The week after an epic stunt like what I call “Boat Week” – that is, the 35th anniversary episodes – is always a bit of a comedown. It’s like getting back from a long holiday, when your mind is still firmly on the sun and sand but you’re back in your drab, fluorescently lit office. Considering this, my expectations for this past week were minimal. I wanted EastEnders to carry the plot forward while also dealing with the repercussions of the previous week’s events. Denny’s death was sure to send ripples around the Square, as was Whitney’s arrest and, to a lesser degree, Keanu’s (final) departure.
Yet throughout the four episodes following what was a successful anniversary week, I felt the show was muddled in its storytelling. Certain character arcs we would have expected to see continued screeched to a halt, while others were continued trucking along, becoming lost in the aftermath of the boat tragedy. Some weren’t even mentioned at all (where is Patrick Trueman?). Let’s look at what worked, and what didn’t.
This week was always going to be about the Beales. Ian’s guilt over Denny’s death, Peter’s return, Bobby’s recovery, and Kathy’s presence right at the centre of it all forced the family to the forefront. That’s not a bad thing—the Beales are if not the most important family in EastEnders history, certainly the show’s oldest family—and Adam Woodyatt and Gillian Taylforth rose to the occasion, giving moving, powerful performances. Watching Ian wrestle with his guilt could have been maudlin and tedious, but Woodyatt has dug beneath the material to find a pathos in Ian that is truly compelling. Meanwhile, Taylforth is excelling at the role Kathy was always destined for—put-upon matriarch trying to corral her unruly brood. The show hasn’t done enough with Kathy Beale since they resurrected her five years ago, but having Bobby, Peter, and Ben all back on the Square (where they should have been all along) has the potential to do wonders for her character and give Taylforth something to sink her teeth into.
Another standout of the week has been newcomer Dayle Hudson as Peter Beale mark seven. Leaving aside the jarring height difference between Hudson and his predecessor in the role, Hollywood hunk Ben Hardy (Hudson is seven inches taller than Hardy), he has already made the role his own. Stepping into Ben Hardy’s shoes was going to be tough considering both the stellar performance he gave during his two years on the show and his skyrocketing film career, but Hudson has done it not only ably but with gusto. His presence feels natural and familiar, and his chemistry with Woodyatt and Taylforth is palpable. I can’t wait to see what Peter gets up to next.
The same can’t be said for Whitney. A week in jail and I am already bored with this storyline. Obviously Whitney had to be arrested for killing Leo (not that she deserves it, but the story wouldn’t strain credibility if she wasn’t), so I am cutting EastEnders some slack here. This is a necessary development in an ongoing storyline. Still, it’s not one I am particularly interested in. EastEnders has a long history of sending its characters to the slammer, from the Dickens Hill storyline with Den Watts in the 1980s on up to Mick Carter’s incarceration in 2018.
The problem is I don’t think the show ever gets them right. I’m not talking about the societal commentary on the prison system or British justice—though someone more knowledgeable on the topic could no doubt write an essay on it—but simply the stories themselves. It’s always a challenge when you remove a character from the setting in which the story is overwhelmingly taking place (that is, Albert Square), as it doesn’t easily jive with the rest of the show. I care about Whitney’s plight because I care about Whitney as a character, but I haven’t found these scenes particularly interesting. Lying to Gray about Mick’s involvement, swearing she killed Leo in self-defence; it’s all a bit predictable and derivative. Procedurals like The Bill and mysteries like Broadchurch work because the entire show is based around that particular premise. Soap makes it a bit more tricky, because part of what makes soap great is characters interacting with one another. Throwing Whitney into jail removes her from that.
Like I said, though, it had to happen. I trust that Jon Sen and Kate Oates know what they’re doing and where this storyline is going, so we could end up with a riveting arc for Whitney. It’s too early to say, though these first scenes do not inspire confidence.
The Whitney saga seemed to take up most of the first couple episodes, while Sharon’s grief was relegated to B-plot. This felt like a mistake. Watching Sharon walk around in a daze felt real and hit me in the gut. When I was in high school a friend passed away in a car accident, and I remember that almost zombie-like look and demeanor in her mother. Letitia Dean nailed the way grief knocks everything out of you. Far from over-the-top melodrama, we got an understated, nuanced performance (I think I used that same phrase to describe Dean’s acting last week, but it bears repeating). The scene between Sharon and Shirley, in particular, was heart-wrenching. It was the first time we’d seen Sharon properly break down, and it was a nice scene that highlighted the shared humanity between two longtime foils, if not outright foes.
I would have liked to have seen more of Sharon’s journey, though I suspect we will be watching that unfold in the weeks to come. Denny’s funeral, in particular, will offer Dean a chance to flex her muscles. I can’t wait to see what happens as she continues to find out more about Ian’s role in Denny’s death and finally confronts Phil over the fact that his machismo and wounded pride—and not Sharon’s affair—are what ultimately lead to the loss of her son.
Sharon won’t be the only Walford woman grieving, though. Daniel’s death was not exactly a surprise—we all knew he had terminal cancer, and what that meant—but I wasn’t expecting it so soon. Ade Edmondson was a gift as Daniel Cook. His departure, though always inevitable, is nonetheless a loss for the show. Daniel’s romance with Jean is one of the great love stories in EastEnders history, a touching look at life, love, loss, and ultimately mortality. Gillian Wright gave a beautiful performance as Jean discovers Daniel’s corpse in the Square, quietly conveying the pain of a woman who knew this was going to happen but is nonetheless heartbroken.
It was a powerful and poignant moment. I wish the show had waited a little longer for it, though—not because I wanted to see more of Edmondson’s performance (well, not only because of that), but because Jean’s and Daniel’s final moments seemed to get swallowed up in the aftermath of the boat tragedy. DigitalSpy pointed out that Jean didn’t even get the duff duff for Daniel’s death, which shows just how overwhelmed this scene was by events elsewhere in Walford.
Another storyline that seems to be swallowed up by events, not just this week but generally, is Keegan’s continued harassment by the police. I understand from spoilers that we’ll be revisiting that soon, but it’s worth pointing out that since their elopement back in the autumn, neither Keegan nor Tiffany have had much screen time. This is a shame, because Zack Morris and Maisie Smith are two of the brightest young stars on the show, and they are endlessly delightful to watch, as evidenced by the “wedding-ring-in-a-cupcake” scenes this week. It was a welcome point of levity in an otherwise bleak and depressing episode, and Morris and Smith played it with such charm and warmth. I hope to see more of them.
On the other hand, I hope to see less of Ben and Callum. I have never exactly warmed to #Ballum the way many other fans have, finding their entire relationship to be both contrived and toxic. This push-and-pull between them, with Ben blowing hot or cold depending on the day, is exhausting and uninteresting. No one seriously thought Ben wouldn’t find Callum, and their interactions afterwards felt more like bad fan fiction than it did good soap. Callum tracing “I ❤ you” on Ben’s back was cute, but them jumping in the sack five minutes after Callum has been rescued from spending days in a skip rang untrue and felt as though it was written to please horny #Ballum fans rather than stay true to the characters and ground the show in reality. Fans love #Ballum, though, so clearly I’m missing something. I fully admit that. I just wish I knew what it was.
I do want to commend EastEnders for tackling a storyline about deafness and for casting a deaf actress as a deaf character (to be debuting soon). Disability isn’t often addressed on soap, so it will be interesting to see how the show handles this and whether Ben’s hearing loss is permanent or temporary. The sound effects really show how Ben is hearing the world and the extent of the damage done on the boat. This has the potential to be an informative, issue-based storyline. I hope the show does it justice. I suspect it will.
A few more stray observations before we go. Where is Linda? We saw her in Monday’s episode, but if I recall that was it. Her alcoholism was such a big part of Boat Week that it seems odd we wouldn’t be dealing with the aftermath of her decision to get sober. I’m sure that’s coming, but her absence glaring. I also would have liked to have seen a scene or two between Iqra, Habiba, and Bobby. It got mentioned that the Ahmed sisters were visiting him in hospital, but their friendship is so sweet it felt like a missed opportunity. Ricky Champ gave a comedic turn as Stuart Highway, and I couldn’t help but to laugh as he mimed whilst trying to communicate with Ben. Karen naming the baby Kayden was nice, and as many pointed out it has “Den” in it. Overall, though, I felt Karen was all too nonchalant about Keanu’s exit again. Perhaps she had come to terms with it, having said goodbye to him in early January, but it still felt like the show was happy to move on as though he never existed. Also, can we please get Bernadette a storyline? Ruby Allen, too. Louisa Lytton is too talented to be relegated to the role of a speaking extra. I didn’t mention this earlier, but yay, Jean is cancer free!
Scene of the week: Jean going to get them each a cocoa only to come back and find Daniel dead will stick with me for a long time.
Line of the week: “Apart from when Bobby nearly set the house on fire or the other day when Uncle Ian threw him out.” Lexi dropping truth bomb after truth bomb on Peter, dispelling Kathy’s notion that the Beales are on solid ground, was hilarious. Isabella Brown is adorable, and I hope she sticks around for a very long time.
Performance of the week: Letitia Dean. It could be no other. Every time she was onscreen my heart broke for Sharon.
Character of the week: Keegan Baker, if only because he had me howling with laughter and he got his kit off.
Skylar Baker-Jordan is a freelance writer based in Tennessee. His work has appeared at the Independent, Huff Post UK, Salon, and elsewhere. Follow him on Twitter @skylarjordan and become a sustainer at www.patreon.com/skylarjordan
If you follow me on Twitter you might have seen that I recently discovered my online blog from high school. Earlier this month I answered the same questions at 34 I answered at 17. That got such a fun response from people (mostly those who know me personally, but some who follow my professional writing) that I decided to go ahead and make this a series.
I’m going to do a paragraph-by-paragraph response to my blog, seeing how my views have changed over the past two decades and laughing at myself (or cringing at myself) where needed. Some entries may be edited to take out personal information or information I think others would not want revealed, and I will indicate where that happens.
We start with this entry from April 2002, in which apparently I have had my heart broken. In April 2002 I was 16-years-old, a sophomore in high school, and living in southeastern Kentucky. On the date this was written – 24 April 2002 – “Foolish” by Ashanti was the number one song in the US while “Girlfriend” by *NSync topped the British charts. The Scorpion King, starring The Rock, was the number one film in the United States. 9/11 had happened only seven months prior, George W Bush was in his first term, the iPod had only just been released the previous autumn, and I had never had a mobile phone and didn’t see the point of one.
