23 October 2009. Fergison told entertainment website Digital Spy, "Darren will be a good dad but he'll be very businesslike about it. He'll say that he doesn't really want to have anything to do with George but will pay his way for him. You'll see him change, though, and you'll start to see him getting attached. [Heather's friend] Shirley doesn't want Darren to go anywhere near George, though! It'll be interesting to see how they write it from here for Darren, especially with the Libby angle." In December 2009, the show's executive producer Diederick Santer was asked what his favourite storyline of the year had been. He replied "I loved the way the 'Who's The Daddy?' story with Heather played, too. As time goes on, I expect we'll discover more about what happened that night. It makes sense to me – he's a horny, drunk 18-year-old! Everyone thinks that they did it in the [toilet] cubicle, but it's surely clear that they went home?" Departure It was announced on 30 April 2011 that Hawkins had decided to leave the series. He said "I've enjoyed my time at EastEnders immensely, it's been a terrific chapter in my life and I've loved every minute of it. I've had tremendous support throughout my duration on the show and I would like to thank Bryan and the whole team for believing in me." Hawkins told the Sunday Mirror that he could "barely remember life before EastEnders" and said he was leaving so he could "chill out and enjoy being a normal 20-year-old". Darren departed in the episode broadcast on 20 September 2011. Reception Darren's 2010 circumcision storyline was criticised by a member of NHS staff who said Darren would not qualify to have the operation provided free of charge by the NHS as he does not have a valid medical reason for having it done, and that his apparent circumstances in the show make it seem unlikely he could afford to have the operation privately. The staff member also said the storyline lacked research, as Darren would have to study Hebrew to be accepted into the Jewish faith, though the storyline made no mention of Darren attempting to convert. References External links EastEnders characters Fictional twins Fictional taxi drivers Fictional businesspeople Television characters introduced in 2004 Fictional salespeople Male characters in television Fictional teenage parents Teenage characters in television Crossover characters in television