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Leslie Michael Grantham (30 April 1947 – 15 June 2018) was an English actor, best known for his role as "Dirty"

Den Watts 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 fr ...

in the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

soap opera ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

''. He was a convicted murderer, having served 10 years for the killing of a

West German West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

taxi driver, and had significant press coverage resulting from an online sex scandal in 2004.

Early and personal life

Grantham was born in

Camberwell Camberwell () is a district of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross. Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles and a common of which Goose Green is a remnant. This e ...

, London, the son of Adelaide (''née'' Flinders) and Walter William Grantham (1915–1998). He enlisted in the Royal Fusiliers regiment of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

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 Reginald Martinez Jackson (born May 18, 1946) is an American former professional baseball right fielder who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City / Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, and Cali ...

in ''

Call the Midwife ''Call the Midwife'' is a BBC period drama series about a group of nurse midwives working in the East End of London in the late 1950s and 1960s. The principal cast of the show has included Jessica Raine, Miranda Hart, Helen George, Bryony Ha ...

.''

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 clear the debt. On 3 December 1966, Grantham attempted to rob a taxi driver, Felix Reese, in

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; wep, Ossenbrügge; archaic ''Osnaburg'') is a city in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population ...

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

, by threatening him at gunpoint and demanding money. In a struggle between the two men, Reese died after being shot in the head. Grantham was arrested soon after, and charged with murder. In his statement to the police following his arrest, Grantham said that he did not know the gun was loaded and it had gone off during the struggle, which would have resulted in a conviction for

manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th cen ...

had a jury believed this version of events. However, at his trial in April 1967, he was subsequently convicted of murder and sentenced to

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...

. Although he had committed the murder in West Germany, he served the entirety of his sentence in British prisons. This was because soldiers and officers convicted of any criminal offence that warrants a sentence of over two years are automatically transferred to

Her Majesty's Prison Service His Majesty's Prison Service (HMPS) is a part of HM Prison and Probation Service (formerly the National Offender Management Service), which is the part of His Majesty's Government charged with managing most of the prisons within England and Wal ...

, since they are also automatically dishonourably discharged. Grantham was released in 1977, having served 10 years. While he was in

Leyhill Prison HM Prison Leyhill is a Category D men's prison, located in the parish of Tortworth in Gloucestershire, England. Leyhill Prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. History Leyhill Prison was originally a United States military hospital ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

, he performed in several plays for inmates and members of the public, and edited the prison newspaper. He was encouraged to get more involved in acting professionally by the convicted disgraced Labour Party politician

T. Dan Smith Thomas Daniel Smith (11 May 1915 – 27 July 1993), also known by his nickname “Mr Newcastle”,"Southern Discomfort" (leading article), ''The Times'', 3 August 1993. was a high-profile British Labour Party politician who served as chairman of ...

, who was also an inmate at Leyhill in the mid-1970s. He also met actress

Louise Jameson Louise Jameson (born 20 April 1951) is an English actress with a wide variety of television and theatre credits. Her roles on television have included playing Leela in ''Doctor Who'' (1977–1978), Anne Reynolds in ''The Omega Factor'' (1979), ...

during her visit to Leyhill near the end of his imprisonment; she had also encouraged him to take up acting and he became good friends with her.

Career

Early work

On release from prison, Grantham decided to pursue an acting career and trained at the

Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art Webber may refer to: *Webber, Kansas, a US city *Webber Township, Jefferson County, Illinois, USA *Webber Township, Lake County, Michigan, USA *Webber International University, in Babson Park, Florida, USA *Webber (surname) Webber (/ˈwɛbər/) i ...

. His theatre work included a role in a play at the Battersea Free Theatre written by television director Matthew Robinson. In 1982, Grantham made his television debut as Boollie in a ''

BBC2 Playhouse ''BBC2 Playhouse'' is a UK anthology television series of one-hour episodes produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Among its many performers were Helen Mirren, Daniel Day-Lewis, Judi Dench, Liam Neeson, Paul Scofield, Deborah ...

'' edition called "Jake's End". The following year he appeared as Frank on an episode of the short lived sitcom ''Goodnight and God Bless''. Grantham was then cast by Matthew Robinson as Kiston, the henchman of

Davros Davros () is a character from the long-running British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was created by screenwriter Terry Nation, originally for the 1975 serial ''Genesis of the Daleks''. Dav ...

