Walford said goodbye to the last remaining member of the Owen family this week, and some EastEnders fans have begged the soap to get rid of another family too!
On Thursday night (November 14), Mel Owen died a dramatic death when she walked out in front of a lorry after being involved in a car accident.
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Viewers were shellshocked when the huge vehicle hit her as she walked across the road, believing she could hear her dead son Hunter calling her.
As fans flocked to pay tribute to the character, and the departing actress Tamzin Outhwaite, others noted the Owen family were no more after her husband Steve and son Hunter all died in tragic circumstances.
So Kate Oates has destroyed the Owen family, can she please do the same with the Slater family?
Even actor Martin Kemp, who left the soap in 2002 when his character Steve was blown up in a car, remarked on the death of the last Owen.
So the Owens come to an end!!! Now just part of #Eastenders history, congrats to everyone on the show, taking ongoing drama back to its best!!!
…. Steve Owen— Martin Kemp (@realmartinkemp) November 14, 2019
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He wrote: “So the Owens come to an end!!! Now just part of EastEnders history, congrats to everyone on the show, taking ongoing drama back to its best!”
Other fans were already jumping to the next storyline, though, with one hoping the Slater family could be axed next.
Writing on Digital Spy Forums, one viewer said: “So Kate Oates has destroyed the Owen family, can she please do the same with the Slater family?”
Another fan agreed, but joked: “You do realise there are at least 10 characters that Kate Oates has to kill off just to wipe the family from EastEnders for good?”
A third piped up with a suggestion: “They could hire a large boat on the Thames for a party and there is an explosion on board where everyone on board dies either in the explosion or drowning, if you add the families of Carter, Taylor, Fowler, Beale and Mitchell as well we could have a new start.”
The feeling isn’t actually new, with someone tweeting last year: “You know how they could improve #EastEnders? Kill off ALL the Slaters!”
You know how they could improve #Eastenders? Kill off ALL the Slaters! 😠
— MIB (@MibIH) March 19, 2018
However there was one soap geek who observed that Mel wasn’t actually the last Owen standing…
One wrote: “There’s always Steve’s mad sister Jackie. Whatever happened to her?”
In fact, Jacqueline Owen made her first appearance in September 1999 as the older sister of Albert Square villain Steve.
Portrayed by Race Davies, she appeared for only four months when her brother was standing trial for the murder of Saskia Duncan – and kept her relation to Steve secret at first.
When she left in 2000, after her character’s domestic abuse storyline with Gianni, Race said:, “I’ve really enjoyed myself working on EastEnders but I feel that I’ve done as much as I can on the show and I’m looking forward to new challenges.”
Race went on to star as Christine Carpenter in Hollyoaks.
Which family would you most like to see axed from EastEnders? Let us know on our Facebook page @EntertaimentDailyFix.