David Wicks

 ( Eastenders Characters ) 

In his teenage years, David had a relationship with Carol Branning (Lindsey Coulson) and ended up getting her pregnant at the age of 14. It was then David and the rest of the Branning family tried to persuade Carol to have an abortion, before her eldest brother Derek Branning (Terence Beesley, later Jamie Foreman) retaliated by severely beating David up. The Wicks family left Walford, due to Derek's aggression so David never knew if Carol had the abortion or not. For the next few years, David - along with his brother and their mother - suffered abuse at the hands of Brian during Pat's turbulent marriage with him. Pat also proved to be a negligent mother due to her alcoholism and constant promiscuity. In 1979, the 17-year-old David moved to live with his girlfriend, Lorraine Wicks (Jacqueline Leonard) and she ends up getting pregnant at an early stage. They married in a quick wedding ceremony before 1980 came when their son, Joe (Paul Nicholls), was born by the time David was 18-years-old. This was followed by a daughter named Karen in 1982. However, David was a restless man as the years went on. He often felt tied down and ended up cheating on Lorraine multiple times with several romantic dalliances. In 1988, he eventually left his wife and their children.

The truth is revealed to an embarrassed Bianca in March 1995 when, after drunkenly trying to kiss David after he rescues her from being mugged, David is forced to confess that she is his daughter. Despite being initially hostile towards David over his absence during the majority of her life, Bianca has a change of heart and is keen to bond with her father. But the relationship is further complicated, when during July 1995, David confides in the Samaritans charity (unbeknownst to any of his family) that he still feels sexually attracted to Bianca despite the knowledge that he is her biological father. A case of GSA, this was one of EastEnders most controversial and daring storylines at this point in the show's history. There is further tension when Bianca makes David uncomfortable by dating his stepbrother Ricky. Though David's unexplained strange behaviour towards Bianca is never fully explained to an unaware and confused Bianca, they eventually form a close bond naturally as a father and daughter. David's estranged son Joe arrives in Walford in April 1996. With him comes the news that his daughter Karen died in a car accident nine months previously. Joe's return causes many problems for David, and at first David rejects the idea of having his son back in his life. However, after Joe runs away and arrives back at David's again, he becomes more receptive to Joe and the idea of having him in his life again. Eventually Joe and Lorraine move down to London from Bolton and Joe moves in with David. However, Joe seriously blames himself for Karen's death, and this leads to Joe developing schizophrenia. Joe exhibits increasingly strange behaviour that gets progressively worse. This is one of the main reasons that David eventually leaves Walford.

By then, David has proven to be a notorious womaniser. He first dated Ricky's ex-wife Sam Mitchell (Danniella Westbrook) in an initial attempt to make Ricky jealous. Thereupon he clashed with Sam's two overprotective brothers, Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) and Grant (Ross Kemp), when they warned him to stay away from her. It was then Sam convinced her mother Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor) that she likes David, who appears to recuperate her feelings until they later break up. David continues to feud with the Mitchell Brothers when they accuse him of taking advantage from their best-friend, Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley), at one point. In an earlier incident, Grant punches David for flirting with Grant's wife Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) in the pub. When Grant and Lorraine later begin to grow romantically close, David attempts to warn her off and Grant later thrashes his flat in retaliation.

By 1996, David has started to bond with Ian following their father's death. However, it was at that point he got acquainted with Ian's wife Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) as well. Soon enough David and Cindy embarked on a passionate affair behind Ian's back for over a year. In September 1996, Ian eventually finds out the truth about Cindy's affair and David and confronts them about it; Cindy becomes obsessed with the idea of running off with David, and hires a hit man to kill Ian when he threatens to take custody of their children. Ian is shot but survives, and when David finds out he ends the relationship, but not before helping Cindy escape with her two sons. Shortly after, David has a fling with ex-partner, Carol. Eventually, the truth is revealed about David's affair with Cindy and his fore-knowledge of the attempted murder of Ian. The loss of friends and alienation of his family, together with Joe's worsening mental condition with schizophrenia, leads David to decide in leaving Albert Square for Milan. David leaves in a torrent of tears after telling Joe that he is going.