, in the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' serial ''

Resurrection of the Daleks ''Resurrection of the Daleks'' is the fourth serial of the 21st season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in two weekly parts on BBC1 between 8 February and 15 February 1984. The serial ...

'' (1984). He also played a signals sergeant in episode 12 of the television mini-series '' The Jewel in the Crown'' (1984) and wrote a play entitled ''A Reason'' ''To Live'', which won the Gloucester Drama Festival award for best original play. He made a brief appearance in the

Mike Hodges Michael Tommy Hodges (29 July 1932 – 17 December 2022) was a British screenwriter, film and television director, playwright and novelist. His films as writer/director include ''Get Carter'' (1971), ''Pulp'' (1972), '' The Terminal Man'' (197 ...

film ''

Morons from Outer Space ''Morons from Outer Space'' is a 1985 British comedy-science fiction film directed by Mike Hodges and starring Griff Rhys Jones, Mel Smith, Joanne Pearce, Jimmy Nail and James B. Sikking. Plot The story begins on a small spaceship docking with ...

'' (1985), but by the time the film was released Grantham had gained his best known role.

''EastEnders''

In 1984, Grantham auditioned with the

...
for a part in its new soap opera ''

'', which aired in February 1985. He was recommended by Matthew Robinson, who was to become a key member of the ''EastEnders'' production team. Grantham had auditioned for the role of market trader

Pete Beale Pete Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Peter Dean (actor), Peter Dean. He makes his first appearance in the programme's first episode, on 19 February 1985. The character was introduced by Tony Holl ...

, but he was offered the part of

. The character, landlord of

The Queen Victoria The Queen Victoria (more often referred to as The Queen Vic or The Vic) is the Victorian public house in the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders''. It has the fictional address of 46 Albert Square, Walford, London E20. Appearance and developmen ...

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

, quickly became a national favourite and gained the nickname ''Dirty Den'' mostly because of the awful way he treated his wife Angie, played by

Anita Dobson Anita Dobson (born 29 April 1949) is an English stage, film and television actress, and singer. She is best known for her role from 1985 to 1988 as Angie Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. In 1986, she reached number four in the UK Si ...

, with one of his many affairs occurring at the age of 39, when he fathered a child with 16-year-old

Michelle Fowler Michelle Fowler (also Holloway) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Susan Tully from the show's first episode on 19 February 1985 up until the character's departure on 26 October 1995. She returned on 24 De ...

, played by

Susan Tully Susan Tully (born 20 October 1967) is an English actress, television producer, and television director. Her most prominent television acting roles were those of rebellious teenager Suzanne Ross in ''Grange Hill'' and single mother Michelle Fowl ...

. On 25 December 1986, Grantham's character served his on-screen wife with divorce papers, with the famous line "Happy Christmas, Ange." The episode was watched by a record 30 million viewers – over half the British population. In 1988, the character sold his pub to

Frank Butcher Frank Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Mike Reid (actor), Mike Reid. Frank makes his first appearance on-screen as a guest character in 1987, but due to a positive viewer reception, he is reintr ...

, played by Mike Reid, and gradually drifted out of key storylines until finally departing in February 1989, although his final scenes had been filmed the previous autumn. Grantham had announced his intention to leave the soap early in 1988, around the same time that it was announced that Dobson would be leaving. However, the series’ bosses had not wanted to suffer the double blow of losing its two biggest characters so close together, and set about an intensive block of filming that would allow Den to remain on screen into 1989, while enabling Grantham to remain on ''EastEnders'' only until the previous autumn. Den had become involved with a criminal organisation called "The Firm" over the summer of 1988, and his only option was to flee The Square. After a spell on remand in custody and a dramatic escape from the police and from members of The Firm who ambushed him on his way to court, viewers watched a mysterious gunman shoot at Den with a gun hidden in a bunch of daffodils, before hearing a splash. A shot depicting Den's death was cut from the final scene, in the hope that Grantham might one day be persuaded to return to the role. The following year, a body believed to be Den's was found in the canal.

Other work

Grantham played Danny Kane in the crime television series ''

The Paradise Club ''The Paradise Club'' is a BBC television crime drama series, broadcast between 19 September 1989 and 27 November 1990. The series starred Don Henderson and Leslie Grantham as Frank and Danny Kane, siblings who inherit a nightclub from their m ...

