Leonard "Lenny" Brown is the twin brother of Lisa Brown as well as the younger brother of Larry Brown, who looked after them both as their mum is seriously mentally ill. Lenny is quiet and is always trying to do the right thing even if it lands him in trouble. He becomes quite close friends with a lad named Dale Jackson who also went to Waterloo Road until Dale had to leave because of an eating disorder. He lives at the schoolhouse and has become mates with Darren Hughes.
Series 9[]
Lenny arrives at Waterloo Road in Series 9 Episode 1 with his twin sister, Lisa. They are both immediately labelled "scuzzers" due to their unhygienic appearance and odour. Lenny, having been not eating properly due to their poverty, faints due to a lack of food. After he has eaten something, Nikki Boston comes up with the idea to have Lenny play in that afternoon's school football match, as the players would all be going for a shower afterwards, meaning Lenny would get a wash. However, the match is interrupted by Lisa nearly fighting with Kacey after insulting the recently deceased Tom Clarkson, and then the arrival of Lenny and Lisa's older brother and sole guardian, Larry, who tries to take Lenny and Lisa home before being arrested for illegally growing weed in their kitchen after Lenny and Lisa's concerned history teacher, Audrey McFall, informs the police about this. Lisa is furious at Audrey and seeks revenge by stealing her beloved cat, just after moving into the schoolhouse. Lenny doesn't agree to it, but decides to go along with his sister. Audrey is frantic, and posts ads online for her missing cat. Good-hearted Lenny, however, eventually leaves the cat on Audrey's classroom desk for her to find.
Next, Lisa gets Audrey's phone number, and pretends to be a married woman called Moira. She deceives Audrey into thinking her husband is ill and needs life saving treatment, with a hefty sum of money. Audrey realises what is going on, and that Lisa is scamming her. She continues the scam further until 'Moira' asks for some money. She then confronts Lisa and they have an argument.
Not knowing what to do, Audrey calls Lenny and Lisa's grandfather, Laurence Brown, a retired military officer. He arrives at Waterloo Road without warning and demands to see his grandchildren. He is told it has to go through social services, but Audrey lets him see the twins anyway. Laurence snaps at Lisa for catfishing Audrey, and then leaves. Soon after, he returns, and walks into Audrey's class in the lecture hall dressed in full formal military dress, with his medals. He tells army stories and wows all the children. He then gets a sharp pain in his chest while arguing with Lisa, and the class ends. Lenny is worried, but Lisa is angry. She steals Laurence's medals and sells them for £50, being ripped off by the pawnbroker. Out of rage, Lisa grabs money out of the till, bites the man and tries to run off, only to be pulled back and have her teacher called. When Audrey arrives, she pays for the medals and apologises to both the pawnbroker and Lisa. When they get back to school, Lenny asks to move in with his grandfather, only if Lisa will. Lisa hugs her grandfather and tells him he is too old for them to move in, but having a grandfather would be nice. He says they can visit any time they like. Lisa then apologises to Audrey, and is forgiven in return.
In Series 9 Episode 9, Lenny went fishing with new "supply teacher" Frankie McGregor after he is ridiculed for having no friends. Things go wrong and Lenny almost drowns, but is saved by the deputy head Simon Lowsley. "Frankie" is then arrested after being revealed to be an impostor, actually named Jim Ronsley.
In Series 9 Episode 14, Lenny again causes danger to himself and other people around him, when he and his friend Darren Hughes suspect a local Polish shopkeeper of human trafficking. Lenny and Darren held a stakeout outside the shop, before Lenny sends Darren inside the shop to spy. When he hears a loud bang after Darren fails to return from the shop, Lenny alerts a passing police officer, panicking that Darren has been "kidnapped by the Polish mafia" and "shot". After realising that they are both wrong about their human trafficking allegation and causing a local crisis, Lenny and Darren both awkwardly apologise.
Series 10[]
In Series 10 Episode 1, Lenny finds himself in another spot of trouble when Darren's mother passes away, causing Darren to seek revenge, believing his mother's boyfriend to be responsible for her death. Lenny tries to convince Darren not to do anything stupid but Darren is deaf to Lenny's pleas. The pair then end up in danger when Darren tries to attack his late mother's boyfriend with a crowbar, however Christine Mulgrew manages to get there just in the nick of time to save the day.
In Series 10 Episode 5, Lenny starts studying ridiculously hard for his mock exams, wanting to get into Stirling University, which Lisa finds amusing and mocks him for it, given that the exam is just a mock. Lenny receives extra tuition from Christine Mulgrew, paid for by his grandfather. Lisa is initially jealous when she finds this out, due to her grandfather not funding any extra tuition for her, however soon becomes concerned for Lenny's wellbeing when his behaviour becomes erratic, and when he nearly cheats during his mock exam. He gets caught by Christine, and he almost gives up, however she reluctantly gives him a second chance. In his second mock paper, Lenny struggles and instead of completing the paper he draws all over it. When the exam is finished, he doesn't stop and Hector Reid helps him calm down with the help of Sue. Outside the exam hall, Christine looks at his paper in shock. Lenny suddenly finds it hard to breathe and falls onto a chair having a panic attack. Hector calms him down and Christine is in shock and feels guilty as she thinks it is all her fault. Later in the episode, Lenny is seen with Vaughan Fitzgerald, the headteacher, and Christine. Lenny goes to Christine's class and asks to re-do his mock exam. She accepts and he passes.
