Memorable deaths and villains

So, farewell Nick Cotton. Can he be dead for real this time? We asked the cast to pick their most memorable deaths and villians from EastEnders' rich history!

What’s been the most memorable death for you?

Ben Hardy (Peter Beale): “It would be Dennis, back in the day, on New Year’s Eve. I still remember it.”

Danny-Boy Hatchard (Lee Carter): “One that sticks in my mind would have to be the first one I ever saw when Tiffany got run over outside The Vic – and for some reason that always stuck with me.”

Davood Ghadami (Kush Kazemi): “I really remember when Ethel died. It was so sad and I remember it very well.”

Himesh Patel (Tamwar Masood): “Yusef’s death was quite impressive. It was a real moment and we just fell into the rubble basically. Barry’s death as well which was just really sad. My earliest memory of EastEnders is when Tiffany got run over by Frank.”

Jane Slaughter (Tracey the Barmaid): “My favourite death I think is currently Lucy because it’s incredible! I still don’t know the outcome!”

Kellie Bright (Linda Carter): “I really remember when Ethel died. It was so sad and I remember it very well.”

Harry Reid (Ben Mitchell): “I remember this as it’s one of my first memories. It’s when Janine pushed Barry off the cliff! She just shoves him and as sad as it was, it was quite funny seeing him roll down a hill and the fact that there was one rock that he smacked his head against and it was like wow. He was so unlucky – he never had any luck and he rolls down that hill and bam – and for me that just summed up Barry’s life.”

Letitia Dean (Sharon Mitchell): “My first episode - Reg Cox. Sharon wasn’t really involved in that though. It was a Nick Cotton job. Obviously, when Dennis died. Sharon, pregnant, and Dennis were just about to escape, get away from Johnny Allen and then suddenly he gets stabbed. Watching Pauline die in the snow, I found that really sad. Also when Den got shot through the daffodils and then again, with the Queen Vic bust – there’s a lot of memorable ones.”

Lisa Hammond (Donna Yates): “I think Frank Butcher. I don’t remember too much of the circumstances but I remember it being big. I really liked his character and I was gutted when he died.”

Lorna Fitzgerald (Abi Branning): “There’s been so many! I always remember Derek [Branning] at Christmas. Although Pauline … it has to be Pauline. She died at Christmas and was left in the snow while everyone was in the pub. It was really sad.”

Rakhee Thakrar (Shabnam Masood): “My favourite death is Nana Moon – the most touching, and one of the most touching moments and I remember watching it on TV. It was really sad.”

Rita Simons (Roxy Mitchell): “I remember screaming at the telly when Tiffany died, I remember going ‘noooo!’ so yeah it would be Tiffany.”

Samantha Womack (Ronnie Mitchell): “Danielle! Even now I still cannot believe she was killed. It took Ronnie so long to find her, it was such a clever story! When I read it, I literally couldn’t close my mouth for about 3 weeks, I was in shock! I really bonded with Lauren who played Danielle. For her to come in to such a big show, when she was very young and she did such a good job – wow. She just captured the audiences heart I think, so when this little face finally said the words “mummy” and then she got hit by a car – that was really hard.”

Shane Richie (Alfie Moon): “Nana Moon dying in my arms! When you say favourite it sounds a bit morbid! But it was the most moving!”

Shona McGarty (Whitney Dean): “I think Pat’s. Pam was so good and I really got into that moment – I really did enjoy that in a weird way.”

Who’s been your favourite villain through the years?

Ben Hardy (Peter Beale): “Andy - who went out with Kat. He was creepy. The one that was like, “I’m going to bash in Alfie’s knees if you don’t sleep with me.” I can’t remember the exact details but he was a badass. I love those types of characters.”

Danny-Boy Hatchard (Lee Carter): “I’d have to say Janine Butcher – I think Charlie Brooks is an incredible actress.”

Davood Ghadami (Kush Kazemi): “Nick - it’s got to be. Definitely.”

Himesh Patel (Tamwar Masood): “I can speak personally about Yusef, played by Ace Bhatti. That was interesting because I liked the history. I liked his motives. I liked the complication of where it was coming from, so that was interesting. I liked that.”

Jane Slaughter (Tracey the Barmaid): “It’s got to be Phil Mitchell! Although Tracey likes Phil a lot.”

Kellie Bright (Linda Carter): “Do you know who I really liked? Stella Crawford. Sophie was a friend of mine. She was going to get married to Phil and then he pushes her off the roof. Although, I’d probably have to go back to Dirty Den. It’s probably a nostalgic thing – but I used to love him and his meanness and his badness and all of that. It was just so great!”

Harry Reid (Ben Mitchell): “My favourite villain is Steve Owen because he has a bit of class about him. He was actually a pretty boy who had a lot of money and knew a lot of hard people, but I think on numerous occasions Phil showed him up in terms of how tough he was. If he had a bit of grittiness about him he’d be perfect. He is my favourite because he had that class which not many of them have had.”

Lacey Turner (Stacey Branning): “I liked Lucas as a villain who played the priest. I think he was really good and was quite an unusual character, it had never really been done before.”

Lisa Hammond (Donna Yates): “Dirty Den. I always remember thinking he is scary – that man is scary! So I think it was the Den and Angie full blown argument days, it was just so convincing.”

Mimi Keene (Cindy Williams): “Yes, Janine – definitely Janine! I loved her and all of the stuff she's done is the best. Playing a character like her sounds really fun!”

Rakhee Thakrar (Shabnam Masood): “Michael Moon. I liked him, he was quite sinister! He was twisted and I like watching and dark twisted characters.”

Rita Simons (Roxy Mitchell): “My favourite villain would be Steve Owen – he was just a brilliant actor and also Johnny Allen too.”

Samantha Womack (Ronnie Mitchell): “Dirty Den! Although, Angie and Den they were so strange. In those days they weren’t clear villains or goodies, they were kind of a mixture of both and I loved those two, they were both flawed. Both of them would do things that were absolutely outrageous – obviously Den’s affair, Angie’s lie about having cancer, I remember the story so clearly! They seemed criminal but you understood why cause you lived through their life.”

Shane Richie (Alfie Moon): “I always loved Michael Higgs who played Andy Hunter. I just thought he was a classy actor and he always underplayed it and there was just something really menacing about him as a character, and of course he was the one that stole Kat’s heart. It’s where Alfie stopped the wedding so I’ve got fond memories of working with Michael Higgs.”

Shona McGarty (Whitney Dean): “I would say Janine! Also there’s Rainie but I don’t know if you’d really class her as a villain but I think she's fantastic. Tanya Franks is a fantastic actress. I love characters like Rainie. Someone who is completely messed up and doesn’t care about the consequences of her actions. Charlie Brooks is also fantastic!”