Storylines of EastEnders (2000s)

Storylines of "EastEnders" provides a year by year summary of the most notable storylines from the 2000s in the popular BBC soap opera "EastEnders".

2000

Matthew Rose was back in Walford during January 2000, determined to get revenge on Steve Owen for being framed for the murder of Saskia Duncan, even though he was now free from prison after his manslaughter conviction was quashed. He daubed 'DEAD MAN WALKING' around Steve's door, blocked his toilet, strewed his path with broken glass and then captured him - tying him to a chair in the e20.

It wasn't happiness ever after for newly weds Peggy and Frank, as he realised that it was Pat he loved and not Peggy. Frank left Walford again leaving both Pat and Peggy behind.

Sonia Jackson and Jamie Mitchell were just good friends at the start of the year, but over the summer they fell in love. During October, 15-year-old Sonia was giving birth in the living room - surprised by what was happening, as she did not know that she was pregnant. She gave birth to a girl with the help of Big Mo, and named the girl 'Chloe' but decided to put her up for adoption. The baby was soon revealed to be the product of a one-night stand between Sonia and Martin Fowler at the start of the year.

In July, Ethel Skinner turned up unexpectedly on Pauline's doorstep. She revealed that she was dying from cancer, and could not bear to turn into a "thing in a chair" and pleaded with Dot Cotton (now Branning) to ease her pain, when it came, by giving her morphine tablets. Dot was torn between her strong Christian principles and her love for her friend, who shamelessly played on their long friendship, and, eventually, got her way as Dot committed euthanasia. This left Dot devastated with grief and guilt - she demanded to be punished but the police would not press charges. Around this time, her son Nick and grandson Ashley joined her in the Square. She was then arrested from shoplifting and finally got her desired punishment when she was jailed for 14 days on a shoplifting charge. Dot was freed on Christmas Eve and returned to a packed Vic on Christmas Day.

The Slater family arrived in September and quickly began to dominate storylines. The new family consisted of widower Charlie, his adult daughters Lynne, Kat, Little Mo and 16-year-old Zoe, as well as Charlie's mother-in-law Mo Harris and Lynne's fiance Garry Hobbs.

Towards the end of the year it was very quickly established that Little Mo was being domestically abused by her husband Trevor Morgan. The family also quickly established this and persuaded her to leave him. But by December she came running back to him after he claimed that he was sorry for all that he had done. However as soon as she had gone back to him he locked her in his car and told her that this time she would keep her mouth shut.

The main storyline of Christmas was Phil Mitchell and Melanie Owen's affair on Christmas day. After continuously clashing with Steve Owen it was obvious that they were very big enemies. After there passionate Christmas day, Mel threatened Phil that she would tell Lisa what happened but then decided not to after her and Lisa made friends after a big argument on Christmas day.

2001

In August 2001 EastEnders began airing four times a week. Monday & Friday at 8pm. Tuesday and Thursday at 7.30pm.

The biggest storyline of 2001 was "Who Shot Phil?". There were many people that wanted him dead at the time, including: Steve Owen, Mel Owen, Ian Beale, Lisa Fowler and Dan Sullivan. But as Phil lay wounded in the Square he saw the culprit running away, and when he got out of hospital we discovered that it was Lisa. Phil however made a truce and set up Dan instead. However, Dan was found not guilty and upon his release took revenge by kidnapping Mel, demanding £100,000 from Phil and Steve for her return.

Little Mo Slater was the victim of domestic abuse by husband Trevor, who subjected her to cruel mental torment, and at one point attacked her in the bathroom and raped her. Trevor wanted a child but she didn't, and when he found her birth control pills he kicked her violently in the stomach. While Mo was babysitting Louise at the Fowler's household, Trevor cornered her and attempted to attack her. Mo looked for the nearest object - an iron, and ripped it from its socket and struck Trevor with it repeatedly. Little Mo, however, wasn't the only Slater sister with trouble. Zoë was planning to leave London to work with her Uncle Harry in Spain. But Kat was dead against the idea much to Zoë's disgust. It was then revealed that Kat was Zoë's mother and Uncle Harry was the father who had regularly been having sex with a teenage Kat. Viv, Kat's mother knew the whole truth, but Charlie was kept in the dark about who Zoe's real father was - they raised Zoë as their own. The woman Zoë had called her mum was really her nan, her sister was her mum and her uncle was her great uncle and her father! Zoë fled the Square and Kat overdosed on alcohol and pills.

The "Who Shot Phil?" storyline and the abuse suffered by Little Mo were not the only audience-grabbing storylines during 2001. Early in the year, it was revealed that Kat Slater was actually the mother of her "younger sister" Zoe, but at first even Zoe did not know the truth about her parentage. It was only in October of that year, during an argument with Kat, that she found out who her mother was. Kat then revealed the full story - at the age of 13 she had been raped by her uncle Harry and this had left her pregnant with Zoe, who was then brought up as Charlie and Viv's child. Harry fled the Square for Spain when the truth was revealed, while Zoe ran away from home and ended up living with a woman who ran a brothel. Kat and Anthony rescued Zoe on Christmas Day, just as the prostitute was trying to force Zoe into a client's car. Zoe returned to Walford and sorted her differences with the family.