How things have changed. Or have they? Let’s take a look at what 16-year-old Skylar thought.
Heartbreak, You Got The Best Of Me……….
4/24/2002
If something seems to good to be true, it probably is. How true is that line? OMG its just…..read about my day.
I always had a flare for the dramatic. But I still agree that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
First hour my hair was all fucked up, so I ran all around school fixing it. I used lotion to get the hairspray out, then I had to run to Sherri’s locker (down the MATH WING!) to get the fucking hairspray and I used spit to fix it. Then my spit fell on the desk. We watched some movie over Jews so it was easy.
NOT THE MATH WING! There’s so much happening in this paragraph. First of all, Sherri, I’m sorry but I don’t remember you. Thanks for letting me use your hairspray… and spit? Maybe I used my own spit. God I hope I used my own spit. If I used Sherri’s spit I really should remember her. Anyway, I’m not sure why I used lotion to get hairpsray out of my hair. Is that a trick I’ve forgotten over the years? Does anybody know?
I’m really fucking disappointed in how blase I was about “some movie over Jews.” That just reads as incredibly offensive to me as a 34-year-old man. I’m sure I didn’t mean it offensively, but fucking hell boy, word choice matters.
Second hour we rehearsed and I joked around with Amanda Jo. I have to go get a costume really soon. I’m so nervous about being in front of the whole school. I’ve been acting my entire life, but not in front of people who know me and my entire life story. AND NOT IN FRONT OF [RYAN – a psuedonym to be used here on out]!
I changed the name of the boy because I want to respect his privacy. Some of my high school friends will probably figure out from context who it is. Just leave it, I ask. It’s been 18 years – let’s let sleeping dogs lie.
Amanda Jo! We had such fun together. I miss her. (If you’re reading this, hi Amanda Jo!) What were we rehearsing? 2002… must have been Alice in Wonderland. I plaid the White Rabbit. I had a line during a croquet match that went “my ball, my ball, I can’t play without my ball!” but slipped up in a performance and said “I can’t play without my balls!” It was humiliating, but also hilarious.
Third hour I hung out with Sally, Samantha, Teddy Bear, and some other seniors in the library. We talked about Prom and looking for Prom parties. SO far no luck.
Sally I remember. Teddy Bear I remember his face, though not his name (Josh, maybe?). Samantha… sorry, love, no idea. Why is “Prom” capitalised. It’s not a proper noun you fool. We found a prom party in the end and it is one of the most memorable nights of my life. It was a big night in my life, as prom nights often are. Yes, I’m being coy. I’m much less brazen at 34 than I was at 16.
Fourth hour I forgot my work for Koog and so I get a 0 on that. It sucks because I had it all finished, too! I feel like such the dumbass! And so yah. The major thing of fourth period was when Sally told me that [Ryan] had had a girlfriend way back in sixth grade [name redacted]! OMG one of my best friends dated him and failed to tell me this! And he does have a crush on [name redacted] (so he says-we’re not sure if we believe this). That scares me, because I’m starting to think [he] may be straight. If he is straight I’d be happy for him, but I know that I’ll die inside. I swear I need him. I wrote him a letter about being an ass to me fourth hour, too.
Fail to prepare, prepare to fail. You deserved that 0. As it stands I still end up going out of the house and forgetting half of what I meant to bring. I guess that’s less a youthful folly than it is a character flaw.
I really hate how goddamn needy and frankly obsessive I am in this paragraph. It’s bad. It was also the start of a pattern in my life, one in which I routinely fall for men who don’t seem interested in me or are unwilling to commit and who say they’re straight but actually aren’t straight at all. Ryan was the prototype for so many heartbreaks through my twenties. I didn’t die inside, though. That happened about 9 years later.
I wonder if I ever gave Ryan that letter? I don’t think I did, because I remember “Ryan” well and I think I’d remember something like that (it was a weird time in my life). I hope to God I didn’t, anyway, not just because it would be mortifying to me but because Ryan clearly set boundaries that I was ignoring. This is not romantic, baby Skylar, it’s abusive. Stop it. (I did stop it – and I was 16, so, you know, I’m cutting myself a little slack here.
[REDACTED PARAGRAPH – Personal information about another individual]
This was my fear when I decided to do this, and one entry in I’m already redacting quite a bit. This person would not want this information revealed though, I am 100% certain about that. Rather than risk anyone finding out, I’m just going to redact it. The point of this is to have fun, but it’s also to look at how much our world and I have changed since the early 2000s. I don’t think this really adds anything of interest in that context, so I’m okay leaving it out.
Fifth hour we watched “To Kill A Mockingbird” and that was that. Me, Lee, and Bridget started the “Broken Hearts Club,” which now has Sally as a member too. Lee says we should get the rest of the cheerleaders in it. I’m thinking about getting Becka in it too.
I’m still a member of this club. Also – does every American high school student read “To Kill a Mockingbird?” I think they do.
Snacks. Oh lord Sally told me [RYAN] said no to the picture (okay, I didn’t really care-HONESTLY LoL shocked me too). SHe told him he needs to start saying “hi” to me or something and he just sadly shook his head no. She said when he said he didn’t want to take that picture (I’m guessing thats what she meant) his eyes said he was lying. She said she thinks the boy is 100% gay [redacted few words]. I dunno…..I hope she’s right.
Take the fucking hint and leave the lad alone, baby Skylar. Honestly Ryan had the patience of Job and I am not liking how relentless I was here. Again, 16, so… cutting myself some slack. But yikes. Anyway, I do remember this actually. I wanted a picture of us together, and he said no. We did eventually take some pictures together, but I burnt them a year later after watching “The Craft” and thinking that maybe sorcery could work. It didn’t, but I still have hope it might.
Sixth hour I worked and thought of [RYAN]. Thats about it. We took Sara home today and then rode around ’till about 4:00 when Sal brought me home and I got online!
Imagine a time where “getting online” was a cause for excitement. In 2002 we made a point of being online, but in 2020 we make a point of disconnecting. A Twitter friend of mine just went offline until June as part of her Lenten sacrifice and social media detox – something that would have baffled people in the early 00s, when the internet was not a ubiquitous part of our lives. Did we know how it would come to take over our world? I don’t think I did. I never could have imagined smart phones or social media, though of course neither was a big step from Palm Pilots or AOL Chat Rooms/websites like LiveJournal. In hindsight it was all quite a logical progression, but at the time it would have seemed impossible if I had thought it.
GOSSIP TIME! LoL well lets see…..Peter Pan and Whitney are happy together. How, I don’t know, but hey, good for them-even though Bridgets heart is breaking. Lee’s crush is still acting like a fucker to her. Becka and Will may be broken up-Becka doesn’t know. She said something to me like “he needs to see what hes got.” I agree-Becka’s a great catch. [NAME REDACTED] wants to go back out with [NAME REDACTED] (they dated from 4-7 grade), but shes afraid all he wants is sex.And he won’t make the first move.
This was one paragraph (together with the next section), but I’m splitting it into two. I have no idea who Peter Pan was, and only a vague idea who Whitney was. OH WAIT – Bridget liked him. Yes, I do remebmer who Peter Pan is. He was a dick to me. (Bridget, I hope you found a better man.) I don’t remember Becka dating a Will, but I guess she did. She is a great catch though, that much is still true.
THEY DATED FROM 4 – 7 GRADE. I read that and howled. Imagine thinking that mattered. That’s like ages 10 – 13. What do you even do when you “date” someone that young? Hold hands and pretend to argue over money and how much “juice” he drinks because that’s what your parents do so that must be how marriage works? Silly kids. Silly, silly kids.
[Me] and [RYAN] may not hook up like everybody thought, because [RYAN] is being a prick (we also found out that [RYAN] and [REDACTED] dated in sixth grade). People are pulling for [me] though. Angela found out about [my] crush on [RYAN] by Stephanie, who decided to open her big mouth-but [I am] not to be mad at Stephanie (oh, God forbid!).
Get the fuck over yourself, baby Skylar. This boy is not worth it, and he clearly isn’t interested in you. Look at your life, look at your choices. Also, Stephanie and I recently followed one another on Twitter so there’s every chance she reads this and I just want to say that I forgive you for telling Angela about my crush our sophomore year of high school which was apparently a big deal at the time but honestly I don’t even remember. Thank you for still having me in your wedding despite this snarky post. Hope you’re well.
Tim and Amanda are back together, which breaks Sally’s heart. One of her old boyfriends (I don’t know his name) wants back together with her.
No idea who Tim and Amanda are, unless they’re the couple that Sally and I went to see 8 Mile with. Don’t feel too bad for Sally, though; she’s been married since 2003 and has a beautiful family, so it all worked out.
[REDACTED TWO SENTENCES – PERSONAL INFORMATION ABOUT ANOTHER PERSON]
[I] cried over [Ryan] today in the library at lunch, and chased Sammie Jo off. [I’m] becoming a cruel, heartless bitch.
You’re becoming an annoying little prick, but I don’t know about a cruel, heartless bitch. I think you just need to chill out, leave the “straight” boys alone, and wait until college when you can really let your hair down. (Spoilers: you won’t, and the next two years will be even more dramatic than this – a long-lost mother, a love triangle, a murder. Huh, my high school career kind of sounds like an episode of Riverdale.
Peace out.
Deuces
Skylar Baker-Jordan is a freelance writer based in Tennessee. His work has appeared at the Independent, Huff Post UK, Salon, and elsewhere. Follow him on Twitter @skylarjordan and become a sustainer at www.patreon.com/skylarjordan
Mora was a regional field director for the Bernie Sanders campaign until last night, when he was sacked over offensive and derogatory tweets about other candidates, including disparaging remarks about Amy Klobuchar’s and Elizabeth Warren’s physical appearance and Pete Buttigieg’s sexuality. Since then, the journalist who broke the story—Scott Bixby of the Daily Beast, has received a torrent of harassment on social media, including being doxxed by Sanders supporters.
Abusive “Bernie Bros” have become a bit of a cliché, one many supporters of the Vermont Senator reject as a fabrication. Yet they keep giving us cause to write about their odious online behavior. Earlier this month I warned that the toxic online culture of the “Bernie Bros” (or, to avoid accusations of sexism, the “Bernie Brigade” from here on out) will cost Sanders in the general election should he secure the nomination. Countless other journalists and political analysts have written similar articles. I’m not sure there’s much use in wringing my hands over them on this humble blog—they’re not going to listen to vague chastisements from a writer who has endorsed Pete Buttigieg and just yesterday wrote a blog critical of their candidate.
