http://www.people.co.uk/showbiz/showbiz/ dennis_r_biog.shtml. Retrieved 2009-12-07.
tm_headline=actor-nigel-harman-joins-hotel-
External links
babylon&method=full&objectid=21439293&siteid=93463-name_page.html.
Retrieved 2009-12-10.
• Dennis Rickman at BBC Online
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dennis_Rickman&oldid=468648113"
Categories:
• EastEnders characters
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• Fictional criminals
• Fictional murderers
• Fictional characters introduced in 2003
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