The Dot Cotton story in pictures
- Published
EastEnders veteran June Brown has died at the age of 95. She played Dot Cotton in the BBC One soap, a character who became a viewer favourite over 30 years. We take a look back at Dot's milestones on the series.
1985: Dot Cotton (June Brown) arrives in Albert Square. She first appears in episode 40. She is Albert Square's god fearing, chain smoking gossip who works in the EastEnders laundrette. She is convinced she can change people for the better but is constantly taken advantage of and disappointed by those closest to her.
1985: Dot's son Nick Cotton (John Altman) constantly lets her down and betrays her trust. Nick is a liar, a thief and an habitual drug user who tries to kill Dot to steal her bingo winnings. She is convinced he can be redeemed despite all evidence to the contrary. Nick Cotton is a thorn in Dot's side until his death in 2015 on the show's 30th anniversary.
1986: Dot's husband Charlie Cotton (Christopher Hancock) returns to Albert Square after 30 years away. Dot married Charlie at the age of 18. He was an untrustworthy con man who deserted her when she was pregnant with son Nick. He had an affair - and another child - with Dot's sister Rose. He soon disappeared again when he had his hands on her money.
2000: Dot's friend Ethel Skinner (Gretchen Franklin) returns to Albert Square suffering from terminal cancer. Dot cares for her but is taken aback when Ethel tells she has been storing away morphine tablets for months with the intention of taking her own life. Dot eventually helps her take the tablets despite her Christian belief that euthanasia is wrong. Sixteen million watched as Dot said goodbye to her old friend for the last time.
1991: Charlie Cotton's funeral. He met his end in a lorry accident off camera. June Brown pleaded with the EastEnders scriptwriters not to kill him off. The producers, however, wanted Dot to let her son Nick back into her life. They thought this would never happen unless something dramatic took place in the story line.
2000: Dot Cotton goes to prison after Ethel's death but not for helping her friend end her life. Dot is convinced she deserves punishment and shoplifts to ensure she is prosecuted. The judge lets her off until she has an outburst in the dock and is imprisoned for contempt of court.
2002: Dot marries Jim Branning (John Bardon) after a proposal on the London Eye. After a mishap with viagra, Dot decides their marriage should be platonic. Both June Brown and John Bardon were worried about the story line. They were concerned that Dot and Jim would simply stay in and watch television after they had tied the knot.
2003: Den Watts (Leslie Grantham) returns to Albert Square after 14 years hiding in Spain. Dot faints when she meets him thinking she has seen a ghost. Later, she brings Dirty Den up to speed with everything that has happened while he has been away.
2004: Dot discovers she has cancer of the kidney. She reacts with confusion and fear - determined to keep it secret. June Brown noted this was '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'. She eventually recovers.
2007: Dot attempts to hide Anya Covalenco (Olga Fedori) and baby Tomas from the immigration authorities. She takes them to a church where she believes they will be given sanctuary. Anya eventually decides to give herself up and asks Dot to look after her child. Dot agrees - but later finds looking after a baby is too much for her and gives him up for adoption.
2008: Dot Cotton makes a moving tape for her husband Jim who is in hospital after a stroke. She explains her fears for his health and how much he means to her. The episode won June Brown a Bafta nomination
2014: Dot attends her son Nick's funeral. He had returned to Albert Square to hide from the police after a burglary. He asks Dot to help him get heroin but dies from a reaction to the drug. Dot is eventually jailed for 4 months for her part in her son's death.
Related topics
- Published4 April 2022