That being said, I do think it’s worth addressing some specific tweets about the Mora/Bixby brouhaha. The Bernie Brigade is losing its shit, and their defense of these odious tweets strains credulity. So, I want to discuss some of the more outlandish claims and arguments against Bixby and in favour of Mora.
First, though, let’s take a look at what Mora actually tweeted, while bearing in mind that he was a regional field director for the Sanders campaign—meaning a paid up staffer of moderate rank within the campaign apparatus, not some hapless intern:
Mora tweeted that Elizabeth Warren is “an adult diaper fetishist” who, in another tweet, Mora said “looks like shit”
Mora said Amy Klobuchar “looks like her name: pained, chunky, [and] confused origin/purpose”- definitely misogynistic, and the ‘confused origin/purpose’ line reeks of ethnocentrism
Pete Buttigieg, Mora tweeted, “is what happens when the therapist botches the conversion” – a homophobic comment implying Pete went through conversion therapy, which is of course junk science and torture (note: Mora himself is gay according to many on Twitter)
“Hillary Clinton should be literally catapulted off the planet,” Mora tweeted of the former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic nominee (and Bernie Sanders’ archnemesis)
There’s more, but you get the idea. Mora’s comments about women’s appearance are misogynistic, and his comments about Pete and Chasten Buttigieg are homophobic. That Mora is gay (again, according to Twitter) matters not; being gay doesn’t give you a pass to say offensive things.
Now, let’s look at some of the arguments in Mora’s defense.
Sent Ben Mora some cash (Venmo @benmora1994) because sure he said some dumb shit ON HIS PRIVATE ALT but this working-class latinx QPOC did NOT deserve to lose a job passionately fighting for the candidate he believed in because he JOKED about catapulting Hillary into space
It is true that Mora tweeted from a locked account that didn’t look to be his “official” Twitter, and that many people have such “alternative” Twitter accounts. That doesn’t matter, though. The fact remains that Mora was a representative of the Sanders campaign. As a regional field director he was a public figure, and his tweets—even if not in an official campaign capacity—reflected on the campaign.
I would also point out that it was the Sanders campaign who sacked Mora. Any gripe about his termination should be directed at them.
scott bixby doxxed a powerless private citizen with a low level staffer position and got him fired for catty tweets on a locked account while he sat in his million dollar penthouse his parents bought him
Ben Mora was not a private citizen. He was a campaign staffer. His tweets are of public interest because he was a representative of a presidential campaign.
The Venn diagram of Americans who think "Bernie Bros" are soooooo mean and nasty to extremely powerful politicians AND of the Americans who took it upon themselves to #JeSuisCharlie their profiles is a perfect circle. These people are utterly incoherent.
To begin with, comparing the sacking of a campaign staffer to the massacre of magazine writers is just beyond absurd and incredibly callous, at best. Leaving that aside, though, “shitposting” as satire is a take, I guess, but homophobic and misogynistic comments are beyond the pale. When comedians overstep, we call them out for it. We should certainly hold campaign staffers to the same, if not a higher, standard. Which brings me to the next point – Mora wasn’t a comedian, but a Bernie Sanders staffer. His comments reflect on the campaign for which he worked. The Sanders campaign decided they reflected poorly and on it and severed ties with Mora.
scott bixby doxxed a powerless private citizen with a low level staffer position and got him fired for catty tweets on a locked account while he sat in his million dollar penthouse his parents bought him
Bixby didn’t dox Mora. I’m not sure how Bixby got access to Mora’s locked Twitter account, but it doesn’t really matter. Bixby didn’t reveal Mora’s home address or phone number (both of which Bixby himself had publicly revealed). What he did was report on things a paid regional field director for the Bernie Sanders campaign said on Twitter, which is a public platform. Even if you lock your Twitter account, your tweets are still publicly available to anyone who follows you. It is no guarantee of privacy. If Mora didn’t know this before he certainly knows it now.
Scott Bixby isn't a journalist. He's a dilettante with a trust fund, living in a million dollar apartment his parents bought him, who got a working class gay man fired for posting jokes about billionaire funded presidential candidates in his private twitter account. https://t.co/8DTyeiFevD
— Ben Mora is a working class hero (@PattyJo30380657) February 25, 2020
Bixby is a journalist, and a respected one at that. The Daily Beast is not a website that I always agree with, but it produces a lot of excellent reporting, especially on global events. Mora might well be working class (I don’t know him), and Bixby apparently does have a trust fund (good on him, I guess). The Bernie Brigade is trying to paint this as some great battle in the class war, but that argument doesn’t pass muster.
Bixby is a reporter covering the 2020 election, and Mora was a campaign staffer—and, as I pointed out earlier, not just any old intern or flunky but a regional field director—posting misogynistic and homophobic comments about other candidates. That’s newsworthy. Mora didn’t lose his job because Bixby did his, he lost his job because he tweeted inflammatory comments which the Sanders campaign (rightly) decided crossed a line. Bixby didn’t fire Mora, the Sanders campaign did.
I’m always here for conversations about classism in American media, because I’m a working-class guy from the mountains of Eastern Kentucky who has been trying to make it in media for years now. This isn’t that conversation, though.
Oh also fuck you if you're framing that trust fund ratfuck Bixby getting fed a Sanders staffer to run a hit piece on as taking an unfunny frat bro guy bro dude down. He spied on a locked alt and used the language of a gay community he isn't a part of as a political weapon.
I’m not sure that it matters—it probably does to some people—but Bixby is gay. That’s an easily verifiable fact. I just found this tweet interesting because it shows how little the Bernie Brigade seems to know about Bixby. Again, though, I don’t think it really matters any more than Mora’s sexuality matters in this story, because this isn’t really a story about gay men or class—it’s a story about a campaign staffer and a journalist.
I feel very bad for Bixby, who doesn’t deserve the doxxing and harassment he’s receiving. Someone tweeted his address at me earlier which is public information so doesn’t strike me as doxxing per se, but still seems inappropriate. (I hesitate to say this, lest I embolden those will ill-intent, but the address of nearly every homeowner in America is publicly available.)
For what it’s worth, I also feel a little bad for Mora. No one likes to lose their job. That, and the attention he’s getting, must be stressful. It’s a shame it came to this, but Mora has no one to blame but himself. It’s 2020, for Christ’s sake. By now everyone ought to know that tweets can get you fired, even from a locked account. Mora ought to have known better.
Skylar Baker-Jordan is a freelance writer based in Tennessee. His work has appeared at the Independent, Huff Post UK, Salon, and elsewhere. Follow him on Twitter @skylarjordan and become a sustainer at www.patreon.com/skylarjordan
It’s no secret that Bernie Sanders is a democratic socialist. He wears the red rosette proudly. I like that about him—in fact, his policies might be the only thing I like about him. We are, broadly, in agreement on taxing the wealthy, healthcare that is free at the point of access, and universal Pre-K and free tuition at public universities. The problem, as I’ve pointed out before, is that most Americans are not. A Bernie Sanders nomination would be disastrous for Democrats in November.
Imagine this on every tv screen—especially in Florida—at least once an hour between August and November
We got a taste of what’s to come last night. In a 60 Minutes interview with Anderson Cooper, Sanders was unable to answer how he would pay for his expensive programs. As if that wasn’t bad enough, after Cooper showed a clip from the 1980s of Sanders speaking glowingly of the Soviet Union, the Sandinistas, and the Cuban Revolution. In explaining the clip, Sanders did—to his credit—say he condemns the authoritarian nature of the Cuban regime, only to then praise Fidel Castro for the literacy program the deceased Cuban dictator implemented “when he took office”—totally ignoring the fact that Castro didn’t “take office,” but violently stormed his way to power.
Not having fully costed your policy proposals is not going to fly with the electorate. Praising Fidel Castro will go down like a lead balloon, especially in Florida. This is just one clip, too. Sanders has been a public figure for nearly 40 years.
What else is out there? Democratic candidates ought to be looking to find out. If I were the Buttigieg or the Warren campaign, I would have staffers trawling through everything Bernie Sanders has ever said. Pour over his back catalogue and play the greatest hits on repeat. Show Democratic voters exactly who he is.
If this sounds like mudslinging, that’s because it is. I don’t deny it. It’s absolutely politics at its lowest. But have we forgotten who we’re going up against in November? Donald Trump is the most unscrupulous man to hold the White House in living memory—tenfold dirtier than Tricky Dick Nixon ever dared to be. Anyone who doesn’t think that these clips won’t be found and packaged into brutally effective attack ads playing at least once an hour in living rooms across the country is kidding themselves.
The Sanders campaign itself ought to be combing through Bernie’s record and every public utterance in anticipation of these attacks—possibly in the primary, but certainly in the general. And Bernie Sanders needs to get better at answering them. I don’t care if Fidel Castro had a great literacy program or not, you don’t stay that he did. Some things are third rails in American politics, and praise for a Cuban dictator is one of them.
The problem is that Bernie doesn’t want to play the game. He doesn’t know how, nor does he care to learn. I hate to keep bleating on about Jeremy Corbyn, but he was much the same. He blamed the media for taking his crystal clear words out of context and seemed annoyed at being asked about previous comments, as though a journalist doing her or his job was a nuisance. It didn’t work, but Corbyn didn’t care. A disdain for the system was a feature, not a bug, to him and his supporters.
When you’re as self-righteous as Jeremy Corbyn and Bernie Sanders, your correctness is self-evident and so being asked to explain it is a nuisance. That was on full display last night. It’s further complicating the problem; it’s bad enough these clips exist, but the inability to understand why they’re a problem and unwillingness to attempt to control the damage only serves to maximize the inevitable damage they will do.
Part of a rigorous primary contest is to vet the eventual nominee. So far, this hasn’t happened—at least not to Bernie Sanders. Most of the candidates have kept personal attacks to a minimum, but as last week’s debate in Nevada showed, the gloves are coming off. The problem is that while Buttigieg and Klobuchar and Warren are no longer pulling any punches, they’re all punching one another and not Bernie Sanders. Going after Mike Bloomberg, like Warren did, is all well and good, but Bernie is the most likely nominee at this point and so it’s time to start seriously looking at not only what he’s done (or hasn’t done), but what he’s said.
Obviously no Democrat wants to damage the eventual nominee, whoever she or he may turn out to be. That’s why we haven’t seen a more heated and contentious primary. It’s a double-edged sword, I admit. On the one hand, you don’t want to give the Republicans ammunition in the general election. On the other hand, you want to make sure Democratic voters know what ammunition there is so that they can decide whether the man who is most likely to be our party’s nominee is able to withstand it.