'' (1989–90) alongside

Don Henderson Donald Francis Henderson (10 November 1931 – 22 June 1997)Ancestry/Find My Past (his birth was registered in the December 1931 quarter) was an English actor. He was known for playing both "tough guy" roles and authority figures, and is remem ...

. He went on to appear in the fourth season of ''

Cluedo ''Cluedo'' (), known as ''Clue'' in North America, is a murder mystery game for three to six players (depending on editions) that was devised in 1943 by British board game designer Anthony E. Pratt. The game was first manufactured by Waddin ...

'' as

Colonel Mustard This is a list of people in the game of ''Cluedo'' (UK) / ''Clue'' (US). Dr. Black / Mr. Boddy Dr. Black (UK) / Mr. Boddy (US), a stock character and generic victim, is the owner of Tudor Close (later known as Tudor Manor, Tudor Hall, and Bodd ...

, He previously appeared as a contestant on the 1990 Christmas special. In the second episode of the fourth season, Col. Mike Mustard murdered former comrade and property developer Sir Nigel Hussey (

Ian McNeice Ian McNeice (born 2 October 1950) is an English film and television actor. He found fame portraying government agent Harcourt in the 1985 television series '' Edge of Darkness'', and went on to feature in popular films such as ''The Englishma ...

) with a

G-string A G-string is a type of thong, a narrow piece of fabric, leather, or satin that covers or holds the genitals, passes between the buttocks, and is attached to a waistband around the hips. A G-string can be worn both by men and by women. It may al ...

in the kitchen. A short time after the episode aired, the producers received a letter that was written by the family of one Felix Reese, who himself was a taxi driver who was shot in the head by Leslie Grantham while he was a soldier stationed in Germany. The Reeses found it distasteful that someone who performed an illegal killing as a soldier would be cast as someone who performed an illegal killing as a soldier. He also appeared on '' The Detectives'' (1993) and ''

99-1 ''99-1'' is a British television crime thriller series, first broadcast on 5 January 1994, that ran for a total of two series on ITV. The series starred Leslie Grantham as Mick Raynor, a maverick undercover policeman tasked with taking down som ...

'' (1994–95). In 1994, he narrated volume one of

Frank Harris Frank Harris (14 February 1855 – 26 August 1931) was an Irish-American editor, novelist, short story writer, journalist and publisher, who was friendly with many well-known figures of his day. Born in Ireland, he emigrated to the United State ...

's erotic classic '' My Life and Loves''. In 1997, he produced and starred in the sci-fi mini-series '' The Uninvited''. Alongside

Melinda Messenger Melinda Jane Messenger (born 23 February 1971) is an English television presenter and former glamour model and Page Three girl. She presented the magazine programme ''Live from Studio Five'' and was formerly the co-presenter of the reality show ...

, Grantham was the co-host of the game show '' Fort Boyard'' from 1998 to 2001. Also in 2001, he appeared in ''

Lily Savage's Blankety Blank ''Blankety Blank'' is a British comedy game show which started in 1979 and is still running today, albeit with some sizeable gaps. The original series ran from 18 January 1979 to 12 March 1990 on BBC1, hosted first by Terry Wogan from 1979 un ...

''. He also reunited with his ''EastEnders'' co-star

in the two-part mini-series '' The Stretch'' which aired on

Sky One Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non-terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...

in 2000, and in the British gangster film '' Charlie'' (2004).

Return to ''EastEnders''

During the 1990s, Grantham was approached more than once by

...
bosses about a possible return to ''EastEnders'', but rejected each of these offers, often feeling that the storyline at the time would not be the right one to suit any potential comeback. However, on 3 May 2003, it was confirmed that Grantham would be returning to ''EastEnders'' later that year to reprise his role as Den after 14 years. On 29 September 2003, his return to ''EastEnders'' was aired, with him arriving at the nightclub E20 now owned by his adopted daughter

Sharon Sharon ( he, שָׁרוֹן ''Šārôn'' "plain") is a given name as well as an Israeli surname. In English-speaking areas, Sharon is now predominantly a feminine given name. However, historically it was also used as a masculine given name. In I ...

, portrayed by

Letitia Dean Letitia Jane Dean (born 14 November 1967) is an English actress. She is known for her portrayal of Sharon Watts in the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders''. An original cast member from 1985 to 1995, she reprised the role from 2001 to 2006, and again ...

. It was revealed that Den had survived the shooting and fled to Spain with the help of former mistress

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 du ...