Just before the end of 2000, Mark Fowler had found his 15-year-old brother Martin on the kitchen floor having convulsions. Martin revealed that he had taken some drugs given to him by Nick Cotton, and Mark gained revenge on Nick by placing an ecstasy tablet in his drink in The Queen Vic. He then lured Nick onto the arches and he fell to the ground, suffering a serious spinal injury which left him in hospital. Nick tried to claim that he had been pushed from the viaduct by Mark, but the police decided that there wasn't enough evidence to make an arrest, and Mick McFarlane had lied to them by stating that Nick had been alone when he fell. Nick left hospital in a wheelchair just two weeks after the accident, and was determined to gain revenge on Mark. He asked his son Ashley to set Mark's house on fire, but Ashley refused and went back to live with his mother. Nick then went to recover in a spinal units and returned to Albert Square three months later on crutches, determined to continue his feud with Mark Fowler. Two weeks after his return, Nick had an argument with Mark's girlfriend Lisa, only for Mark to spot them and come close to running over Nick, who then threatened to kill Mark. The next day, Nick cut the brakes on Mark's motorbike and was determined that he would crash the bike and die. On the evening of 14 June, Ashley and Mark had an argument in The Queen Vic and Ashley then stormed out of the pub. Pauline Fowler spotted Ashley in the process of stealing Mark's motorbike, and several of the Square's residents (including Nick and Dot) watched Ashley speeding along the street in a rage. He suddenly came face to face with a pedestrian, and swerved to avoid them. But the bike ploughed into the kerb and Ashley was thrown head-first into the front of the laundrette. Anthony, Nick, Dot and Pauline were all the scene within seconds, but it was too late - Ashley was already dead. A few days later, Dot overheard Nick confessing to sabotaging the bike during an argument with Mark, and after Ashley's funeral she made him leave the house and told him she never wanted to see him again.

2002

After Little Mo hit Trevor, it later turned out he was not dead as first expected, he had in fact gotten up and left when she returned to the house with her sisters. Trevor went to the police claiming Little Mo attempted to murder him. Little Mo kept quiet about the rape and Trevor gave a good account of what had happened on that night. Little Mo took the stand and told the court about the hell she had gone through with her abusive husband. However, the jury was unmoved and Little Mo was sent down for eight years after being convicted of attempted murder.

Kat later managed to track down Donna (Trevor's other woman) and persuaded her to testify against Trevor. Little Mo was soon released after Trevor was caught red handed trying to get to Donna by the police. But Trevor remained in Walford, and on 31 October he kidnapped Little Mo and baby Sean and daubed the Slater house in petrol - Little Mo ended up dropping the match which set the house on fire. Fireman Tom saved Little Mo from the house, and then went back for Trevor - only for the house to go up flames, killing them both instantly.

Phil, Mel, Steve, Lisa and Mark were all beginning to strain. Phil had slept with Mel - Steve's wife - in December 2000. Lisa gave birth to baby Louise in October 2001, and initially pretended that Mark Fowler (her new husband) was the father. But two months later, Lisa revealed that Phil was Louise's father. Lisa was determined to escape from Phil, and when Steve and Mel planned to leave Walford forever, Steve wanted Lisa to come, to get back at Phil who would lose his daughter. But it was all delayed when Mark couldn't go because of his HIV. Steve had baby Louise in his car as he was furiously chased by Phil Mitchell, which resulted in Steve crashing the car. Phil saved baby Louise, but Steve was stuck in the burning wreck of the car which blew up before Phil had time to go back. Steve was already dead when the emergency services arrived; the fierce inferno had given him no chance of survival.

Lisa married Mark during April, but then decided to begin an affair with Phil again. Mel discovered she didn't own the e20 since Steve had sold it to Beppe before he died, and was then arrested for drug dealing. Mel discovered she was carrying Steve's baby. Lisa confessed to her best friend Mel that she actually shot Phil - not her deceased husband Steve as Mel had thought. This resulted in Mel leaving the Square and moving to Portugal. She gave birth to a baby daughter in September.

Sonia and Jamie had an on and off relationship. Ethel had told them before she died that she could feel they were meant to be together and even gave them her wedding ring. They came together again when Jamie was beaten up by Phil, and they decided they would marry. He had pawned the ring Ethel had given them to start up a business, much to the annoyance of Sonia. Just as he got the ring back, he was run over by Martin Fowler and died in hospital on Christmas Day.

2003

Janine began a plot to con Barry, which Paul later was brought in on.

Vicki Fowler returned from America, as did Sharon Watts. They tracked down their long-lost half brother Dennis Rickman, who was a past employee of Jack Dalton.

Vicki became pregnant with Spencer Moon's baby but later aborted it, Dennis set about bedding nearly every women on the square and earned himself a reputation as a love rat. He soon set his sights on his (adopted) 'sister' Sharon, who rebuffed his advances.

