Dot Cotton’s most memorable EastEnders’ scenes revealed as actress June Brown prepares to celebrate her 90th birthday
Move over Ian Beale! Dot is the most iconic - and adored - character on Albert Square
SHE’s one of Albert Square’s longest-standing residents and is best known for her chain-smoking, bible-reading antics.
Dot Cotton first appeared in EastEnders in 1985, and, apart from a four-year break in the mid-Nineties, has been at the heart of some of the programme’s most memorable storylines.
June Brown, the actress who plays the flame-haired do-gooder, is preparing to celebrate her 90th birthday.
In order to commemorate the landmark event, we’ve rounded up some of her greatest moments in the BBC soap.
Heartbreaking moment Dot agrees to help Ethel die
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One of Dot’s most memorable pairings in EastEnders was with Ethel Skinner.
The duo formed a hilarious double-act and could often be found comically bickering, reminiscing about life during the Second World War and chasing after Ethel’s dog Willy.
But the whole nation was left weeping at their TV screens in 2000 when Dot agreed to go against her strict Christian beliefs and help Ethel die.
After a heart-wrenching chat, Dot gave her a packet of pills and a glass of water.
The episode pulled in 16.5million viewers.
Romantic moment Dot finally snogs Jim Branning
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Soap fans around the country yelled in delight when Dot finally kissed Jim Branning.
The pair’s courtship was extremely slow and stern Dot did her best to pretend she was not impressed with his romantic actions.
Poor Jim was knocked back numerous times despite his best efforts.
Jim had to make the first move and caught Dot in a loved-up clinch behind the bar at the Queen Vic.
Here comes the bride! Dot becomes Mrs Branning
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Dot eventually succumbed to Jim’s advances and said ‘yes’ when he proposed in 2001 inside one of the carriages on the London Eye on the South Bank of the River Thames.
They were married on Valentine’s Day in a remarkably uneventful (in soap terms) ceremony.
After a mishap with viagra, Dot decided that their marriage should remain purely platonic.
The loveable pair were devoted to one another and their hilarious bickering made for some of the soap’s best scenes.
Making soap history
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In 2007, Jim Bardon – who played Jim Branning – suffered a stroke.
To explain his absence from the soap, his character suffered the same fate.
The result was a poignant episode in which Dot carried an entire programme single-handed.
She performed a monologue in which she recorded a message for Jim to listen to in hospital.
She was the first actress to have a soap episode entirely to herself and it landed her a BAFTA nomination.
Devastating moment Dot discusses kidney cancer diagnosis
In a 2004 plot, Dot was diagnosed with kidney cancer.
She decided not to tell anyone except her friend Dennis Rickman.
She initially refused treatment and planned to die quietly, but was eventually persuaded to undergo chemotherapy and made a full recovery.
The programme makers sought advice from health professionals, including Macmillan Cancer Support.
June Brown confessed she was unhappy with the storyline, saying: “It’s ironic because I’ve played her as a hypochondriac, longing for attention, for 20 years.
“Now something’s wrong, she doesn’t want anyone to know.”
Dot in the dock
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An action-packed live episode in 2015 saw Dot being driven away in a police car after her decision to confess about killing her son Nasty Nick.
She admitted she had put Nick in an abandoned house, given him heroin and let him die in her arms.
She later stood trial and was found guilty of manslaughter.
Dot was sentenced for 14 months inside but was let out for husband Jim Branning’s funeral.
Nasty Nick comes back to torment Dot
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Dot’s dysfunctional relationship with her wayward son Nick has had viewers gripped to the soap for over two decades.
She has continued to keep giving him chances despite his colourful history of wrongdoing.
Nick has claimed he is a born-again Christian to con his mum out of her £1,000 bingo winnings, attempted to kill her along with his daughter Dotty and battled heroin addiction.
One gripping scene shows the rogue stealing cash from his mother’s bedroom as she watches in the doorway.
Hilarious moment Dot chats to Mr ‘Oppodopolus’
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As well as being tragic, Dot is a terribly comic character.
She has famously worked in Walford’s launderette alongside her pal Pauline Fowler.
In a long-running joke, Dot has had difficulty pronouncing launderette owner Mr Papadopolouss’ surname.
For much of the show's history he has been referred to as Mr. Oppodopolus, Oppydoppy, or varying other mispronunciations.
June Brown has said she enjoys playing the comical aspects of Dot, stating, "She's not dreadfully funny but she's amusing and I like that because it lightens it up a bit."
The Walford legend will be honoured with a BBC special show to mark her 90th birthday.
Earlier this year, fans were vocal after she was sacked from her much-loved job at the launderette after decades of employment, which sparked a Twitter hashtag #JUSTICEFORDOT.