Danny Pennant

Name: Danny Pennant
First Appeared: 27th September 2012
Last Appeared: 14th February 2014
Played by: Gary Lucy

Danny Pennant was the kind of guy who could charm the birds out of the trees, but his smooth-talking ways often landed him in hot water. His first appearance in Walford saw him dining at the local Indian restaurant with colleagues, but it wasn’t long before he was embroiled in the Masood family’s drama. After meeting Syed Masood and discovering his money troubles, Danny urged Syed to come clean to his family. Instead, they kept meeting in secret, with Syed investing borrowed money with Danny. Their clandestine meetings led to a couple of kisses, one of which was witnessed by Syed’s father, Masood Ahmed.

Things took a turn when Danny met Syed’s fiancé, Christian Clarke. At Syed’s stag party, Danny followed Syed and tried to kiss him again, but Syed insisted he loved Christian and demanded his money back. Danny claimed the investment had fallen through, leading to a confrontation where Syed punched him. Despite Christian and Syed’s marriage, Danny continued to stir the pot, messaging Syed and demanding his £500 back. Christian, pretending to be Syed, arranged to meet Danny, resulting in a violent altercation that left Christian badly beaten and Danny reporting him to the police. However, Masood’s threat to expose Danny’s fraud led to Christian’s release.

In June 2013, Danny returned to Walford, attending the opening of Ian Beale’s restaurant. Ian hoped Danny would invest, but Danny, only there to help others invest, refused after Lauren Branning spilled a drink on him. Danny then started working for Janine Butcher, revealing his attraction to women by kissing her. Their brief fling didn’t stop Danny from developing a rivalry with co-worker Lucy Beale. They used dirty tactics to outdo each other, but Lucy discovered Danny was squatting in a vacant flat. She agreed to keep his secret, gaining leverage over him.

Danny’s antics continued as he flirted with and kissed Johnny Carter, only for Johnny to discover Danny was stalking him online under the alias “Walford Wonder.” Lucy, heartbroken by Danny’s deceit, confronted him and threw his money out the window. Danny scrambled to collect it, but Lucy threatened to call the police, forcing him to leave. His last appearance saw him walking away with a handful of cash, only to return briefly in April 2014. He rekindled his relationship with Lucy, but after her murder, Danny was ruled out as a suspect, having left for Marbella weeks earlier.