(

Jane How Carolyn Jane Onslow How (born 21 December 1950) is an English actress with a range of television, film, and stage credits. She is best known for her role as Jan Hammond, the mistress of Den Watts in '' EastEnders''. She appeared in the progra ...

), while the body found a year later in the canal had been wrongly identified. Over 17 million people watched one of the most anticipated television events of the year on 29 September, as Den spoke the famous words, "Hello, princess." There had been much speculation in the media after Den's departure as to whether the character really was dead – particularly after the original search of the canal site where he was shot failed to uncover any trace of him.

...
bosses said that Den's return had been on the agenda almost every year since the character's departure in 1989, and the first offer for him to return had been made as long ago as 1991. Grantham had turned down every offer to return until that which was made to him in early 2003, feeling that his character did not have adequate links to the show for a comeback to be anything more than an attempt to boost ratings – particularly when Den's daughter Sharon was away from 1995 to 2001, leaving Den without any family in the cast. By 2003, however, his daughter

Vicki Vicky, Vicko, Vick, Vickie or Vicki is a feminine given name, often a hypocorism of Victoria. The feminine name Vicky in Greece comes from the name Vasiliki. Women * Family nickname of Victoria, Princess Royal (1840–1901), wife of German ...

, played by

Scarlett Alice Johnson Scarlett Alice Johnson (born 7 April 1985) is an English actress, producer and drama teacher. She is best known for her roles as Vicki Fowler in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Laura Derbyshire in the BBC Three sitcom ''Pramface''. Early ...

, had rejoined the cast and a previously unknown son called

Dennis Rickman Dennis Rickman is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', played by Nigel Harman. He made his first appearance on 14 April 2003 at the funeral of his late mother, Paula, before going on to become one of the show's centra ...

, played by

Nigel Harman Nigel Derek Harman (born 11 August 1973) is an English actor, best known for his role as Dennis Rickman in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders''. He has worked mostly in theatre. He starred in the final series of '' Hotel Babylo ...

, was also in the series – the product of an affair between Den and a young woman called Paula Rickman, 30 years earlier. In December 2004, Den arranged a scam to get back The Queen Vic from Sam Mitchell (

Kim Medcalf Kim Louise Medcalf (born 8 December 1973) is an English actress and singer. She is best known for taking over the role of Sam Mitchell in the long-running BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders'', between 2002 and 2005 and from 2022 onwards. Career '' ...

), 16 years after he had sold it to Frank.

Online sex scandal

In May 2004, a Sunday newspaper printed photographs of Grantham exposing himself and

masturbating Masturbation is the sexual stimulation of one's own genitals for sexual arousal or other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation may involve hands, fingers, everyday objects, sex toys such as vibrators, or combinati ...

whilst sucking his finger in a sexually-suggestive manner via a

webcam A webcam is a video camera which is designed to record or stream to a computer or computer network. They are primarily used in videotelephony, livestreaming and social media, and security. Webcams can be built-in computer hardware or peripheral d ...

from his dressing room to an undercover reporter named "Amanda". Grantham also allegedly dressed as

Captain Hook Captain James Hook is a fictional character and the main antagonist of J. M. Barrie's 1904 play ''Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up'' and its various adaptations, in which he is Peter Pan's archenemy. The character is a pirate capta ...

whilst pleasuring himself, and insulted several cast members of ''EastEnders, ''including

Shane Richie Shane Patrick Paul Roche (born 11 March 1964), known as Shane Richie, is a British actor, comedian, television presenter and singer. Following initial success as a stage and screen performer, he became best known for his portrayal of the charac ...

(

Alfie Moon Alfie Moon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Shane Richie. He made his first appearance on 21 November 2002, and left on 25 December 2005. He returned to ''EastEnders'' on 21 September 2010, following th ...

Wendy Richard Wendy Richard (born Wendy Emerton; 20 July 1943 – 26 February 2009) was an English actress, known for her television roles as Miss Shirley Brahms on the BBC sitcom ''Are You Being Served?'' from 1972 to 1985, and Pauline Fowler on the soa ...

(

Pauline Fowler Pauline Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders''. She was played by actress Wendy Richard between the first episode on 19 February 1985 and 25 December 2006. Pauline was created by scriptwriter Tony Holland a ...