David returns the following month after hearing that Pat is ill. He is later stunned to discover that Pat is in fact dying of pancreatic cancer. They argue and David resolves to leave, but Carol persuades him to stay. Derek arrives and provokes David, and a fight breaks out. David tells Derek he is staying and returns to Pat, where he forgives her for her past mistakes and she dies in his arms. David decides to stay in Walford to plan Pat's funeral. He flirts with Sam's cousin Roxy Mitchell (Rita Simons) and goes to have sex with her, but has second thoughts and nothing happens. David then declares his love for Carol. She reciprocates, and the pair reunite. David tries to settle his differences with Derek, but Derek threatens him. Michael Moon (Steve John Shepherd) suggests to David that they should team up to bring Derek down and get him arrested. David agrees after Derek upsets Carol. They attempt to set Derek up by having Michael plant stolen goods in Derek's home. However, Derek catches Michael in the act, and Michael blames the entire scheme on David. When David learns of this he begs Carol to leave with him. Carol agrees, but following Pat's funeral, David is confronted by Derek, who is aided by his brothers Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) and Max Branning (Jake Wood). Tensions rise when Derek threatens to kill David, but Jack and Max restrain Derek as they let David go. As he returns to his car to meet Carol, he sees her saying an emotional goodbye to Bianca and her family, so realises her family needs her and leaves without her. David sends a letter to Carol but it is intercepted and locked away by Derek. After Derek dies, the letter is found and Carol tries to contact David but discovers his phone number has been disconnected.

Several months later in 2013, David unexpectedly arrives at Carol's house - thus interrupting her date with fellow neighbour Masood Ahmed (Nitin Ganatra) by saying he has a present for Bianca. It is then David's girlfriend, Naomi (Lisa Maxwell), arrives with a suitcase of cash that they stole from her husband Don (Simon Thorp). Naomi realises that David wants to give some of the cash to Bianca, and when he says they are just using each other, she calls Don, who arrives and beats David up. Carol takes him in, which bothers Masood. When he recovers, he agrees to leave but manipulates Carol into letting him stay until Bianca returns. He attempts to meddle in Masood and Carol's relationship because he wants Carol back. When Bianca returns, she is overjoyed to see David, but asks him to leave for Carol's sake. However, she changes her mind when she decides she wants her father around. David realises that Max is in prison because he was set up by Carl White (Daniel Coonan) and that Ian is probably lying about being a witness. When David cannot convince Ian to retract his statement, he tells Phil about it; Phil later kidnaps Ian so that Max is set free and Carol has her brother back. In gratitude, Max offers David a job at the car lot. David and Carol drift apart and she asks him to leave the family home. After Alice's brother Joey Branning (David Witts) tips him off, David becomes suspicious that his former stepsister Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks) killed Michael and has framed Alice Branning (Jasmyn Banks). He manipulates Janine into letting him move in and then into confessing the murder. He records the confession on his phone and blackmails Janine into giving him £250,000 or he will reveal the truth.

When Carol starts to act erratically, David asks her what the matter is. She brings him along to a doctor's appointment where he discovered she has breast cancer. Carol later invites David to move back in with him. Janine panics that she may go to prison and decides to kill David by running him over with a car, but he suffers only minor injuries. He takes Janine to her house and takes the £250,000, but agrees to wait a day before calling the police, so that Janine can have a chance to be a mother to her daughter Scarlett Moon, while still ensuring Alice's release from prison. He also blurts out about Carol's cancer to Janine, saying that he wants the money to pay for her care. David returns to Carol's house, where she reveals she found his phone and has heard Janine's confession. He asks for his phone back, but she tells him that she's handed it to Joey. When he goes to stop Joey, he sees Janine being arrested. David asks Max, who rents the car lot building, if he can have a 50% control of the business, and offers him £50,000 to do it up. When Max refuses, David tells him about Carol's illness and he decides to accept the offer. However, Max is furious when he finds the Portakabin he uses being taken away. About an hour later, a bigger Portakabin arrives with a new name, titled Deals On Wheels. David later buys the building from Roxy, for £100,000, leaving him in full control of the business. However, he promises Carol that he will continue to treat Max properly. In February 2014, Carol dumps Masood, after realising that she still loves David, and the couple get engaged the following month. In the build-up to the wedding, David is tempted by Nikki Spraggan (Rachel Wilde), and kisses her on one occasion, though he regrets this and rejects her on several other occasions, even after she allows him to see her naked. When Bianca discovers this, David reaffirms his love for Carol. On the day of the wedding, David suffers a heart attack and collapses in the middle of the Square, leading Carol to believe that he has jilted her again. He is taken into hospital, where Carol eventually realises he is, and visits him. However, they argue, as Carol believes that he isn't as ill as he is making out. Carol leaves the hospital. David discharges himself the next day, and visits Carol at home. Despite their attempts to save their relationship, both concede that they cannot work. After sharing one last dance together, David agrees to move out and also to return to hospital. However, he changes his mind at the last minute and asks his driver to take him to Heathrow Airport alone. It is later revealed that David is living in the United States.