Sad news today for EastEnders fans, as one of its biggest ever stars – who portrayed most of the soap’s most iconic characters – has passed away.
After it was reported earlier this week that Leslie Grantham was seriously ill in hospital, his representative announced that he had died the morning, at the age of 71.
His character ‘Dirty’ Den Watts is ingrained in Walford history… his antics are stuff of soap legend, not least his sensational return having been presumed dead for almost 14 years.
In honour of that incredible comeback, here’s a reminder of the most jaw-dropping ever in Soapland.
Den Watts
Den Watts is undeniably one of EastEnders’ most iconic characters ever. The legendary landlord of the Queen Vic was with the soap from its debut episode on February 19, 1985 – he uttered the show’s first ever words.
Viewers were gripped by his villainous behaviour and his scandalous affair with schoolgirl Michelle Fowler, daughter Sharon’s best friend. In the soap’s Christmas Day episode of 1986, he served wife Angie with divorce papers – stuff of TV legend, it attracted the show’s biggest ever audience: 30.1 million viewers.
Den was sensationally shot in an episode which aired on February 23, 1989, during a rendezvous with his teen lover. He was assumed dead after apparently falling into the canal, the scene of their clandestine meeting.
And THEN…! He made a mind-boggling return to Walford in a blaze of publicity on September 29, 2003, greeting his dumbfounded daughter with his catchphrase, “Hello, Princess”.
Viewers were fed an elaborate plot to explain how he had faked his own death to escape gangland rivals – and they quickly discovered he’d continued to live as a ‘wrong un’ off-screen.
Den was subsequently killed off for real on February 18, 2005, after being bludgeoned to death with a doorstop by second wife Chrissie.
Grant Mitchell
Grant Mitchell first appeared in Albert Square in 1990, alongside his mum Peggy, brother Phil and sister Sam. Although he’s best known for his quick temper and tough guy image, many viewed Grant as a family man at heart, but the sibling rivalry between him and his younger brother played a large part in his EastEnders fate.
No stranger to a fist fight or a dodgy deal, it was inevitable one of the Mitchell brothers would have to skip town as a result of an under-the-table escapade.
However, when a drug deal gone wrong resulted in Grant’s sudden exit in October 1999, it still shook a nation of loyal ‘Enders fans.
When a plan to cheat rival gangsters to pay off a debt resulted in Grant crashing his car in the River Thames, he was presumed dead. It later surfaced that he was in fact alive and living in Rio de Janeiro, having run off with the money.
He made a brief return to Walford in October 2005 to exonerate sister Sam for the murder of Dirty Den but emigrated again after less than a year later.
Towards the end of Grant’s second decade-long absence, ex-wife Sharon reached out for help regarding his alcoholic brother’s worsening ill health.
In an effort to save his brother as his mother struggled with terminal cancer, Grant crashed Peggy’s final dinner by abruptly waltzing into the Mitchell family kitchen and announcing: “I guess my invite got lost in the post.” Fans across the country went wild.
With viewers thrilled with his return, Twitter lit up like a Christmas tree with followers posting sentiments such as: “Seeing Grant Mitchell back on my telly has made my life complete,” and, “Clapped my hands in excitement for the return of Grant Mitchell.” There is ongoing hope he will come back again!
Stacey Slater
Stacey Slater, the rebellious teen daughter of Jean, was introduced to EastEnders back in 2004 when she came to live with her great-uncle, Charlie Slater, due to her mother’s severe bipolar disorder.
Stacey became the focus of numerous high-profile storylines dealing with drug abuse, abortion, her own mental health issues, an affair with her father-in-law Max Branning and an horrific rape at the hands of Archie Mitchel, who she later murdered before absconding.
On February 18, 2014, EastEnders fans rejoiced as Stacey made a surprise comeback to Walford after her cousin Kat Slater spotted her from the top deck of a London bus. Having been peer pressured by Kat, Stacey returned to take responsibility for her actions.
Upon her dramatic return, it was revealed she had been living under an alias, Jenny Smith, to avert the law to avoid being framed for attempted murder by Janine Butcher.
The explosive episode which saw Stacey arrive on Kat and Alfie’s door step drew in almost 7.5 million viewers.
Stacey is currently a key character in Walford, caught up in ongoing drama with estranged husband Martin Fowler.
Sharon Watts
A serial comeback queen, Sharon Watts has made a number of dramatic returns to Walford and, thanks to her marriage to Grant Mitchell and then later her affair with his brother, Phil, she is certainly no stranger to controversy.
