Witts: Joey and Derek are alike

EastEnders newcomer David Witts says Joey Branning is well able to take on his estranged father Derek.

Joey turns up on Albert Square after his little sister Alice moves in with their shady dad Derek, and the pair end up fighting from their first meeting.

David told Digital Spy his character is a match for Derek, played by Jamie Foreman. He explained: "That parallel is there between them. Joey doesn't see it, and he would never allow himself to be compared to Derek, as he views his father as the lowest of the low.

"But Derek can see the parallel and that is going to unsettle him, because he's not used to anyone standing up to him."

He added: "Obviously his relationship with Derek is going to be very volatile and there's a lot of resentment there. Joey can be very dark, too - not that he would admit it... But there's a lot more to him than that, which is why I'm really enjoying portraying him.

"He's also a bit of a lothario, and when it comes to his family, he's very protective towards Alice. So depending on who you are when you meet Joey, you can get a number of different responses from him."

David - whose first scenes will air on Friday - said actor Jamie had been very supportive since he arrived on set.

"It's a lovely cast in general, but you do tend to become closest with the people who you're doing the most scenes with. At the moment for me, that's Jamie and Jasmyn (Banks, who plays Alice). Jamie has really taken me under his wing and shown me the ropes."