Initially characterised as a "bad boy", Darren has become notable for maturing throughout his tenure. One of his most notable storylines included his battle with a gambling addiction, which led him losing his share in The Dog in the Pond public house, resulting in him being disowned by his family. Darren later helped his father, Jack (Jimmy McKenna), to fake his own death as part of a scam, which drew comparisons to the John Darwin disappearance case. Darren has been known for his multiple relationships, including Cindy Cunningham (Stephanie Waring), a "shotgun" marriage to Hannah Ashworth (Emma Rigby), a brief affair with his mother-in-law Suzanne Ashworth (Suzanne Hall), two marriages to Nancy Hayton (Jessica Fox), an affair and subsequent relationship with Sienna Blake (Anna Passey) and his various relationships and brief affair with Mandy Richardson (Sarah Jayne Dunn). Darren has three biological children: twins Jack and Francine (with Suzanne) and Oscar (with Nancy). He has also adopted Nancy's nephew Charlie Dean (Charlie Behan), who Nancy in turn adopted after her sister's death years prior. In 2013, the character was the lead of a storyline where he found out that Sandy Roscoe (Gillian Taylforth) is his biological mother, meaning that he had five half-brothers and became a part of the Roscoe family. Between 2019 and 2020, Darren constructed a friendship with Nancy's new partner Kyle Kelly (Adam Rickitt), in a storyline which saw Kyle support Darren after he became depressed.