( Sam Mitchell) and

Jessie Wallace Karen Jane Wallace (born 25 September 1971), known professionally as Jessie Wallace, is an English actress. She is known for portraying the role of Kat Slater on the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' since 2000. Her role as Kat won her the Natio ...

(

Kat Moon Kathleen "Kat" Slater (also Moon) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Jessie Wallace. She is also played by Kate Peck in a flashback in 2001 and Sumar-Elise Sandford in a flashback in 2018. Kat is the seco ...

). Grantham released a statement which read, "I am wholeheartedly ashamed of my behaviour and feel that I have let down my colleagues, as well as my friends and family." He also added, "In some small recompense I intend to make a donation to charity as a mark of my apology." He maintained in later interviews that he 'was set up'. He attempted

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

three times as a result of the scandal. In addition, in 2018 it was reported that he had been investigated by police for sexually abusing a school girl, although the victim ultimately decided not to pursue the matter.

Departure from ''EastEnders''

In November 2004, it was confirmed that Grantham would be leaving ''EastEnders'' in the New Year. Bosses stated that the character would be killed off, but this time "the coffin lid would be nailed shut". On 18 February 2005, 16.2 million viewers tuned in to view his character's second demise, this time at the hands of second wife Chrissie, portrayed by

Tracy-Ann Oberman Tracy-Ann Oberman (born Tracy Anne Oberman; 25 August 1966) is an English actress, playwright and narrator. She is widely known for roles including Chrissie Watts in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' (2004–2005) and Valerie Lewis or "Auntie ...

, who hit him over the head with a dog-shaped iron doorstop during a confrontation in the Vic.

After ''EastEnders''

Grantham later appeared in two UK tours of ''Beyond Reasonable Doubt'', a stage adaptation of a

Jeffrey Archer Jeffrey Howard Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare (born 15 April 1940) is an English novelist, life peer, convicted criminal, and former politician. Before becoming an author, Archer was a Member of Parliament (1969–1974), but did not ...

play, alongside

Simon Ward Simon Anthony Fox Ward (16 October 194120 July 2012) was a British stage and film actor. He was known chiefly for his performance as Winston Churchill in the 1972 film ''Young Winston''. He played many other screen roles, including those of Sir ...

and

Alexandra Bastedo Alexandra Lendon Bastedo (9 March 1946 – 12 January 2014) was a British actress, best known for her role as secret agent Sharron Macready in the 1968 British espionage/science fiction adventure series ''The Champions''. Bastedo was a vegetar ...

, and performed as a Christmas

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

villain. He directed and starred in a pantomime of

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by List of Scottish novelists, Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and Puer aeternus, never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending ...

at the

Alban Arena Alban Arena (formerly known as St Albans City Hall or Civic Hall) is a theatre and music venue located in St Albans, England. The venue opened in 1968 with a performance by blues singer John Mayall, and has staged concerts by bands such as Dire ...

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

during Christmas 2005, which was a sell-out and received excellent reviews. After Grantham left ''EastEnders'' in 2005, he spoke out publicly against the show, criticising its over-the-top, far-fetched storylines, saying 'there was a murder every week... that's not real life'. In October 2006, it was announced that, in his first television role since leaving ''EastEnders'', he would appear in the long-running

ITV1 ITV1 (formerly known as ITV) is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the British media company ITV plc. It provides the Channel 3 public broadcast service across all of the United Kingdom except for t ...

police drama series ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

'', playing the role of Jimmy Collins, who was on the run from prison. The episode aired on 8 February 2007. This was Grantham's second appearance in ''The Bill'' as he previously appeared in a few episodes in 1998 and a single episode in 1999 also coincidentally playing another character named Jimmy. In February 2010, Grantham appeared in ''EastEnders: The Aftermath'' on

BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, curre ...

to mark the live episode of the show and its 25th birthday. He was interviewed by

Kirsten O'Brien Kirsten Lindsey O'Brien (born 23 February 1972) is an English television presenter and actress. She is perhaps best known for her work presenting for the BBC, including the popular CBBC art programme '' SMart'' from 1999 to 2009, and CBeebies ...

from the bar of

pub which his character had once owned. Grantham was cast for the lead role in the UK thriller movie ''DeadTime''. From 28 November to 11 December 2010, Grantham appeared as Ebenezer Scrooge in the Lincoln Theatre Royal's production of ''A Christmas Carol''. He portrayed the main character John in the Bulgarian TV series ''The English Neighbour'', based on the novel of the same name. In 2015 he appeared in the film ''Mob Handed'' (2016 Release) directed by Liam Galvin playing a detective.

