connecting the dots
EastEnders fans left stunned by secret Dot Cotton trend spanning 32 YEARS – but did you spot it?
WATCH the video above to see Dot Cotton at Christmas time over the years and see if you can spot the trend
EASTENDERS fans have been left stunned by noticing a secret Christmas trend of Dot Cotton.
The eagle-eyed among soap fans have been left in shock after realising that the famous Walford icon had kept up a habit for 32 years without many ever knowing about it.
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Dot, played by the late June Brown, is arguably one of EastEnders' most famous characters but did you know that she wore the same outfit every single Christmas Day since 1988.
Each time Dot appeared on the show at Christmas between 1988 and her final festive appearance in 2020, she made sure to wrap up in the very same dress to celebrate the holiday period with her friends and family.
Her iconic look was a red patterned-dress which featured a collar and she often chose to wear it underneath a scarf, coat or jacket of some sort.
More often than not, she chose to wear a light-yellow cardigan atop the outfit with it regularly accompanying her on her festive outings.
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Whilst soap characters often have their signature looks and re-wear the same clothes from time-to-time, it is fair to say that it is pretty rare for one character to hold onto a piece of clothing for over thirty years.
Moreover, Dot only wore the dress for the extra special Christmas festivites.
The decision-making process as to why the dress was worn at Christmas each year is currently unknown however it is clear that Dot would not have stepped foot on Albert Square each winter without donning it for all to see.
It is unsurprising that Dot opted to wear her special dress every year with June famously aiming to portray Dot as close to a real-life East End woman as possible.
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Over the years, Dot played a central part to Christmas storylines and was never far away from the Queen Vic catching up with pals or back at home prepping dinner for the Cotton-cum-Branning clan.
Her most famous Christmas storyline however took place on Christmas Eve as opposed to Christmas Day.
EastEnders' Dot Cotton, 92, complains that her central heating has broken down
In 2002, Dot's soon-to-be husband Jim Branning proposed to her aboard the London Eye on Christmas Eve.
In 2016, as Christmas rolled around once more, Dot wasted no time in whipping on her annual frock for an innuendo-laced episode that had all the viewers laughing.
The episode featured classic EastEnders comedy gold thanks to Dot’s new best friend: a black pussycat.
One classic line came from Billy Mitchell’s wife Honey, who warned her daughter: “Lily please don't touch Dot's pussy, you don't know where it's been.”
Another came from Dot herself, saying to the cat, which she named Ethel after her best friend: “Don't go licking yourself in front of the Queen.”
In 2008, Dot also donned the dress as she met her granddaughter Dotty for the very first time.
Her son Nick brought his little girl along for the Christmas holidays in 2008 as he made a grand return to the soap after seven years away.
Dot Cotton's time on EastEnders
Here are just some of Dot's most memorable moments on Albert Square
By Shan Ally, Showbiz Reporter
- Dot bumps off son Nick - John Altman slipped into Nasty Nick's leather jacket for the first time in 1985 and became the first ever EastEnders serial killer. Throughout the years, despite his breaks from the programme and until his death in 2015, Nick made his criminal life become his one and only career. Nick was responsible for his son Ashley's death, although it was not intentional as he actually meant to kill Mark Fowler, who left him in a wheelchair a year prior. He cut the breaks on Mark's motorbike but when Ashley had an argument with Mark about Nick, the young man stole the vehicle. Ashely crashed the motorbike into the Launderette and died. But Dot had the last laugh as she famously watched as her son die of a heroin overdose in 2015.
- Ethel's death - Dot agreed to help Ethel die on Eastenders back in 2000. 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.
- London Eye proposal on Christmas Eve - 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 - 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.
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