As the chances of a Sanders nomination continue to grow—and make no mistake, he’s the frontrunner right now—we will have to continue to square this circle. How much do we show our own hand in hopes of stopping a man who, right now, at least feels unstoppable? How much do we damage our own nominee in trying to stop him from becoming our nominee?
Skylar Baker-Jordan is a freelance writer based in Tennessee. His work has appeared at the Independent, Huff Post UK, Salon, and elsewhere. Follow him on Twitter @skylarjordan and become a sustainer at www.patreon.com/skylarjordan
Over the past decade, EastEnders anniversaries have come to be known for their epic nature. For the 25th anniversary in 2010 we had the first live episodes as Bradley Branning fell to his death and Stacey Slater admitted to killing Archie Mitchell. In 2015, the 30th anniversary saw Kim Fox gave birth, Kathy Beale returned from the dead, and after ten months of wondering, fans finally learned that Bobby Beale killed his sister, Lucy. Oh, and the episodes were live again.
Both the 25th and 30th anniversaries were widely praised by critics and fans alike, so expectations were high going into the 35th anniversary episodes, which aired last week. Eschewing the live format of the previous two milestones, Kate Oates and Jon Sen – the creative bosses currently at the helm of EastEnders – opted instead for a major stunt, sending many of our favourite characters on a party cruise and one of them to a watery grave.
Spoilers lurk below, so if you haven’t seen EastEnders recently read ahead at your own peril.
We’ll get to that death later, because it is a gamechanger. Sen and Oates deserve credit for being brave enough to kill off Dennis Rickman, Jr, because it took guts. But what they also deserve credit for is changing up the entire format of EastEnders. Traditionally married to linear storytelling with few sound effects and nearly no incidental music, Sen and Oates have not shied away from tinkering with the format that viewers have come to know. This was evident during the festive season, which saw an episode told entirely from drunk Linda Carter’s view and the New Year’s Day episode a flashback to Christmas Day, showing events we hadn’t seen before and filling in several plot holes.
At the time, many fans were unimpressed with the changes, particularly the flashback episode and the cheesy drumbeats used throughout the Christmas Day episode (such as when Louise “feels” Keanu get shot). I was and remain one of them. The sound effects are utterly unnecessary and distracting, not just because they’re tacky but because they are not something EastEnders viewers are accustomed to, making them even more jarring and taking us out of the story. They were, mercifully, forsaken during boat week. As for the flashback episode—I’m not opposed to a flashback episode in principle, but the New Year’s episode felt utterly unnecessary, as every bit of it could have been told in a linear Christmas Day episode.
Not so with boat week. Seeing the day’s events from different characters’ perspectives was fascinating. Sticking with one family—whether the Carters, the Beales, or the Mitchells—allowed us to more fully invest in their storyline, devoting our attention entirely to those characters in that moment. In a way, it felt as though the stakes were raised because our minds weren’t constantly casting back to what was happening elsewhere on the boat. Being left entirely in the moment—such as when Mick tried in futility to rescue Linda on Monday—led to some edge-of-the-seat viewing, and the anguish of having to wait days to find out why the boat crashed and whether certain characters survived made the show unmissable. It was a brilliant choice by the production team.
Still, I wouldn’t want this sort of storytelling to become the norm. Like cumin, a little goes a long way. The same can be said for incidental music. The scene at the end of the Christmas episode, where Martin burns Keanu’s belongings as “Stay Another Day” swells to a climax, was incredibly gripping. Similarly, the montage at the end of Friday’s episode—showing the denizens of Walford coming to terms with Denny’s death—was particularly haunting. I would have used Julia’s Theme or some other version of the iconic theme tune (maybe not Pat’s Theme—the dark, melancholy version used when Pat Butcher died, but something like it), as it’s more familiar to fans and has a long legacy of being used at particularly poignant moments in the show’s history.
Even with an unfamiliar tune, though, the poignancy of those moments following the tragedy on the Thames was only increased by the music. Now, I don’t want to see EastEnders go full on American soap opera and have every scene scored, but music definitely added to the atmosphere of two of the finest moments of boat week, both in Friday’s episode—the aforementioned closing montage and the montage of the characters following their rescue from the river.
Well, almost all the characters. Poor Denny Rickman, aged only 13, did not make it off the boat alive. The decision to kill off Sharon’s only oldest son was, regardless of whether you agree with it or not, a bold one. Denny is the epitome of a legacy character, the only biological descendant of one of the show’s original and most iconic characters who was, until Friday, still on the canvas. Some fans have complained that he wasn’t a “major” character (as the producers had promised), but it’s hard to get more “major” than the son of Sharon Watts and the grandson of Den Watts.
Was it the right decision? I don’t know. On the one hand, it isn’t an obvious colossal mistake the way killing Roxy and Ronnie was in 2017. While Denny certainly rises to the level of “major” character, those fans who feel cheated are right in that he hasn’t driven any storyline or been front-and-centre, well, ever. Most of that is down to age; for a number of reasons it is hard to give child actors major storylines. I, for one, find myself mourning the Denny storylines we’ll never get. He had the makings of a proper little villain, a chip off grandpa Dirty Den’s old block. That we won’t get to see Denny (as well as actor Bleu Landau, who is one of the most compelling young actors working in British television today) grow up is a real loss for the show. There is a lot of squandered potential there.
The show seems to think it’s worth it. Scriptwriter Pete Lawson tweeted that even six years after Lucy Beale’s death, we’re still feeling the repercussions. In some ways this is true—there’s still conflict between Bobby and Ian over Lucy’s murder, and in many ways that moment in 2014 defines Bobby Beale as a character. And then, of course, there’s Peter, who only just returned and will have to deal with his own anger towards Bobby. It drove storyline for other characters, too—Max’s revenge plot, Lauren’s eventual relationship with Steven—so, I can see where the production staff would think it was a rousing success.
There is one major difference between Lucy Beale and Denny Rickman, though: Lucy wasn’t an only child. Now, I know technically Denny isn’t an only child either—he has a little brother now, born the same day he died in what must be the most soapy twist of all time—but he was the only biological grandchild of Den Watts. That made him a unicorn. Killing a unicorn is a risky move. As a writer, I don’t think I would have done it. Kate Oates herself has said that having those iconic families represented on the canvas is important, making it even more puzzling why she and Sen would greenlight the death of a character with such deep and rare connections to the show’s past. As of the time I’m writing this, I do not agree creatively with the decision to kill Denny.
That might change. Lawson is right that this has the potential to drive story for years. Phil and Ben caused the boat accident that killed Sharon’s son. Ian tried to rescue him, but Denny was only in need of rescue because Ian locked him below deck. This puts three of the longest-serving and most iconic characters right at the forefront of the show, which is exactly where they should be. There’s so much potential for compelling story. How does Sharon react to her best friend’s role in her son’s death? How does she react to her estranged husband’s role? How does Phil react when he finds out Ian locked Denny up? How does Callum react to Ben’s involvement in a boy’s death? (That is, assuming Callum survives being trapped in a skip.) And how does Ian look at Bobby now that Ian himself is wracked with guilt over his role in another’s death?
The answers to these questions will determine whether the Denny’s death was “worth it.” The one thing I’ll say is, for me, if Sharon and Phil reconcile then it absolutely was not. Nothing short of all-out war between Sharon and Phil, with Phil eventually getting his comeuppance (however that looks) will satisfy me as a viewer. Phil and Sharon have had a destructive relationship for going on 30 years, and it ultimately lead to this unspeakable tragedy. To have them reconcile now would be to not only insult Denny’s memory but to insult the viewers. It should not happen.
There’s so much more to talk about, including Sharon’s funeral home birth (who saw that coming?), Mick and Linda’s reconciliation (as of now that storyline has been tied up too easily, but I suspect it won’t be smooth sailing—no pun intended—going forward), Halfway in a skip (escaping your kidnapper only to end up in a skip is such a Halfway thing to do), Bex’s drugs (I’m glad she wasn’t the boat death for so many reasons), Bobby’s brain bleed (I hope they explore the Islamophobia storyline further, but with the attention and care it deserves), Peter’s return (blimey, he is quite the dish), and just where exactly is Patrick Trueman. For now, though, we’ll leave it here. I have a feeling we’ll be able to discuss all this next week.
Scene of the week: The aftermath of the boat crash, including the attempts to resuscitate poor Denny
Line of the week: “I played my trumpt, what do you think?” – Sonia, sarcastically explaining to Martin how she got rid of the police
Performance of the week: Kellie Bright as Linda broke my heart when she was pleading with Mick to save himself so their children would still have a parent alive
Character of the week: RIP Denny Rickman – you deserved better, even if you were a dick
Skylar Baker-Jordan is a freelance writer based in Tennessee. His work has appeared at the Independent, Huff Post UK, Salon, and elsewhere. Follow him on Twitter @skylarjordan and become a sustainer at www.patreon.com/skylarjordan
As EastEnders celebrates its 35th anniversary, I thought it would be fun to look back at 35 of its most compelling characters. These characters helped shape the course of the show’s history, providing some of the most interesting, timely, and memorable storylines. Some of them were on our screens for years, others for a very short time. Regardless, they made a mark, telling stories that riveted us, moved us, or even made us think.
These are the 35 most compelling characters in EastEnders history.
35. Bobby Beale (2003 – 2016; 2019 – present)
Best known for killing his sister, Lucy, when he was only 11-years-old, Bobby Beale returned to Walford after being locked up for the crime. Since then, Clay Milner Russell has brilliantly portrayed the pathos and conflict of a still-young boy grappling to come to terms with what he did. Rather than going the easy route and making Bobby a cartoon villain, the writers and Milner Russell have created a character who is sensitive, kind, yet tortured by what he did and still wrestling with the temper which drove him to do it. Throw in his conversion to Islam—a brilliant storyline and character development—and Bobby has easily been the most fascinating character of the past year.
34. Debbie Wilkins (1985 – 1987)
Debbie Wilkins was Walford’s first snob. Upwardly mobile, she and her boyfriend, fellow Yuppie Andy O’Brien, moved to Albert Square in March 1985. “Debs” and Andy set the standard for class conflict in Walford and blazed a trail for later characters, right on up to Gray and Chantelle Atkins today. It’s Debbie’s character growth, though, that really sets her apart—beneath that cold exterior was a warm, compassionate heart. Her friendship with Naima Jeffery was a highlight of her time on the Square, but it’s the episode where she finds out Andy has been killed that actress Shirley Cheriton really shines.
