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April Branning is a fictional character from the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

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soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'', played by

Debbie Arnold Debbie Arnold (born 14 June 1955) is an English actress, producer and voice artist. She is known for her portrayal of April Branning in BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' between 1995 and 1996. Arnold has portrayed regular characters in ''EastEnder ...

. April is the eldest daughter of

Jim Jim or JIM may refer to: * Jim (given name), a given name * Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James * Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy * OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism * ''Jim'' (comics), a series by Jim Woodring * ''Jim ...

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John Bardon John Bardon (born John Michael Jones, 25 August 1939 – 12 September 2014) was an English stage and screen actor. He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 1988 (1987 season) for ''Kiss Me, Kate'', sharing the aw ...

) and

Reenie Branning The following is a list of fictional characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' in 1996, by order of first appearance. Michael Rose Michael Rose, played by Russell Floyd, first appears in Walford as a Market Inspecto ...

(Joy Graham). April is originally introduced as the sister of established character

Carol Jackson Carol Jackson is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', played by Lindsey Coulson. The character was introduced in 1993 as the mother of the Jackson family. Coulson decided to quit the role in 1997, but she returned te ...

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Lindsey Coulson Lindsey Coulson (born 13 April 1960) is an English actress, known for her role as Carol Jackson in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders''. For this role, she won the 2000 British Soap Award for Best Dramatic Performance. Coulson is also well known ...

), and later

Derek Derek is a masculine given name. It is the English language short form of '' Diederik'', the Low Franconian form of the name Theodoric. Theodoric is an old Germanic name with an original meaning of "people-ruler". Common variants of the name ar ...

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Terence Beesley Terence Beesley (7 September 1957 – 30 November 2017) was an English actor. Early life Born in London to Irish parents, he studied at the City Lit in London in 1980, and then trained as an actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Ar ...

Jamie Foreman Jamie Foreman (born 25 May 1958) is an English actor best known for his roles as Duke in ''Layer Cake'' (2004) and Bill Sikes in Roman Polanski's ''Oliver Twist'' (2005). Career Foreman played opposite Ray Winstone and Kathy Burke in Gary Oldm ...

Suzy Branning Suzy Branning (originally known as Sue) is a fictional character from the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Julie Christian-Young for a brief appearance in 1996, and Maggie O'Neill in 2008, who began filming in May that year, and she ...

(Julie Christian-Young/

Maggie O'Neill Margaret "Maggie" O'Neill (born 15 November 1962) is an English actress. She is known for her television roles in ''Peak Practice'' (2000–2002), '' Shameless'' (2004–2007) and ''EastEnders'' (2008). In 1986 she appeared in the music video f ...

), Max (

Jake Wood Jake Dylan Wood (born 12 July 1972) is an English actor and podcaster, known for his role as Max Branning in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He has also made guest appearances in series including ''Only Fools and Horses'' and ''Red Dwarf''. ...

) and

Jack Jack may refer to: Places * Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community * Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community * Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA People and fictional characters * Jack (given name), a male given name, ...

(

Scott Maslen Scott Alexander Maslen (born 25 June 1971) is an English actor and model, best known for his portrayal as DS Phil Hunter in ITV's ''The Bill'' and Jack Branning on the BBC's flagship soap ''EastEnders'' since 2007. He also took part in the 2010 ...

Storylines

April arrives in

Albert Square Walford is a fictional borough of east London in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. It is the primary setting for the soap. ''EastEnders'' is filmed at Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, towards the north-west of London. Much of the location work i ...

in December 1995 to invite Carol and her boyfriend

Alan Alan may refer to: People *Alan (surname), an English and Turkish surname * Alan (given name), an English given name **List of people with given name Alan ''Following are people commonly referred to solely by "Alan" or by a homonymous name.'' *A ...

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Howard Antony Howard Antony (born 19 April 1963) is a British actor, best known for playing the role of Alan Jackson, in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 1993 to 1997 and briefly again in 2010. He left ''EastEnders'' and went on to become a drama teacher ...

) to her wedding. April had been living and working in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

for eight years selling time-share apartments, where she met and got engaged to a native named

Nikos Nikos ( el, Νίκος, ''Níkos'') is a Greek given name. It originates from Greek ''Nikolaos'', which means "victory of the people".Liddell & Scott, Abridged Greek Lexicon Although used as a proper first name, Nikos is also a popular nickname of t ...

(Yorgos Glastras). Carol initially refuses the invitation as she knows that her black boyfriend will not be well received by her

racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...

father,

Jim Branning Jim Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by John Bardon, first appearing on 29 April 1996 and became a regular character in 1999. He remained in the series until 2011. Jim was temporarily written out o ...

(

). However, Alan decides that he wants to go so April enlists her niece

Sonia Sonia, Sonja or Sonya, a name of Greek origin meaning wisdom, may refer to: People * Sonia (name), a feminine given name (lists people named, Sonia, Sonja and Sonya) :* Sonia (actress), Indian film actress in Malayalam and Tamil films :* Sonia ...

(

Natalie Cassidy Natalie Ann Cassidy (born 13 May 1983) is an English actress. She has played Sonia Fowler in ''EastEnders'' since 1993, appeared in the BBC Two sitcom-horror '' Psychoville'' and was a contestant on the seventh series of ''Strictly Come Dan ...

