dennis rickman makes his first appearance in handcuffs on april 2003, as he is on day release from prison to attend his mother's funeral. it soon transpires that he was the product of a fling between his teenaged mother paula, and her adult ex-lover den watts (leslie grantham). the discovery of his existence comes after sharon discovers that she has a brother through her adoptive father den watts and another woman during the 1970s. sharon was aware that her brother was called dennis rickman and that he too grew up in walford. charlie slater (derek martin) informs her that there was a mr rickman who lived locally and worked as a taxi driver, but he and his wife had both died and their daughter was living alone in their house. sharon soon locates the house but discovers that paula has died.