33. Mary “The Punk” Smith (1985 – 1988; 2019)
Like Debs, Mary is one of the original characters created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland. Walford’s original rebel, Mary arrived in March 1985 as an unwed, illiterate teenage mum. Her time in Albert Square was marked with trouble, including being bedded by Mehmet Osman on a dare only to be later pimped out by him when she was on the game with Pat Wicks. Mary’s friendship with pensioner Dot Cotton was a highlight of her time on the show, but it was Linda Davidson’s portrayal of Mary—as a scared, struggling young woman trying to make a life for her and her daughter—that makes her stand out. Mary returned in 2019 for the funeral of fellow original EastEnder Dr Legg. The punk was gone, but the spunk was not.
32. Joe Wicks (1996 – 1997)
It’s a shame Paul Nicholls didn’t stick around EastEnders for more than 18 months, because Joe Wicks had the potential to become one of the all-time great characters. The show handled his schizophrenia with compassion and aplomb, setting the standard for an even deeper look at mental illness with Stacey Slater. Joe’s relationship with Sarah kept fans interested—that is, until he slept with his cousin—but it’s how deftly Nicholls and the writers and producers handled mental illness which makes Joe memorable all these years later.
31. Martin Fowler (1985 – 2007; 2014 – present)
The first baby born on EastEnders, viewers have literally watched Martin grow up. An arrogant, stubborn boy as a teenager (wonder where he got that from, Pauline?), Martin started out as someone you just wanted to slap. Becoming a father with fellow teen Sonia Jackson helped grow him up a little, and as time progressed Martin (then played by James Alexandrou) became less a caricature of your typical teenage jackass and more like his father—a decent, ordinary man just trying to make ends meet for his family. Since his return in 2014 (now played by James Bye), Martin’s friendship with ex-wife Sonia and devotion to current wife Stacey have made him one of my personal favourites. Even his recent turn as a mobster for the Mitchells has been an interesting development that, nonetheless, is still very much in character for someone who tries to do the right thing but, deep down, is a bit of an arsehole—just like his mum.
30. Aidan Brosnan (1993)
Before there was Joe Wicks, there was Aidan Brosnan. Mandy Salter’s Irish boyfriend, Aidan spent less than a year in Walford yet had one of the most interesting journeys any character has taken. Originally a talented footballer with Walford FC, an injury ended his dreams. Getting involved in drugs and drink with Mandy, Aidan’s mental health slowly deteriorated as he found himself sleeping rough and grappling with the pressures his parents put upon him. It all culminated with Aidan preparing to take his own life on Christmas Day, only to be literally talked down from a ledge by Mandy. Aidan went back to Ireland, but the layered, moving performance of Sean Maguire stands out as one of the show’s greatest.
29. Keegan Butcher-Baker (2017 – present)
From his initial introduction as one of Bex’s bullies (who can forget Louise Mitchell calling him a “total toenail” or Denise Fox slapping him silly?), Keegan has grown into a fascinating and complex character. Indeed, Keegan Butcher-Baker might be the most interesting character in Walford right now. Watching him deal with the murder of his best friend Shakil—a storyline in which EastEnders deftly took on knife crime and forced Keegan to reckon with his own role in Shakil’s death—was gripping. Even his love story with Tiffany Butcher is infinitely watchable. I can’t wait to see how Keegan develops over the coming years. If his latest storyline—about the racism of stop-and-search and only just beginning—is any indication, he will continue to be one of the most enthralling characters on the show.
28. Shirley Carter (2006 – present)
Shirley should be higher on this list and the only reason she isn’t is because producers woefully underuse the talented Linda Henry. Still, tough-as-nails Shirley steals every scene she’s in. Equally adept at comedy (pretty much any scene with her and dearly departed best friend Heather) and drama (she’s knocked it out of the park with Linda’s alcoholism storyline), Henry sinks her teeth into whatever she is given. Shirley has come a long way since we first met her, when she was but the deadbeat mum of Dean and Carly, and it’s hard to imagine Walford without her.
27. Billy Mitchell (1998 – present)
When first introduced, Billy Mitchell was the guardian of his nephew, Jamie Mitchell. Since then, we’ve seen Billy transform from child abuser (he was beating Jamie) to dopey everyman. Indeed, that journey from villain to well, not hero, exactly, but at least a lovable oaf has been fascinating to watch. Whether falling in love with Little Mo Slater, struggling as a single father when Honey left him (the first time), or dealing with the guilt of cheating on Honey with Tina Carter, Perry Fenwick has created one of the most complex—or at least, certainly one of the most tenured—characters in EastEnders history. It’s no surprise, then, that Billy was chosen to run the Olympic torch through Walford in 2012.
26. Michelle Fowler (1985 – 1995; 2016 – 2018)
It’s hard to think of a character who has had more of a journey than Michelle Fowler. Starting out as a teenager pregnant with her best friend’s father’s baby, Michelle refused to be defined by it. She worked her way through university, becoming a teacher and moving to America. In the meantime, she fell in love (memorably with Grant Mitchell) and stood by her brother Mark through his HIV diagnoses. The character of Michelle stands out as an example of why soap opera is such a great medium—the longevity of the show means that you can really tell a complex, character-driven narrative. She epitomises everything that is good about soap. Her return to Walford (with another actress in the role) was not well-received by fans, but personally I found her relationship with Preston Cooper—the American high school student she’d seduced—as compelling as it was repulsive.
25. Whitney Dean (2008 – present)
Has there every been a character with worse luck than Whitney Dean? I’m trying to think of a time when Whitney got a happy ending and I can’t. Shona McGarty shines as the eternally put-upon ward of Bianca Jackson, and her potential was immediately apparent in her first big storyline—in which Whitney was groomed and molested by Bianca’s fiancé, Tony King—which still ranks as one of the best in EastEnders history. From her relationship with Lee Carter to discovering Callum Highway was gay right before she was to marry him on up to her terrifying scenes with stalker Leo King (son of the man who molested her), for twelve years we’ve watched Whitney battle against the odds in a quest to just be happy. I hope we get to watch her for another twelve.
24. Zainab Masood (2008 – 2013)
I love Nina Wadia. I love Zainab Masood. I really love Nina Wadia as Zainab Masood. To me, Zainab is one of the great matriarchs in Walford history—a Pauline Fowler for our times. Watching her marriage to Masood disintegrate and then watching with horror as she was abused by evil Yusef was heartbreaking. Wadia always brought a humanity to Zainab so that even when you weren’t rooting for her—such as when she reacted horribly to her son Syed coming out—you could sympathise with her. Watching Zainab reconcile her belief in the way her life and family should be with how both turned out was endlessly fascinating, and Wadia really brought to life a complex, nuanced, modern Muslim British woman.
23. Sonia Jackson (1993 – 2007; 2010 – 2011; 2014 – present) Like her ex-husband/current paramour Martin Fowler, Sonia is a character we’ve watched grow up. Unlike Martin, Sonia has been played by the same actress (Natalie Cassidy) since her inception. Watching Sonia grow from insecure little girl to independent woman has been a real treat, and Cassidy has given us plenty of memorable scenes along the way, from busking with her trumpet to giving birth to Bex to pushing Sharon in a pool. Watching Sonia balance her nursing career with the demands of family has been endlessly interesting, especially early on when it caused tensions with her and Pauline. One of only a handful of bisexual characters on British soap, Sonia’s relationships with Tina Carter and Naomi Julien were fun to watch. It is her teenage romance with Jamie Mitchell, though, that remains one of the sweetest and most tragic couplings in the show’s history.
22. Ronnie Mitchell (2007 – 2011; 2013 – 2017)
You could write an entire essay on why Ronnie Mitchell is one of the greatest characters in EastEnders history. Her push-and-pull romance with Jack Branning was popular, but it is her relationships with the other women on the square that makes Ronnie so compelling. With sister Roxy—the fire to Ronnie’s ice—Ronnie formed half of one of the show’s most iconic duos. The scene where she discovers Danielle is her daughter, only for Danielle to die moments later, will never not make me cry. Watching her grief and guilt after giving Tommy back to Kat at the end of the baby-swap storyline is heartbreaking. What makes Ronnie truly iconic, though, is that even though we root for her she is, in the end, a Mitchell. Whether killing Carl White or sending Fatboy to be crushed to death, Ronnie proved she was every bit as stone cold as cousins Phil and Grant.
21. Ricky Butcher (1988 – 2000; 2002 – 2004; 2008 – 2012)
I’m not sure there has ever been a more decent man in Walford than Ricky Butcher. From eloping with Sam Mitchell to his unexpected friendship with her brother Phil—who was in many ways as much a father figure to Ricky as his own dad Frank—Ricky grew from awkwardly charming teenage boy to a good man who always tried his best. His relationships with father Frank and sister Janine were complicated and fascinating to watch, but his romance with Bianca Jackson is the stuff of legend, forming half of one of the most iconic couples in the show’s history. Fans spent years rooting for those two crazy kids, only to be left heartbroken when in the end they just couldn’t make it work.
20. Denise Fox (2006 – present)
I love Denise. I love her because she’s level-headed (a rarity in Walford). I love her because she’s loyal and protective of her loved ones. I love her because she’s always on a mission to do better, to be better. Sure, she’s sometimes a stick in the mud, and yes, she moans a lot. But if you lived in Albert Square you’d moan a lot too; the neighbours are bonkers. Denise has grown so much from her early days as Chelsea’s fussy mum. Whether her heartbreaking goodbye to dead husband Kevin Wicks, or being kidnapped by her next husband Lucas Johnson, or grappling with whether to give her late-in-life son up for adoption or struggling with homelessness and completing her GCSE at 50, Denise has held our attention for 14 years. This is in no small part thanks to the tender and thoughtful performance of Diane Parish, who along with Linda Henry remains one of the most sorely underutilised actors on the show today.
19. Angie Watts (1985 – 1988)
Angie was a hot mess and we loved her for it. Walford’s original drunken landlady, Angie was a spitfire. With Den Watts she formed one-half of Walford’s most popular 1980s couple, and the sparring between Anita Dobson and Leslie Grantham was impossible not to watch. Watching as poor ole’ Ange tried to reconcile her life as it was with the life she thought she deserved was riveting, and we were always left wondering just what she would do next. Faking cancer to keep Den around is still one of the most conniving things we’ve seen in Walford—and their confrontation on Christmas Day 1986 remains one of the show’s most iconic moments.