) as bridesmaid. The ceremony is due to take place in April 1996 but just at the last minute the groom's best man turns up with the news that Nikos has fled back to Greece, leaving April distraught and humiliated. The day isn't a complete waste though as Alan and Carol get married in their place. April returns to

Walford Walford is a fictional borough of east London in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. It is the primary setting for the soap. ''EastEnders'' is filmed at Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, towards the north-west of London. Much of the location work i ...

in July to visit her sister, and after meeting the market inspector Michael Rose (

Russell Floyd Russell Floyd (born 29 May 1962 in Croydon, London, England) is a British actor. After graduating from RADA, he played Rick in 3 episodes of London's Burning as firefighter Sally Reid's swimming instructor. He also played Bridge Street Market I ...

), to whom she is attracted to, she decides to stay. She gets herself a job working in

Kathy Beale Kathy Beale (also Mitchell and Sullivan) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Gillian Taylforth. Portrayed as "an attractive, bright, caring and highly moral woman", Kathy is one of the serial's original ch ...

(

Gillian Taylforth Gillian Taylforth (born 14 August 1955) is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Kathy Beale on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', and has also appeared as Jackie Pascoe/Webb on ITV's ''Footballers' Wives'' (2002–2006), and as ...

)'s café, where she is witness to her brother-in-law's flirtations with the vindictive

Frankie Pierre Frankie Pierre is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders''. She appears between 24 June 1996 and 25 March 1997, played by Syan Blake Sian Samantha Blake (September 1972 – 14 or 15 December 2015), also known by her stage name Syan Blake, was a British actress, best known for playing Frankie Pierre on the British television show ''EastEnders'', appearing in 56 episodes in 1 ...

). When it becomes obvious that Frankie is involved with Alan, April informs Carol, which eventually leads to the end of Alan and Carol's relationship. April and Michael's relationship continues over the next few months and eventually Michael falls in love and begs April to move in with him. April is unsure whether she wants to take such a big step, and while she is considering what to do, her ex, Nikos, shows up and tries to worm his way back into her affections. He demands to marry her and despite the fact that he had previously jilted her at the altar, April decides to give him another chance. She leaves Walford with him and manages to get him down the aisle, leaving Michael to marshal his stalls and mull over what might have been. April's last appearance is in October 1996. Eleven years later it is revealed that April is still living in

, and is unable to attend her nephew

Bradley Bradley is an English surname derived from a place name meaning "broad wood" or "broad meadow" in Old English. Like many English surnames Bradley can also be used as a given name and as such has become popular. It is also an Anglicisation of t ...

(

Charlie Clements Charlie Clements (born 5 June 1987) is an English actor known for the role of Bradley Branning in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' from January 2006 to February 2010. He has won several soap and magazine awards for his performance. Biography ...

)'s wedding to

Stacey Slater Stacey Slater (also Branning and Fowler) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', portrayed by Lacey Turner. She first appears in episode 2826, originally broadcast on 1 November 2004. The character is introduced as a fe ...

(

Lacey Turner Lacey Amelia Turner (born 28 March 1988) is an English actress. She is known for portraying the role of Stacey Slater on the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' (2004–2010, 2014–present), for which she has won over thirty awards, including four ...

). Following Jim's death in 2015, April's brother

Max Branning Max Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Jake Wood. He made his first appearance on 27 June 2006. Wood took a four-month break from the show in 2011 and the character was absent between August and Nov ...

(

) declared during his eulogy that his sisters hated Jim so much they did not make any effort to attend his funeral.

Character creation and development

The character of April Branning, played by Debbie Arnold, is introduced in December 1995 as the "fun-loving" sister of

(

). Her entrance storyline is part of a plot that leads to the marriage of Carol and her boyfriend

(

) - when April is jilted at the altar, Carol and Alan marry in her place. The character was turned into a regular in 1996, moving to the soap's setting of Albert Square. At the time, Jaci Stephen, television critic for ''The Mirror'' described April as a kind of character "who, from the moment they open their mouths, appear to have been around for ever." She added, "She has bleached blonde hair, overdresses and has the kind of flirtatious manner guaranteed to drive the Square's women to violence. As April grows more glamorous Cindy (

Michelle Collins Michelle Danielle Collins (born 28 May 1962) is an English actress and TV presenter, best known for her roles in the British soap operas ''EastEnders'' and ''Coronation Street''. Collins played Cindy Beale in the BBC soap ''EastEnders'' from ...

) grows more dowdy." April's most high-profile storyline is a romance with market inspector Michael Rose (

). In August 1996, less than a year after her arrival, it was announced that actress Debbie Arnold was quitting her role as April Branning, despite previously being quoted as saying "If they try to get rid of me, I'll chain myself to the railings of Albert Square." Arnold reportedly said, "I want to move on" and a friend of hers is quoted as saying " Debbie has already appeared in ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Origi ...

'' and ''

Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, '' ...

''. She's terrified of getting in a rut and wants to try her hand at other TV work - she's had plenty of offers already." It was reported at the time that April's leaving storyline would revolve around an affair with her sister's husband Alan Jackson. According to ''The Mirror'', "the show's bosses are planning a sensational storyline for her departure - April will start a steamy affair with her screen sister's husband Alan, played by Howard Anthony. But his missus finds out and viewers will be treated to an emotional confrontation between the two. April ends up packing her bags and leaving the Square because she still holds a torch for her brother-in-law." This proved to be false, and April instead departed after dumping Michael Rose and reuniting with her former lover to start a new life in Greece. She last appeared in October 1996.

Reception

Actress Debbie Arnold was reportedly popular in the role of April, receiving 400 letters from fans in two weeks.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Branning, April EastEnders characters Television characters introduced in 1995 Female characters in television Fictional waiting staff