The adoptive daughter of Den and Angie Watts, Sharon’s main storylines have centred on her tumultuous on-again, off-again romantic relationships with the Mitchell brothers.
The infamous love triangle eventually led to Sharon reluctantly selling The Queen Vic pub to mother-in-law Peggy Mitchell before moving to America, alone.
However, after a six-year hiatus, Sharon was back in 2001 for one of the most epic returns in history.
Peggy arranged a handing-over-of-the-keys celebration in the pub, having sold The Queen Vic to an anonymous buyer, but she wasn’t pleased when she discovered the new owner was none other than her estranged daughter-in-law.
As she entered the bar, Sharon was met by Peggy’s gobsmacked face to which she remarked: “Bet you never thought you’d see me again.”
The priceless look on Peggy’s boat race combined with Sharon’s smugness quickly qualified this as a legendary comeback.
Sharon is still in Walford, married to Phil… a relationship that continues to be full of drama!
Nasty Nick
Notorious scam artist Nick Cotton made five remarkable returns to the Square before being killed off in 2015 due to an ongoing heroin habit.
The only child of Dot Branning and Charlie Cotton, Easties’ original bad boy quickly became known as Nasty Nick after committing a string of brutal murders including the killing of his own son, Ashley.
Nick’s contemptuous demeanour and tendency to cheat the inhabitants of Albert Square made him an easy character for audiences to love to hate.
Unsurprisingly Nasty Nick regularly received death threats from his Walford neighbours which consequently led to him faking his own death several times during his 30-year run on the soap.
However, his most shocking resurrection came in October 2014, when he reappeared in Dot’s house having previously been presumed dead following an alleged overdose.
Aired on the evening of Halloween, the suspenseful episode had viewers on the edge of their seats as the beloved Dot Cotton was terrorised by her son in her own home.
The tension could be cut with a knife as Nick finally appeared in the hallway of his ma’s household, offering her a light before smugly stating: “‘Appy ‘Alloween Ma.” Goosebumps galore!
Is he really gone for good? Some still hope he could be resurrected…
Lisa Fowler
EastEnders debut in 1998 as an innocent and unassuming assistant market inspector. She subsequently become known as another participant of a turbulent relationship with Phil Mitchell, most notably playing a crucial part in the third-largest viewer surge of the soap to date (22 million viewers) when she confessed in the “Who Shot Phil?” saga in 2001.
Lisa then departed Albert Square in 2002 before returning in 2003 and once more in 2010 for a single episode.
Most recently, Lisa Fowler made a surprise return after hearing that her daughter, Louise, suffered third-degree burns during a terrible bullying accident on her prom night.
However, in classic Enders style, she was unable to quietly slip in to be by her daughter’s bedside and was met with hostility and anger from her former partner and Louise’s father, Phil.
Having failed to put their differences aside for the sake for their injured child, the warring parents had it out in the hospital waiting room, with Lisa antagonising her short-fused ex.
Airing in July 2015, Lisa’s comeback episode ended with a major bust-up between the two which resulted in a showdown where they threatened to kill one another.
Fans took to Twitter with their reactions, exclaiming: “OMG! Lisa Fowler is back! Yay,” and, “In my opinion, the storylines in #Eastenders have been a little lacklustre of late but bringing back Lisa is just what the doctor ordered!”
Mel Owen
Mel first appeared on Albert Square in October 1998, where she was reunited with her vicar brother, Alex Healy, and their father, Jeff.
Over the course of Mel’s life on the show, her relationships with her two main love interests came to catastrophic endings; her marriage to Ian Beale lasted mere minutes, and her second husband Steve Owen was killed.
Her inevitable exit came in 2002 after discovering that Steve was the reason she was arrested on drug smuggling charges. These accusations, along with discovering the truth about who shot Phil, caused Mel to relocate to Portugal.
With rumours circulating that Mel would make a return to Walford in 2018, she finally reappeared in January this year, following a 15-year hiatus.
Her first port of call was The Arches, where she paid Ben Mitchell a visit. Oblivious to her history in Walford and connection to the Mitchell family, Ben turned her away insisting they were too busy, to which Mel sharply responded: “Nice to be back.”
Many fans of the soap theorised that she may be joined by life-long friend Lisa Fowler, but those speculations are yet to come to fruition. It is unknown how long Mel will stick around for this time, but viewers are glad to have her back in town, as is new beau Jack Branning.
Spicy comebacks are a big reason why we love EastEnders. Now that we’ve released our list of epic characters returning, how does it stack up with yours?
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