Death

In June 2018, it was reported Grantham had returned to the United Kingdom from his home in

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

to receive treatment for

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

. He died on 15 June 2018, aged 71. That evening's episode of ''EastEnders'' featured a tribute to Grantham, whilst his co-star and on-screen wife

described him as "a wonderful and special actor, witty and very talented. I shall remember him very fondly and with affection."

Selected filmography

*''Vengeance'' (2020) – Ronnie *'' The Krays: Dead Man Walking'' –

Nipper Read Leonard Ernest "Nipper" Read, QPM (31 March 1925 – 7 April 2020) was a British police officer and boxing administrator. Early life Read was born in Nottingham, the son of Leonard Read Snr., who worked for a leather company, and his wife ...

*''Jack southeast'' (2018) – The boss *''Silenced:

Georgi Markov Georgi Ivanov Markov ( bg, Георги Иванов Марков ; 1 March 1929 – 11 September 1978) was a Bulgarian dissident writer. He originally worked as a novelist, screenwriter and playwright in his native country, the People's Repub ...

and the Umbrella Murder'' (2013) – Narrator (English version) *''The English Neighbour'' (2011) – John *''

'' (2007) – Jimmy Collins (1 episode) *''Charlie'' (2004) – Richard Waldeck *'' Heartbeat'' (2002) – George East (1 episode) *'' The Stretch'' (2000) – Terry Greene *''

Bernard's Watch ''Bernard's Watch'' (informally known as ''Bernard'' in the reboot series) is a British children's drama series about a young boy who could stop time with a magical pocket watch. The show was created by Andrew Norriss and was produced for seven ...

'' (1999) – Mr. Rattle (Series 3; Episode 13) *''

'' (1998) – Jimmy Smith (4 episodes) *'' Fort Boyard'' (1998–2001) – Boyard (57 episodes) *'' Wycliffe'' (1997) – Patrick Durno (1 episode) *'' The Uninvited'' (1997) – Philip Gates *''

'' (1994–95) – Mick Raynor *'' The Detectives'' (1993) – Danny Kane (1 episode) *''

'' (1993) – Colonel Mustard (6 episodes) *''

Woof! ''Woof!'' is a British children's television series produced by Central Independent Television about the adventures of a boy who shapeshifts into a dog. It was based on the book by Allan Ahlberg. It was directed by David Cobham with the screenp ...

'' (1992) – Mr Flint (1 episode) *''

The Grove Family ''The Grove Family'' was a British television series soap opera, generally regarded as the first of its kind broadcast in the UK, made and broadcast by the BBC Television Service from 1954 to 1957. The series concerned the life of the family of ...

'' (1991) – Bob Grove (1 episode) *''

'' (1989–1990) – Danny Kane (20 episodes) *''Winners and Losers'' (1989) – Eddie Burt (3 episodes) *''

Alas Smith & Jones ''Alas Smith and Jones'' is a British comedy sketch television series starring comedy duo and namesake Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones that originally ran for four series and two Christmas specials on BBC2 from 1984 to 1988, and later as ''Smi ...

'' (1986) – (1 episode) *''

'' (1985–1989, 2003–2005) – "Dirty"

(562 episodes) *''

'' (1985) – motorway policeman *''

Dramarama Dramarama is an American, New Jersey–based alternative rock/power pop band, who later moved to Los Angeles. The band was formed in New Jersey in 1982 and disbanded in 1994. The band formally reunited in 2003 following an appearance on VH1's ...

'' (1984) – Mo's dad (1 episode) *'' The Jewel in the Crown'' (1984) – signals sergeant *''

'': ''

'' (1984) – Kiston (2 episodes) * '' Goodnight and God Bless'' (1983) – Frank (1 episode)

References

External links

*
Audio Interview at BBC Wiltshire
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grantham, Leslie 1947 births 2018 deaths Military personnel from London 20th-century British Army personnel 20th-century English criminals Alumni of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art Audiobook narrators BBC people Criminals from London English autobiographers English male criminals English male soap opera actors English male stage actors English people convicted of murder English people imprisoned abroad English prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Male actors from London People convicted of murder by Germany People from Camberwell People paroled from life sentence Place of death missing Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Germany Royal Fusiliers soldiers Sex scandals