18. Max Branning (2006 – present)
The frustrating thing about Max Branning is that you know that deep down he’s a decent man. You see it in the way he forgives and supports Bobby—despite Max being framed for Bobby’s crime—and the way he tries to support the people around him. The problem with Max is that, too often, he listens to the devil on his shoulder. His affair with daughter-in-law Stacey remains one of the most memorable in the show’s history and watching his complicated relationship with daughters Lauren and Abi evolve over the years made for some great television. What makes Max truly compelling is the constant internal struggle between good and evil which is happening just below the surface, a pathos brilliantly portrayed by Jake Wood.
17. Frank Butcher (1987 – 2000; 2002; 2005)
Mike Reid is one of the greatest actors to ever appear in EastEnders, and Frank Butcher is one of the most iconic characters in soap opera history. Walford’s original wide boy, viewers couldn’t wait to see what kind of scheme Frank cooked up next. His love triangle with Pat and Peggy was endlessly fun to watch play out (who can forget Frank’s bowtie!), but Reid was just as adept at drama as he was comedy. His performance following the fire at the car lot, which unintentionally killed a man, is still one of the most moving I have ever seen as Reid adeptly conveyed the anguish and guilt Frank felt.
16. Bianca Jackson (1993 – 1999; 2008 – 2014; 2019)
One of my favourite moments in EastEnders history is when David tries to teach Bianca to drive. It’s such a simple, everyday thing—but Patsy Palmer is hilarious. It’s down to her that Bianca is one of the all-time Walford greats. Whether making us laugh with witty one-liners or breaking our hearts with moving performances, Palmer created a fully-realised character. Bianca’s heart is usually in the right place, even if more often than not she makes the obviously wrong choice. Her heart is always in the right place, though, and because of that you can’t help but love her.
15. Grant Mitchell (1990 – 1999; 2005 – 2006; 2016)
Is Grant a hero or a villain? I’d say the latter, but many would argue the former. Either way, watching his growth over nine years on the show—and two short stints in subsequent years—makes him one of the most fascinating figures in Walford history. Originally hot-tempered and bull-headed, Grant mellowed as time progressed, no doubt in part because of his heartbreak over wife Sharon sleeping with his brother Phil. Still, you can’t watch Ross Kemp’s performance and not feel just a little bad for Grant, as it’s clear underneath the gruff machismo that he’s a sensitive, wounded man. It’s this complexity that makes Grant such a great character.
14. Stacey Slater (2004 – 2010; 2014 – present)
Few could have expected that Stacey would become one of the most iconic characters in EastEnders history when Lacey Turner arrived on screens in 2004. A plucky teenager turning to her great uncle, Charlie Slater, for help, Stacey immediately made her presence known, mixing it up with cousin Zoe and befriending Ruby Allen. Watching Stacey care for bipolar mother Jean, and then deal with her own mental illness (both bipolar disorder and postpartum psychosis) made for some of the best scenes the show has ever done, and Turner has rightly won boatloads of awards for her tender, nuanced portrayal. Stacey’s growth over the years—from bubbly teenager to budding matriarch—has been a joy to watch, and I look forward to Turner returning from maternity leave later this year.
13. Janine Butcher (1989 – 1993; 1993 – 1996; 1999 – 2004; 2008 – 2014)
Janine is the greatest villain in EastEnders history. At current count, she’s directly responsible for at least two deaths (Barry Evans and Michael Moon) and, one could argue, somewhat responsible for Laura Beale’s death, too. Charlie Brooks is brilliant the cold-hearted, self-centered, Janine as just evil enough to be despicable but not so evil that she isn’t redeemable. Indeed, it’s that Janine isn’t entirely evil that makes her such a compelling character. You always hope Janine will do the right thing and if you know you’re likely to be disappointed. It doesn’t hurt that Brooks doesn’t take herself too seriously, which adds a zany, almost camp element to Janine’s villainy.
12. Ian Beale (1985 – present)
The only original character with a continuous run, Ian is a Walford stalwart. A sniveling weasel of a man, thanks to Adam Woodyatt’s performance Ian is still someone you can’t help but to root for. Ian has always thought himself better than the rest of Walford, a smug conviction that has only gotten worse with age. But watching him build a business empire, then lose it, then build it again has been fascinating, and Ian himself serves as an extended commentary on class—and upward mobility—in modern Britain. It’s hard to pick a “greatest moment” for a character who has been on our screens for 35 years, but Woodyatt’s moving performance when Ian finds out Lucy was murdered is unforgettable.
11. Linda Carter (2013 – present)
For reasons I can’t understand, Mick seems to be the more popular of the Carter couple. Linda, though, is by far the more interesting of the pair. It was clear early on that Kellie Bright was going to be a wonderful addition to the cast, but the way she’s portrayed Linda—a woman who struggles to reconcile her high expectations with reality—has been remarkable. Bright’s performance as Linda struggled to accept Johnny’s sexuality was at turns moving and infuriating. That’s what makes Linda such a great character, though. She is so many things at once—spiteful, vindictive, cruel; sensitive, vulnerable; compassionate. Linda Carter truly is one of the most complex women in Walford history.
10. Pauline Fowler (1985 – 2006)
A working mother who was endlessly put upon by her children and her husband, Pauline Fowler is the original Walford everywoman. Uptight and judgmental, Pauline had an opinion on everyone and everything and never shied away from letting people know. Yet she was also kind—such as when she comforted Pat after the latter accidentally ran over and killed a little girl—and a pillar of the community. Yes, it took Pauline a while to come to terms with things (such as Mark’s HIV status), but you knew that she always would. Her final row with daughter-in-law Sonia over the role of a wife and mother summed up the character most succinctly and beautifully. Pauline was, like so many people, a decent, salt-of-the-earth woman who, though struggling with the pace of change in her community, truly meant well.
9. Kathy Beale (1985 – 2000; 2015 – present)
I fear Kathy will be most remembered for coming back from the dead. That’s a shame, because Kathy is one of the most interesting characters to ever come through Walford. Originally defined by her role as a wife and mother, it soon became clear that Kathy wanted to be more than Mrs. Pete Beale. Watching her as she slowly began to assert her independence was refreshing in the 1980s. Gillian Taylforth’s performance following Kathy’s rape by James Wilmott-Brown remains one of the most haunting in the show’s history, and her chemistry with Steve McFadden made Phil and Kathy’s relationship riveting to watch. (I’ll never forget Kathy throwing her wedding ring in the Seine when Phil confessed to again cheating.) Now sadly relegated to the role of exasperated mother of dickheads Ian and Ben, Kathy remains one of the greatest female characters in the show’s history.
8. Den Watts (1985 – 1989; 2003 – 2005)
Another back-from-the-dead character, Den was the show’s original gangster. There would be no Phil or Grant Mitchell without him. Den was a villain, to be sure, but he was also an endlessly decent man. Den often did the wrong thing for the right reasons, which made him endlessly watchable. Let’s not forget that he ended up “dead” the first time only because of a chain of events which started with him getting revenge on Wilmott-Brown for raping Kathy. Beyond that, he was genuinely good to Michelle Fowler (well, as good as Den could be) and no daughter has ever been as loved by her father as Sharon Watts.
7. Patrick Trueman (2001 – present)
One of the things I noticed when I sat down to write this list and the 35 most iconic scenes list is that, truly, there is a dearth of BME characters on EastEnders. That’s a shame, because East London is one of the most diverse places in the world. While the show has not always done characters of colour the justice they deserve, Rudolph Walker’s Patrick Trueman might be an exception. When he first stepped onto the Square in 2001, Patrick was a bit of a lothario—a father who hadn’t seen his sons in years and an unrepentant ladies’ man. Over the course of two decades, though, Patrick would grow to become a pillar of the community. Walker’s performance as a grieving Patrick following Paul Trueman’s death was heartbreaking, and the father-daughter relationship between him and Denise has been one of the highlights of the show in recent years. I’m so glad to see Patrick being put front-and-centre again as we learn more about his secret son, Isaac in the weeks to come. It’s only right that he plays a central role in the 35th anniversary episodes, as Patrick Trueman is the most iconic Black character in the show’s history.
6. Kat Slater (2000 – 2006; 2010 – 2016; 2018 – present)
When the Slater family first arrived in Walford way back in 2000, it was impossible to know the impact they would have. Loud and disruptive, it’s now impossible to imagine Albert Square without a Slater on it. Of all that unruly brood—and there have been many throughout the years—none is more iconic than Kat. Jessie Wallace solidified her place in the pantheon of EastEnders stars with her gripping performance opposite Michelle Ryan as Kat tearfully admits she is Zoe’s mum, the result of Kat’s rape by her uncle years before. Since then, Wallace has gone from strength to strength, giving us both heartbreaking dramatic performances and hilariously comic moments. Whether tearfully realising her son is alive or walking into her own wake, there is never a dull moment when Kat Slater is around. It’s no surprise that the BBC gave her and on-again, off-again husband Alfie their own spinoff (which is, I have to say, incredibly underrated).
5. Peggy Mitchell (1991; 1994 – 2010; 2013; 2014; 2015; 2016)
The quintessential Walford matriarch, Peggy Mitchell is legendary, and Barbara Windsor is a national treasure. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine another actress playing Peggy—yet Windsor was the second performer to step into her kitten heels. Watching her try to corral her unruly brood of children—whether brokering peace between Phil and Grant or trying to sort out Sam’s latest mess—was tv at its finest, and her friendship/rivalry with Pat Butcher is unlikely to ever be surpassed. Right up until the very end, when Windsor movingly portrayed Peggy’s decision to end her own life after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, Peggy kept us riveted, giving us consistently moving performances and one of tv’s all-time greatest catchphrases in “Get outta my pub!”
4. Sharon Watts (1985 – 1995; 2001 – 2006; 2012 – present)
“We must all bow down to Sharon of House Watts, First of Her Name, Bringer of Justice, Puller of Pints, The Countess of Clapbacks, The Thick-Lashed, The Undefeatable, the rightful Lady of the Vic and one true Queen of Walford,” I tweeted last month—and it’s true. There is no contest—Sharon is the undisputed queen of Walford. Played brilliantly by original cast member Letitia Dean on and off since 1985, Sharon has grown from naïve teenage girl to a strong, independent woman. Whether having an affair with her husband’s brother or falling in love with her father’s son (long story), Sharon has given us some of the most memorable moments in the show’s history. Indeed, who but Sharon would have an entire Twitter account dedicated with keeping up with how she’s doing? She is truly the Queen in the East(End).
