are on their way to becoming an established family in the Square." It was revealed by Inside Soap that the rift between the two is because Michael's mother committed suicide and Michael found her body but he is convinced that Eddie killed her. In May 2011, it was reported that Michael would develop an obsession with Ronnie Branning (Samantha Womack) and start to stalk her, with scenes including him sneaking into her bedroom to watch her sleep and going through her underwear drawer. It was also reported that Michael would spread lies about Ronnie, and ask Roxy to wear the same perfume as her sister. A source told the Daily Star, "Everyone knows Michael has a mean streak but he is set to get a whole lot worse. He's trying to meddle in as many people's lives as possible. It seems he wants Ronnie all to himself. But what exactly is he up to?" The storyline was reportedly filmed in May 2011. Speaking of Ronnie's dislike of Michael, Shepherd said "He can't work out why Ronnie doesn't like him, so he assumes she must fancy him." Upon the reintroduction of Derek Branning, it is revealed that Michael and Derek have clashed in the past. Speaking to Inside Soap, Shepherd promised that he will continue to "oppose" Derek. He commented: "It's already been alluded to that Derek and Michael didn't get along in the past. The true extent of Derek's emotional and physical bullying of Michael still hasn't been revealed, but Michael's well aware of how unpleasant he is. Derek's a nasty piece of work." Asked whether Michael will "settle the score" with Derek, Shepherd replied: "Absolutely! Michael holds grudges and doesn't forget anything. He has a bad feeling that the Brannings will become too powerful in Walford if Derek continues to ride roughshod over everyone, so he's definitely in Michael's sights. We can expect these two to clash, that's for sure." After Janine becomes pregnant with Michael's child, their relationship has seemed to be smoother. Shepherd revealed to Inside Soap that their relationship is set to get "rockier" in the coming weeks. He commented: "The relationship is going to get very fraught and rocky—mountainous, actually. I gather that Janine has made a habit of killing off her husbands, so Michael will have to keep one eye open where she's concerned!" Discussing Michael and Janine's connection, he continued: "They both have