It’s official: EastEnders actress June Brown has left the show after 35 years of playing the legendary Dot Cotton.
Dot was last featured in an EastEnders episode a month ago, when she left a voicemail for Sonia Fowler saying she’d moved to Ireland.
Brown told the Distinct Nostalgia podcast this week: "I don't want a retainer for EastEnders, I've left. I've left for good."
The 93-year-old star, who joined the soap as the chain-smoking Dot in 1985, said the story had “gone up in smoke”.
"I've sent her off to Ireland and that's where she'll stay. I've left EastEnders. I did make up a limerick. It's a bit dirty," Brown added.
"I went back to do a good story. Alas and alack, when I got back it had gone up in smoke.
"Well that is no joke. I got a small part, a very small part. And that ended up as a big wet fart. Alas and alack, I will never go back."
Dot was a fan favourite on EastEnders, with her tenure on the show including dramatic plotlines around euthanasia, murder and cancer. Let’s look back at some of her most iconic moments…
1) Dot helps Ethel die
Dot was faced with an internal moral dilemma when her friend Ethel, who had terminal cancer, asked her to assist her to die.
Ethel asked Dot to do so on her 85th birthday, which forced Dot to grapple with her devout Christian faith and her loyalty to her friend.
Despite her reservations, Dot helped Ethel take her own life, and the emotional moment finished with Ethel telling Dot: “you’re the best friend I ever had”.
2) Dot vs the launderette
Dot was a faithful employee of the local Launderette in EastEnders for many years.
She frequently squabbled with its owner, Mr Papadopolous, and was famously unable to pronounce his surname.
Dot said an emotional farewell to the launderette when it was closed for refurbishment in 2016 - and was devastated to not get her job back when it reopened as a dry cleaners.
3) Dot kills her son
Dot was capable of the same ruthlessness as many characters far younger than her.
In January, it was revealed Dot was responsible for the death of her troubled son, Nick Cotton.
Bex Fowler revealed that Nick - who had tried to poison Dot at one point - passed away after consuming a bad batch of heroin by his mother Dot.
4) Dot marries Jim Branning
The normally frosty Dot let her guard down and said yes to Jim Branning’s advances when he proposed to her on the London Eye in 2001.
The pair walked down the aisle on Valentine’s Day, but after an awkward encounter involving viagra, Dot declared that their marriage would be platonic.
5) Dot’s one-hander
June Brown made history as the first soap opera character to carry an entire episode with a monologue performance.
The episode followed Dot recording a 30-minute voicemail for Jim, who was in hospital after suffering a stroke.
Brown landed a Bafta TV nomination for her performance.
6) Dot dabbles with drugs
After taking a break from 1993 to 1997, June Brown returned as Dot, who was now dabbling in alternate medicine.
One hilarious plotline found Dot mistaking cannabis for herbal tea, and getting arrested as a result.
7) Her cancer diagnosis
In 2004, Dot was diagnosed with kidney cancer, and chose to deal with it quietly.
Telling only her friend Dennis Rickman, Dot initially refused treatment and planned to pass away quietly.
She was persuaded to undergo chemotherapy and managed to recover.
8) Meeting Lady Gaga
Technically this was June, not Dot, but we couldn’t help but include this iconic combination of stars on the Graham Norton couch in 2013.
June Brown stole the show as she was sat next to pop superstar Lady Gaga, as well as Jude Law and Greg Davies.
June and Lady Gaga hit it off instantly, and June later revealed to the Daily Star that the pop star invited her to a nightclub afterwards.