3. Pat Butcher (1986 – 2012)
Pat is my favourite character of all time, the original tart-with-a-heart. A prototype for characters to come, from Mandy Salter to Bianca Jackson to Kat Slater and even Kim Fox, Pat was brash, bold, and unbothered. Beginning her time on the Square as a troublemaker and prostitute, Pat grew to become one of the greatest matriarchs and most iconic characters in soap opera history. Her earrings are the stuff of legend, rivalled in size only by her heart. Sweet and gentle sometimes, piss and vinegar others, Pam St Clement’s performance was layered and sublime. Her friendship and rivalry with Peggy Mitchell is the best the soap has ever portrayed, and her romance with Frank is one of the greatest in soap history. Pat was vital to the continued success of EastEnders through the 1990s and 2000s, anchoring the show in its past while always helping to move it forward. I feel I would be remiss not to mention the amazing chemistry between St Clement and Charlie Brooks, and the two of them made Pat and Janine possibly the most compelling mother-daughter duo in the show’s history, which is no small feat considering Pat wasn’t Janine’s actual mother!
2. Phil Mitchell (1990 – present)
It’s difficult to overstate just how important Steve McFadden’s Phil Mitchell has been to the history and success of EastEnders. His arrival in 1990 revitalised the show, but I don’t think anyone at the time could have realised just how iconic Phil Mitchell would become. A gangster with a heart, Phil has committed some unspeakable acts in his time—most recently organising a failed hit on Keanu Taylor—yet can’t be described as an outright villain because under that gruff exterior beats a giant heart. Indeed, in his own way, Phil is a man who believes in justice and fairness, even if he doesn’t always act just or fair. His relationship with godson Jamie, his guilt over Vincent’s murder and subsequent support for Kim, his support for Sonia when she was accused of killing Pauline all point to a man who knows what is right, even if he doesn’t always listen to himself. Phil’s struggles with alcohol and drug addiction have become something of a joke among fans, but they are relevant and timely stories which McFadden has repeatedly sank his teeth into. Imagining Walford without Phil Mitchell is just impossible, and after three decades Phil is possibly the most iconic male character in British soap opera history.
1. Dot Branning (1985 – 1993; 1997 – present)
It had to be Dot. Walford’s original busybody, June Brown has played the devout Christian since 1985, debuting only months after the show itself premiered. Since then, Dot has become a pillar of the community, the one person Walford residents know they can turn to for a bit of advice or even just to listen. Her development over the course of 35 years—from a sort of caricature of the meddling, gossipy pensioner to a woman of remarkable compassion who struggles to reconcile her deep faith with her love of those it condemns—has been the most compelling journey of any character. Her relationship with her evil son Nick was always gripping, but Dot is so much more than a distraught and dismayed mother. There’s no better example than Dot’s evolution on gay rights from her early homophobia to eventually attending her dear friend Collin’s gay wedding nearly 30 years later. Whether wrestling with her conscience over whether to help best friend Ethel end her life, or supporting Dr. Legg as he both faces antisemitism and faces his impending death, Dot has provided us with some of the finest moments in British tv history. June Brown was nominated for a BAFTA for her one-hander—the only in the show’s history—and has solidified Dot’s place as the most iconic character in EastEnders history.
Skylar Baker-Jordan is a freelance writer based in Tennessee. His work has appeared at the Independent, Huff Post UK, Salon, and elsewhere. Follow him on Twitter @skylarjordan and become a sustainer at www.patreon.com/skylarjordan
Next week, EastEnders celebrates its 35th anniversary. While producers have promised some amazing and gripping scenes as the citizens of Walford take to the Thames for a death cruise, there are plenty of great moments to look back on.
As a lifelong EastEnders fan—I began watching from America on PBS when I was about 8-years-old—I decided to look back at 35 years of action in Walford, ranking the 35 greatest scenes in EastEnders history.
35. Linda and Martin “kill” Keanu (2020)
It’s not even been two months since Martin Fowler, on the orders of Ben Mitchell, was meant to kill Keanu Taylor. A drunk Linda Carter stopped that from happening, instead orchestrating a coverup. The convergence of two of EastEnders’ major storylines—Sharon and Keanu’s affair and Linda’s alcoholism—this was a return to form for the show and will be remembered for years to come.
34. Reg Cox’s body is found (1985)
Keanu might have survived, but the same can’t be said for poor ole Reg. EastEnders debuted on 19 February 1985 with the murder of pensioner Reg Cox. Arthur Fowler, Den Cox, and Ali Osman find him murdered in his flat (by Nick Cotton, as we later find out). Putting us right in the middle of the action from the very first scene, EastEnders showed from the very beginning it was unlike anything British tv had seen before.
33. Mark tells everyone his is HIV+ (1996)
When Peggy Mitchell found out Mark Fowler was HIV+, she orchestrated a hate campaign against him. In these scenes, Mark confronts her prejudice—and the prejudice of the community—by giving them the facts and insisting that he be served in his local. The are moving scenes proving that throughout its run EastEnders has never shied away from tackling controversial and topical issues, always with compassion and care.
32. Sonia has a surprise baby (2000)
“Well if your school had a sex education teacher they should sack him!” is still one of my favourite lines in EastEnders history. After a brief liaison with Martin Fowler, teenaged Sonia Jackson—who had no idea she was pregnant—went into labour. With the help of Mo Harris, Sonia gave birth to daughter Bex in this dark but comical scene that served to both continue the Fowler/Jackson families and establish Laila Morse (who plays Mo) as one of the greatest comic actors the show has ever seen.
31. Lou Beale’s home truths (1988)
Lou Beale knew she was dying, but she wasn’t going to go quietly into that gentle night. Rather, she gathered her family around to give them a piece of her mind (and a few heirlooms). It’s a classic scene in which Anna Wing shines as Lou, and reminds us that EastEnders is always at its best when it centres strong, smart women.
30. Pat and Peggy get drunk in an ice cream van (2009)
The friendship between Pat (Pam St Clement) and Peggy (Barbara Windsor), two of the most iconic characters in EastEnders history, is enough to make this scene stand out. Throw in a bottle of vodka, a bunch of sweets, and a peeved Shirley Carter and Phil Mitchell and you’ve got one of the funniest scenes the show ever did.
29. Nick Cotton kills Eddie Royle (1991)
It’s hard to pick out Nick Cotton’s most evil deed, but murdering Eddie Royle has to be near the top. The greatest villain in the soap’s history murdered poor Eddie and then framed Clyde Tavernier for the crime. It was the start of one of EastEnders’ most compelling stories to date, exploring racism in the criminal justice system and the perceptions of Black boys in modern Britain.
28. Syed admits he’s gay (and in love with Christian) (2011)
EastEnders has never shied away from telling compelling stories about LGBT people, and the journey of Syed Masood is one of the best in the show’s history. Syed didn’t expect to fall in love with Christian, but their connection proved too much for him to ignore. It’s hard to pick just one scene from this story of faith, family, and acceptance – but this, when Syed finally admits the affair to his family and friends, stands out.
27. Jim Branning proposes to Dot Cotton (2001)
I love a good romance, and it’s hard to beat the love story between pensioners Jim Branning and Dot Cotton. Neither one of them expected to find love again at their age, but find it they did, beginning one of the greatest partnerships in EastEnders history. Jim’s proposal to Dot on the London Eye is the most romantic scene the show has ever aired.
26. Johnny Carter comes out to his father, Mick (2014)
EastEnders has had many gay characters over the years, but never has a parent’s response to their child’s coming out been as pitch perfect as Mick Carter’s was when his son Johnny came out to him. Letting Johnny know that Mick loved him unconditionally, he gently coaxed his son into finally opening up. It’s still hard to watch this with dry eyes, and that’s down in no small part to the brilliant, compassionate performances of Sam Strike and Danny Dyer.
25. Phil sets fire to Frank’s car lot (1994)
You’d be forgiven for thinking that Phil Mitchell is a bit of a pyromaniac. He famously set fire to the Queen Vic in 2010, but before that, he set fire to Frank Butcher’s car lot in 1994. Frank wanted to burn down the car lot for the insurance money, but what neither expected was that there would be a man there sleeping rough. That man died, and the guilt of his death has haunted Phil ever since.
24. “Hello, princess” (2003)
We all thought we’d seen the last of Den Watts when he died in 1989. No so! Despite having identified his body years before, Sharon was stunned when her father showed up in Walford very much alive. He’d be dead again soon enough (thanks to wife Chrissy and Pauline Fowler’s doorstop), and years later Kathy Beale would pull her own Lazarus stunt. But few things have surprised us more than the resurrection of Dirty Den.
23. The fire at the bed and breakfast (2011)
There’s so much going on here it’s hard to know where to begin, but what makes this scene truly iconic is the stellar performances by Nina Wadia and Ace Bhatti. Evil Yusef had been abusing Zainab for months, even threatening to kill her son. Plotting her escape with ex-husband Masood, Yusef caught them and set fire to the B&B in an attempt to kill him. Turning the tables on her abusive husband, Zainab convinced him his daughter Afia was in the burning building. The look on Yusef’s face when he finally realizes Afia is outside—right before he dies—is one of the most haunting yet satisfying moments in the show’s history.
22. Ronnie and Roxy drown in a pool (2017)
I hesitated to include this moment at all because I know how much people hate it. To be fair, I understand why. Killing off Ronnie and Roxy (and on the night of poor Ronnie’s wedding, at that!) is one of the greatest mistakes in the show’s history, and this scene is certainly one of the most controversial, at least among diehard fans. But it’s specifically because of that controversy that this scene belongs on this list. It was the end of an era as the Mitchell sisters bowed out and a lesson to future producers in thinking twice before you kill off one (let alone two) fan favourites.
21. Cindy Beale flees with Peter and Steven (1996)
Dastardly Cindy never took to married life or motherhood, cheating on Ian not once but twice—including with his half-brother, David. When Ian found out, he threatened to sue for custody of their children. Not having that, Cindy hired a hitman to take Ian out. She had a chance of heart at the last minute, but it was too late, and Ian was shot. Panicking—and realizing the police were hot on her tail—Cindy kidnapped her two sons but was unable to get her daughter, Lucy, instead leaving with her ragdoll. Cindy would later die giving birth to Cindy Jr, and both Lucy and Steven would meet grizzly fates of their own.
20. Whitney confesses that Tony has been grooming her (2008)
One of the most distressing but relevant storylines of the 2000s, Whitney’s confession that Tony has been sexually molesting her from the time she was 12 was difficult viewing in 2008. Shona McGarty and Patsy Palmer have a real chemistry that really sells the stepmother/stepdaughter relationship between Whitney and Bianca, and Shona especially gives a moving performance as Whitney comes to the realization that Tony didn’t love her, he abused her.
