Hugo Browning

Hugo Browning is a fictional character of the British soap opera EastEnders who appeared as the tertiary antagonist in 2017.

Biography
Hugo first appears when he meets Max Branning at The Shard, talking about a plan to redevelop Albert Square in an act of revenge for the latter being falsely imprisoned for Lucy Beale's murder. He first instructs Max to visit his nephew Luke Browning in prison about the development of subjugating The Queen Victoria pub; it transpires from his false imprisonment that Max and Luke were cellmates, which partly explains the origins behind their plan. Eventually, Luke is released from prison and meets up with the two along with his sister Fi and half-brother Josh Hemmings. On this occasion, it turns out that Hugo is the chairman of the nefarious company Weyland & Co; it was initially believed by a number of fans and even Max himself that Hugo was in charge of the whole development. This, however, turns out to be a misinterpretation when Hugo is revealed to be the brother-in-law of Weyland & Co's true mastermind: James Willmott-Brown.

Following James' return, Hugo is sent to aid Fi in proceeding to target the Carters in a bid to conquer Queen Vic. When Fi learns that the Carters have raised £50,000, she and Hugo both arrive and serve the Carters with an eviction notice, putting up the money owed to the original £60,000. During a meeting with the Queen Vic's owner Mick Carter and his wife Linda, Hugo strictly tells them that they have five weeks to pay him £60,000 or else they lose the pub. Later, Fi gives Mick a document where the Carters would receive a payout if they left the Vic. Mick then signs the paperwork but he signs it as "Lady Di" which leaves Hugo furious. He then reveals that Fi had been sharing personal information about the Carters with him. Linda then throws a drink in Fi's face. Hugo responds by promising the Carters that he'll have them evicted, then leaves the pub with Fi.