Bradley Branning

Name: Bradley Branning
First Appeared: 24th January 2006
Last Appeared: 22nd February 2010
Played by: Charlie Clements

Bradley Branning’s entrance to Walford was a fresh start, moving in with his grandfather Jim and step-grandmother Dot after landing a job as a banker in the City. Initially wanting nothing to do with his father Max when he moved to Albert Square, Bradley eventually bonded with him. Upon arriving, Bradley befriended Stacey Slater, who wasn’t initially impressed by him. Their friendship blossomed into romance, but when Stacey discovered she was pregnant, Bradley persuaded her to have an abortion and lied about a miscarriage. This strained their relationship, leading to Stacey’s affair with Max as revenge. Bradley and Stacey reconciled and got engaged, but their happiness was short-lived as Max’s daughter Lauren exposed the affair on Christmas Day, causing Bradley to leave Walford.

Bradley returned after Stacey tracked him down, asking for a divorce but revealing he was still in love with her. Their rocky relationship saw them reunite and split several times, with Bradley falling into depression and hitting the bottle. Things got complicated when Bradley acquired a St. Bernard dog named Gumbo and began dating Syd Chambers, only to keep losing his job a secret from her. They planned to move to Canada, but when Stacey revealed her bipolar disorder, Bradley decided to stay in Walford, further complicating his love life.

Bradley’s turmoil peaked on Christmas Day when Stacey told him she was pregnant and had been raped by Archie Mitchell. Bradley confronted and punched Archie, who was later found murdered. As suspicion fell on Bradley, DCI Marsden’s investigation loomed, prompting him to flee. He proposed to Stacey, and they planned to escape, but Bradley’s flight ended in tragedy when he fell to his death from the Queen Vic rooftop while trying to evade the police.

Stacey, consumed by guilt, confessed to Max that she killed Archie, leading to a mix of heartbreak and relief. Bradley’s death left a significant impact on Albert Square, with Stacey revealing the truth to Peggy Mitchell and finally clearing Bradley’s name when she handed herself to the police in 2014.