19. Jane admits that Bobby killed Lucy (2015)
The culmination of a nearly year-long mystery, on the 30th anniversary we finally learned who killed Lucy Beale. In one of the most shocking twists in EastEnders history, Lucy’s murderer turned out to be none other than her 11-year-old brother Bobby. Laurie Brett gives a heartbreaking performance as Bobby’s mum Jane—who kept his involvement a secret for months—and Adam Woodyatt really conveys Ian’s shock as he realises the truth. All this is made even more remarkable by the fact that it went out live.
18. The first gay kisses (1987/1989)
EastEnders—and Sir Michael Cashman–made history with the character of Colin Russell, the show’s first gay character and one of its most popular in the late 1980s. In 1987, the show broke new ground when it showed Colin kissing his boyfriend Barry on the forehead—the first gay kiss in soap history. They went a step further in January 1989, airing a kiss on the mouth between Colin and his new boyfriend Guido. Looking back, it’s hard to see what all the fuss was about—but it was one of the riskiest and most controversial moments in the show’s 35-year history.
17. Ronnie realizes Danielle is her daughter (2009)
Ronnie Mitchell never could catch a break. Having given birth to a daughter just a teenager, Ronnie’s evil father Archie told her that the baby had died. Instead, Archie gave the girl up for adoption. Years later, Ronnie’s daughter, Danielle, turns up in Albert Square looking for her mother. Ronnie finally learns the truth and accepts Danielle—only for Danielle to be mowed down by Janine Butcher moments later. Samantha Womack’s piercing cries of “she’s dead!” still give us chills after all these years.
16. Trevor attacks Little Mo on Christmas Day (2001)
Warning: these scenes are very distressing. One of the most harrowing storylines EastEnders ever attempted was the abuse of Little Mo Slater by her husband, Trevor Morgan. For a year we watched as Trevor abused and tortured his poor wife in some of the most difficult viewing in the show’s history. This scene—which transmitted on Christmas Day 2001—is among the most memorable ever because of its sheer brutality. Viewers watched in agonizing horror as Trevor humiliated Little Mo, violently shoving her face into her Christmas dinner. He got his comeuppance the next year, I’m happy to report.
15. Mel leaves Ian after their wedding (1999)
If there is one consistent truth that runs through all 35 years of EastEnders, it is that Ian Beale is a wanker. He lied about daughter Lucy having cancer in order to get Mel to marry him. She found out mere minutes after their wedding on New Year’s Eve 1999, and in one of the greatest lines ever “Well guess what, Ian? I don’t love you, and I never have done,” Mel told Ian to bugger off as Walford rang in the new millennium.
14. Frank’s bowtie (2000)
Pat and Peggy spent a lot of time fighting over Frank, but you can hardly blame them once you see this scene. Charming wide boy Frank Butcher showed up on Pat’s doorstep wearing nothing but his birthday suit and a spinning bowtie. Of course, his wife Peggy didn’t know where he was, but that didn’t matter. This scene is instantly iconic and provided the internet with one of the greatest gifs ever – nothing screams “I quite fancy that” like Frank’s spinning bowtie.
13. Tiffany Mitchell dies (1999)
It’s hard to explain just how popular Martine McCutcheon’s Tiffany was in the late 1990s. When McCutcheon decided to leave to pursue her music career, producers killed her character off—a real shame, because who only knows what could have happened with Tiffany had she ever decided to return. Her death on New Year’s Eve 1998—run over by Frank Butcher (father of Janine, who herself enjoys a bit of automotive homicide) at the stroke of midnight following a fight with husband Grant Mitchell over their daughter Courtney—is one of the most tear-jerking in the show’s history.
12. Hassan Osman’s cot death (1985)
In the show’s first hard-hitting, topical storyline, Sue and Ali Osman’s infant son Hassan dies unexpectedly. Sue’s struggles to come to terms with her son’s death would be a central focus of early episodes, and baby Hassan’s death was itself a shocking moment. It set the standard for EastEnders storytelling—focusing on real issues real people face, but doing so with such compassion and humanity.
11. Phil and Grant crash into the Thames (1999)
No two Walford siblings have a more complicated relationship than Phil and Grant Mitchell. When Grant slept with Phil’s wife Kathy to get revenge for Phil having, years before, slept with Grant’s wife Sharon (who is now Phil’s wife, though he’s probably going to divorce her—like I said, complicated), Phil confronted him. It resulted in a car chase through East London, Phil trying to shoot Grant, and a crash into the Thames. Both brothers survived, though, and eventually made up—well, sort of.
10. Bradley falls off the roof of the Queen Vic (2010)
EastEnders doesn’t shy away from big, flashy stunts, but few can compare to the 25th anniversary episode. The culmination of the “Who killed Archie?” storyline, chief suspect Bradley Branning fell to his death from the roof of the Queen Vic while on the run from police. As it turns out, Bradley didn’t kill Archie—his wife, Stacey did. It remains the gold standard in live episodes and murder mystery reveals, and Lacey Turner and Jake Wood deserve special praise for their performances as Stacey Slater and her father-in-law Max Branning.
9. Phil is shot (2001)
In March 2001 the nation was asking itself one question: “who shot Phil Mitchell?” It was a gripping storyline precisely because most of Walford had a motive to shoot the hardman. The storyline dominated tabloids and was even covered by the evening news. In the end, it was revealed that Phil’s estranged partner Lisa was the culprit, though Phil eventually forgave her and, in 2019, they were even able to laugh about it. Good times.
8. Den Watts “dies” (1989)
The Mitchell brothers weren’t the first gangsters on Albert Square. In the late 1980s “The Firm” reigned supreme. Den Watts, the archetypical Walford bad boy, incurred their wrath when he used one of their cronies to burn down the Dagmar (in revenge for James Willmott-Brown raping Kathy Beale). Den was sent to prison for arson, but The Firm still thought he was a liability so orchestrated his “murder” in early 1989. Fourteen years later, of course, we’d learn that he had faked his death—but at the time, we all thought we’d seen the last of Dirty Den, the undoubtable breakout character from the original cast.
7. Dot helps Ethel die (2000)
Few soap characters are as beloved as Ethel Skinner. A cantankerous pensioner who lost her family to a doodlebug in the war, Ethel and Willy (a dog, not a penis) were two of the most delightful creatures to ever trot across Albert Square. With her health failing, though, Ethel decided to go out on her own terms. What transpired was some of the most touching scenes and most compelling story in EastEnders history as Ethel’s best friend, devout Christian Dot Cotton, wrestled with whether to help her friend end her own life. Dot eventually does agree to help Ethel, and it is perhaps the most moving scene in the show’s history.
6. Max’s and Stacey’s affair is revealed (2007)
Max and Stacey have such an exhausting history now that they’re a bit of a punchline, but back in 2007 their affair had viewers gripped. Stacey married Bradley Branning while carrying on an affair with his father, Max. It all came to a head on Christmas Day 2007 when Max’s daughter, Lauren, put on a DVD that ostensibly showed Bradley’s and Stacey’s wedding but which had also caught Max and Stacey doing the dirty. The look of horror on Jo Joyner’s (Tanya’s) face as she realizes what she is watching is both heartbreaking and riveting. Watching this unfold was a bit like watching a trainwreck—cringey and uncomfortable but impossible to look away.
5. “You bitch!” “You cow!” (1998)
Pat and Peggy might have wound up great friends, but they weren’t always so chummy. In 1998 they were fighting over—who else?—Frank Butcher, and in the process gave us one of the greatest rows in television history. Pat taunts Peggy about how Frank loves her more, Peggy taunts Pat about how she can’t arouse her own husband, and then they physically attack one another. If you say “you bitch!” in the right tone of voice, chances are someone around you will respond with “you cow!” – proving just how iconic this scene is.
4. Janine pushes Barry off a cliff (2004)
Look, I could an entire list of 35 of Janine Butcher’s finest moments. Stabbing herself to frame Stacey? Killing Michael and then blaming Alice? Her row with Laura right before Laura took a tumble down the stairs? All great moments. But Queen Janine’s finest—read: worst—moment is undoubtedly her first kill. Janine married poor Barry Evans for his money, thinking he was dying. When it turned out that Barry wasn’t dying, Janine took matters into her own hands and shoved him off a cliff on their honeymoon. While I always maintain that Janine didn’t mean to kill Barry, she certainly sat by and watched him die.
ICE. COLD.
3. Den serves Angie with divorce papers (1986)
“This, my sweet, is a letter from my solicitor telling you your husband has filed a petition for divorce.” Those words still give me chills. Feeling that her marriage was about to fall apart, Angie Watts faked cancer to keep husband Den around. Of course, he found out because that’s a dumb plan, and he was not at all happy when he did. On Christmas Day 1986 Den served Angie with divorce papers – and more than 30 million people tuned in to watch.
2. Sharongate (1994)
There will never be another soap opera storyline quite like Sharongate. Certainly there will never be one as popular and gripping. Playing out over the course of not months, but years, Sharongate centered on the love triangle between brothers Phil and Grant Mitchell and the woman they’d both end up marrying, Sharon Watts. Sharon initially fell in love with Grant and went on to marry him, but in 1992 she had an affair with Phil. This continued to play out for another two years, coming to a head in 1994 when Grant discovered a recording of Phil and Sharon together—playing it at the Queen Vic for all of Walford to hear. It’s a legendary moment, one that still gets mentioned in casual conversation and even on the show.
1. “You ain’t my muvva!” (2001)
It’s hard to think of a more shocking moment in soap history than when Kat Slater revealed that sister Zoe was actually her daughter. Conceived when Kat’s uncle raped her as a young girl, Zoe grew up thinking her grandfather was her father. The truth came out when Zoe decided to move to Spain with her mother’s rapist uncle—and with that “You can’t tell me what to do, you ain’t my muvva!” became an iconic phrase. Michelle Ryan (as Zoe) and Jessie Wallace (Kat) convey the depth of pain, shock, and urgency these characters are experiencing. Nearly 20 years later, it remains the single greatest scene in EastEnders history.
Do you agree with my choices? Or do you think there are some glaring omissions? Leave your favourite scenes in the comments below!
Skylar Baker-Jordan has been writing about UK and US politics for more than a decade. His work as appeared at The Independent, Salon, Huff Post UK, and elsewhere. He lives in Tennessee. Follow him on Twitter or become a supporter by contributing to his Patreon account.
