EastEnders' Darren goes for Gold

EastEnders' Darren goes for Gold (Image credit: BBC)

EastEnders' hapless Darren Miller is to get lucky in love this summer. Darren, played by Charlie G. Hawkins, can't believe his luck when newcomer Jodie Gold shows him some attention. Jodie, played by newcomer Kylie Babbington, turns up in Albert Square looking for her mum Vanessa, played by Zoe Lucker. Kylie has been signed up by new boss Bryan Kirkwood to inject some glamour into the BBC1 soap. An insider told The Sun: "When Darren sets his eyes on Jodie, he instantly falls for her and does his best to work the Miller charm. "She has a big heart, a big smile and a personality to match. Life is never dull when Jodie is around." Darren hasn't had much success in the love stakes - he blew his chances with Libby Fox (Belinda Owusu) when he had a one-night stand with Heather Trott (Cheryl Fergison), which resulted in the birth of baby George Michael. Kylie will appear on screen as Jodie from June. Click here to watch whatsontv.co.uk's weekly soaps video preview, the Soap Scoop

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.