In Series 10 Episode 13, a new graphics and product design teacher called Guy Braxton joins the school, and pupil Carrie Norton is seen to already know him. Lenny gets suspicious when he sees them alone together in Guy's classroom, and films them hugging on his phone. Headteacher Vaughan Fitzgerald catches Lenny watching the video, and when he sees the video, he and deputy head Lorna Hutchinson are thrown into a panic that they might have let a paedophile into the school, until Carrie's mother Steph Norton arrives and reveals that Guy is not a paedophile but is Carrie's brother.
Throughout the series, Lenny helps Dale Jackson with his cycling, becoming his 'training buddy'. He is seen with him a lot of the time.
In the series he also begins a relationship with Carrie. Carrie and Lisa are seen 'fighting' over Lenny as they want to be the 'more important girl' in Lenny's life. They get jealous of each other if Lenny does things with one of them.
Lenny notices Dale is constantly rejecting food and witnesses him collapse on a few occasions. He is forced to tell Maggie that Dale is anorexic, causing him to be resented by Dale after he subsequently loses his place on the cycling team. Dale and Lenny almost fight when Lenny believes that Dale slept with Lisa, however Lisa explains that Dale is impotent as a result of his eating disorder, and did no more than kiss her. He helps Dale to turn his life around and convinces him to eat, which he does.
Lenny is last seen in Series 10 Episode 20 among the students who give speeches to parents and council members talking about how Waterloo Road has helped them, and urging the cancellation of the merger.
Personality[]
Practically the polar opposite of his twin sister, Lenny is kind, polite and reclusive. He is less bitter towards Audrey McFall than Lisa and frequently contradicts his sister's vengeful ideas. Lenny is very hardworking and keen to go to university when he is older, but his methods of ensuring this are unorthodox to the extreme, probably due to his lapsing self-confidence and perseverance. He is extremely noble, and, though prone to being led astray or making mistakes, he is always willing to face the consequences of his actions.
Trivia[]
- Lenny can't swim. This was revealed in Series 9 Episode 9 after Lenny fell into a reservoir whilst fishing with Jim Ronsley.
- Lenny's actor, Joe Slater, is also a singer, who was a contestant on The X Factor in 2014. He showcases his singing talent on Waterloo Road when Lenny serenades Lisa with 'All of Me' by John Legend in Series 10 Episode 5.
Quotes[]
- "Oh, man." (first line)
- "Yeah I do. I mean it's warm, and clean, and...and there's dinner! Like she said, it's safe! Look, just for now, Lise? They're really really nice people here. Please?"
- Lenny: "You've gone too far. What if she finds out?"
- Lisa: "And who's gonna tell her? You? Cos if you do, we'll never see Larry again, and it'll all be your fault."
- "You know, I've done my best to try and make things work here, but you just won't be happy until you get everyone hating us! Will you, Lise?"
- Lenny: "There you are! Look, it's about Lise."
- Stevie: "D-don't care!"
- Lenny: "Take it easy, I'm on your side!"
- Stevie: "I hate my life! I hate it!"
- Lenny: "I'm warning you, Stevie!"
- "Excuse me, excuse - right, you need to help me, my friend's in there, he's been kidnapped by the Polish mafia, I'm pretty sure that he's just been shot!"
- "Miss...could Kevin still die?"
- "Oh, you're sick, Darren, man!"
- Lenny: "You can bunk up wi me tonight if you want."
- Darren: "Can I?"
- Lenny: "Yeah. Just make sure you buy me some earplugs."
- "I totally bombed it in that test!"
- Lenny: "I don't need you to look out for me any more!"
- Lisa: "You wouldn't last two minutes at uni without me! We've always done everything together!"
- "Is the only reason you stopped because he was pure begging you to?"
- "Look, don't turn your nose up. Kevin built a robot, and everything. If anyone can fix it, he can."
- Lenny: "Scott Fairchild is well toxic."
- Dale: "Yeah. Listen, thanks for that. I'da decked him."
- Lenny: "He only started here today. How is it that yous two know each other?"
- Carrie: "We don't."
- Lenny: "Yeah you do, I-I'm-I'm not blind-"
- Carrie: "Stay out of my life, you weirdo!"
- "Sir, I...Sir, I think Carrie needs help. It looks like her and Mr Braxton are..."
- Lenny: "I don't really know how to...how to do all this."
- Carrie: "Do what?"
- Lenny: "The whole...boy-girl thing. Just forget it, it's just stupid..."
- Carrie: "Wait! It could be nice. Having someone to look out for me."
- "Messing about in class, smoking dope, smashing Maggie's car, that wasn't enough for you, was it? You had tae finish the job. By doing it wi my sister."
- "Look, I'm no your mate, alright?! You're like toxic waste, Dale - contaminating everything that you come into contact with! I don't want you anywhere near me, and I do not what you anywhere near my sister, ALRIGHT?! STAY AWAY!"
- Lisa: "Waterloo Road took us in when we had nothing and no-one."
- Lenny: "They've been amazing. We'd be on the streets or locked up, if the school hadn'ta done that." (final line)