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Dirty Den
Dennis "Den" Watts is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', played by actor Leslie Grantham. He became well known for his tabloid nickname, "Dirty Den". Den was the original landlord of The Queen Victoria public house from Albert Square – in the local community of Walford, a fictional borough in East London – who first appeared back when the show debuted on 19 February 1985. From then onwards, the character had a turbulent marriage with his alcoholic first wife Angie (Anita Dobson). In 1986, Den discovered that Angie lied to him about having six months to live and got revenge by giving her divorce papers on Christmas Day 1986 - which was watched by over 30 million viewers. While his marriage with Angie was finished beyond repair, Den continued his close relationship with their adopted daughter Sharon (Letitia Dean) – whom he grew fondly devoted towards throughout his time on the programme. Den soon became involved in storylines that mostly contr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leslie Grantham
Leslie Michael Grantham (30 April 1947 – 15 June 2018) was an English actor, best known for his role as "Dirty" Den Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He was a convicted murderer, having served 10 years for the killing of a West German taxi driver, and had significant press coverage resulting from an online sex scandal in 2004. Early and personal life Grantham was born in Camberwell, London, the son of Adelaide (''née'' Flinders) and Walter William Grantham (1915–1998). He enlisted in the Royal Fusiliers regiment of the British Army in 1965, at the age of 18. Grantham married Australian Jane Laurie in 1981. The couple had three sons and divorced in 2013. His son Daniel Laurie is also an actor, and plays Reggie Jackson in ''Call the Midwife.'' Murder conviction Having joined the Army (The Royal Fusiliers), Grantham was soon posted to West Germany, where he quickly found himself in debt to army colleagues. He resorted to criminal activities in his attempt to clea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Albert Square
Walford is a fictional borough of east London in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. It is the primary setting for the soap. ''EastEnders'' is filmed at Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, towards the north-west of London. Much of the location work is filmed in nearby Watford, which was chosen for many of the exterior scenes due to its close proximity and the town's name being so similar to Walford. Thus, any stray road signs or advertising boards which are accidentally filmed in the back of shots will appear to read Walford. Locations used in Watford include most interior and exterior church scenes of various churches, the snooker club, the County Court and Magistrates' Courts courtrooms, and the cemetery (where most of the deceased characters are interred). The name Walford is both a street in Dalston where one of the series' creators, Tony Holland, lived and a blend of Walthamstow, where Holland was born, and Stratford. The suffix 'ford' is also found throughout Britain, for examp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jan Hammond
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' in 1986, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by the show's co-creator Julia Smith. The first character to be introduced during the year is John Fisher (Dave Dale), a drag queen hired for The Queen Victoria pub. Jan Hammond (Jane How), the long-term mistress of Den Watts ( Leslie Grantham), was introduced in January. March sees the first appearances of The Firm mobster Brad Williams (Jonathan Stratt), Dot Cotton's (June Brown) husband Charlie Cotton (Christopher Hancock) and new brewery area manager James Willmott-Brown (William Boyde). The newborn daughter of Michelle Fowler (Susan Tully), Vicki Fowler (Emma Herry), was introduced in May. Judith Jacob and Pam St. Clement made their debuts as health visitor Carmel Jackson and Pat Butcher, the former wife of Pete Beale ( Peter Dean), in June. June also sees the beginning of a new storyline, The Banned, whic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Altman (actor)
John Clarkson Stewart (born 2 March 1952), known as John Altman, is an English actor and singer, perhaps best known for playing Nick Cotton in the popular BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He was among the show's original cast members appearing in the first episode in February 1985 and appeared on the show on and off as a recurring character. His character was killed off in the 30th anniversary episode of the show which aired in February 2015. Altman has also appeared in several films, television series and stage productions. In 2010, he became the new frontman of the band Heavy Metal Kids following the death of former frontman Gary Holton in 1985. Early life Altman was born in Reading, Berkshire, to parents Tina Florence (née Schofield; 1920–2016) and Cecil Clifton Stewart (1923–1991). His maternal grandfather was actor Johnnie Schofield. Career Altman made his acting debut in the 1979 film ''The First Great Train Robbery'' where he played a minor role. Also in 1979, he portr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nick Cotton
Nick Cotton is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''EastEnders'' played by John Altman on a semi-regular basis from the soap's debut episode on 19 February 1985. Altman has stated that his initial exit was due to producer Julia Smith demanding he was written out after he opposed a decision to make his character gay.John Altman, AKA Eastender's Nasty Nick: It's almost like the Taliban. You can't say what you like. , Sep 13, 2021 After Smith's exit from the show, the character made numerous brief or more protracted stints until his onscreen death in February 2015, which was written to coincide with the 30th anniversa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peter Dean (actor)
Peter Dean (born 2 May 1939) is a British actor, best known for his roles as Pete Beale in ''EastEnders'', Jeff Bateman in ''Coronation Street'' and Sergeant Jack Wilding in '' Woodentop''. Early life and education Dean was born in Hoxton, East London, and was an acquaintance of the Kray twins while he was growing up. He went to primary school in Holloway and technical school at King's Cross, where he learned plumbing and bricklaying. He began drama lessons at 14 when his grandmother, the music hall artist Lilly Randall, realised that he was dyslexic. As a boy, Dean worked on a fruit and veg stall in Chapel Market in North London. Career Dean decided on a career in acting after actress Prunella Scales witnessed him rehearsing Shakespeare in Petticoat Lane Market and advised him to take drama classes. Aged 16 he studied under Joan Littlewood and has been an actor since he was 18. Dean's breakthrough performance was playing criminal 'Jack Lynn' in ''Law And Order'' (1978). He w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pete Beale
Pete Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', played by Peter Dean. He makes his first appearance in the programme's first episode, on 19 February 1985. The character was introduced by Tony Holland, one of the creators of ''EastEnders''; he was based on a member of Holland's family. Pete is featured in the soap for eight years as the local fruit and veg trader of Albert Square; he is a member of the original focal clan in the serial, the Beales and Fowlers. Pete is portrayed as a macho and somewhat insensitive individual who struggles to cope with emotion. Pete was axed from the soap in 1993 and departed in May that year after over eight years on-screen. The character was killed off-screen later that year following Peter Dean's public criticism of the BBC. Storylines Backstory Pete and his twin sister, Pauline (Wendy Richard), were born to Albert (Gary Olsen) and Lou Beale (Anna Wing). They were born and raised in number 45 Albert Square. Albe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
