EastEnders viewers are convinced Denise Fox's newly discovered half-brother Darnell Larson spells danger, with some comparing him to serial killer Reiss Colwell. During Monday's episode (August 24) of the BBC soap, the hunt was on to find Denise Fox (Diane Parish) a stem cell match as her chemotherapy treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) hadn't been as successful as they hoped.
Due to her battling a serious chest infection and sepsis, Denise was put into a medically induced coma, with doctors confirming that it would give her a better chance of survival. Kim Fox (Tameka Empson) was unable to visit her sister due to a cold, and so she has been leading the search for any long-lost relatives who might be a match for Denise, and she was successful at finding a half-sibling.
Darnell's mysterious debut
To her and Jack Branning's (Scott Maslen) shock, a long-lost brother named Darnell Larson (Christopher Colquhoun) was discovered via an ancestry website, and they managed to track him down on Tuesday (August 25). The teacher was pleased to meet Kim and Jack, as he was floored to discover that he had a sister, but he was even more shocked when they explained Denise's condition.
He was initially taken aback to see Denise in the hospital, but he soon became nervous and found the situation incredibly overwhelming. Darnell peered through a window and watched as Denise fought for her life, but rather than agree to take the test to see if he could provide his sister with a stem cell transplant, he made a hasty exit.
Viewer comparisons to Reiss
In a twist, some EastEnders viewers have been left comparing Darnell to serial killer Reiss Colwell, who would often appear as a bumbling intellect but hid a very dark side. Taking to X, one person explained: "Darnell is giving me Reiss vibes #EastEnders", while a second predicted: "Darnell is the next Reiss. EastEnders writers only know how to write four types of characters."
A third viewer agreed: "Darnell will be a serial killer, knowing Wadey. #EastEnders", while another echoed the sentiment, "I’m getting Reiss vibes from Darnell. I just know he’s evil #EastEnders." Despite the mystery surrounding Darnell, some viewers were impressed with the character's debut, adding: "Loving Darnell so far #EastEnders" and another agreed: "A really strong debut for Darnell imo, I know it’s early days, but I quite liked him. excited to see his scenes with Denise #eastenders."
Reiss Colwell's fate
Reiss (Jonny Freeman) was once the doting partner of Sonia Jackson (Natalie Cassidy), but he descended into villainy after falling deeply into debt. Desperate for money to fund IVF and clear his debts, he cruelly murdered his unresponsive wife, Debbie, by smothering her in her care home bed to access her money.
In a bid to hide his secret and let Sonia take the blame for the murder, he held Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) captive for weeks and threatened her with death while planning his escape from Walford. However, in February 2025, he crashed his car into The Queen Vic when he avoided hitting Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt), which helped spark a massive explosion.
Reiss was killed in the incident when he was crushed by a falling bathtub, and moments later, Martin Fowler (James Bye) died from a cardiac arrest after being crushed by a wooden beam. Sonia Jackson gave birth to their baby girl on the same evening. EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One and iPlayer.