Martin was released from jail and came out completely changed, he and Vicki robbed the minute mart, Gus was arrested but Dennis helped him clear his name.

Alfie developed a crush on Kat Slater but she was oblivious.

Laura began to run the cafe. She was pregnant with her first child. She thought Garry Hobbs was the father but in reality Ian was.

Billy stole money from the club and was fired when he confessed.

Phil fell in love with undercover copper Kate and later saved her life when Jack Dalton put out a hit on her. The happy couple became engaged but he now owed Jack a favour.

Phil's nanny Joanne had a crush on him and tried to seduce him much to his horror. Kate later fired the love struck nanny.

Grant was involved in a car crash out in Rio and Peggy and Sam flew out to look after him while he recovered from his injuries.

Jack soon called in that favour. He wanted Phil to kill Dennis Rickman who was trying to extract money from the gangster and had pushed Jack too far. Phil struggled to carry out the task as he couldn't stand to hurt Sharon, but eventually he realised he had no choice and attacked Dennis at Angie's Den. Dennis managed to talk Phil round and convinced Phil to give him the gun so he could kill Dalton instead and end both their troubles with the gangster.

Dennis shot gangster Dalton that same night. Dennis was an emotional wreck as he led Dalton to his death. Dalton took advantage of this; planting doubts in Dennis about Phil and talking about the good times they had shared in the past. It looked like he had won Dennis round but made a mistake when he began to insult Sharon and the Watts Family. Dennis declared that Den Watts was his old man as well as Sharon's. Dalton pleaded for his life and offered some information which he believed would stop Dennis from killing him - Dalton had ordered the death of Den Watts. Dalton admitted that Den actually survived and fled abroad, but this didn't stop Dennis killing him. Dennis began to secretly investigate what had happened to his father and found an address in Spain. He later visited it off screen but didn't have the courage to knock on the door. He returned to Walford and told Sharon that Den was alive. She refused to believe him but Vicki overheard their conversation and disappeared from Walford the following day.

Dennis visited Jan, Den's old mistress. It turned out she had helped Den flee the UK all those years ago. He wanted her to visit Sharon and convince her that Den was alive and living in Spain. Jan doubted that Sharon could handle the truth. She thought that Sharon was still a little girl at heart but agreed to meet with her. She commented that Sharon was lucky to have a brother like Dennis looking after her. Dennis declared that he was not Sharon's brother. When Jan asked him what he was to Sharon, he left unable to answer her.

Dennis returned home to Sharon intent on making her meet Jan, but after another heated argument Dennis saw that Jan had been right about Sharon's state of mind and he declared that there was no truth in what he was saying. Sharon embraced him gratefully and as far as they were both concerned Den was dead and would remain dead.

On the night of 29 September 2003, Sharon was avoiding Dennis, Vicki was still missing and Billy was fired from the club. Dennis sat drinking alone in the flat after suffering abuse from both Sam and Phil. Pauline and Sharon had an argument in the Vic over Den and Sharon stormed over to the flat. Dennis and Sharon were soon both arguing over Phil. As the argument reached fever pitch Dennis admitted how much he desired Sharon. Shocked, she tried to flee. He wouldn't let her and soon drew her into a passionate embrace. Later on in bed he told her he was in love with her. He now assumed they were a couple but it was obvious Sharon was already regretting sleeping with him. Panicking, Sharon fled. Dennis chased her to the club where they were greeted by Vicki who declared she had a 'surprise' for Sharon. Den Watts stepped out of the shadows and said: "Hello princess".

Den discovered Dennis was his son and it was apparent that the two men did not like each other at all but put an act of solidarity on 'for the girls'. Sharon broke Dennis's heart when she made it clear that he had no chance with her. 'Dirty' Den Watts was back in Walford after 14 years, very much alive after everyone had believed him to be dead.

Phil and Den clashed straight away but Den was sly and pretended to respect Phil and his status in the square. In reality he and Dennis eventually set up Phil Mitchell in an armed robbery scam. Phil was arrested but escaped from prison and went on the run while Den and Dennis finally felt a bond.

Alfie Moon fell in love with Kat Slater, and eventually Kat started to reciprocate his feelings and the two got together one night and intended to sleep together. However Alfie did not have a condom and the Vic machine was out of them. What followed was a comic search throughout Walford as Alfie kept on almost getting a condom then losing it. In the end he got a condom off a guy who he had met right at the beginning of the search. Alfie excitedly returned to the Vic only to find Kat had fallen asleep while waiting for him. The next morning, Kat thought Alfie had done a runner the night before, but the misunderstanding was soon sorted and they decided to take the relationship slowly. However the relationship only lasted a couple of days before Alfie's inability to trust Kat caused her to break up with him. With Alfie out of the picture local gangster Andy Hunter began to woo Kat and eventually she agreed to marry him however it was clear she really loved Alfie, and the two grew closer when Nana Moon's life was endangered by water on the brain. Nana recovered and Alfie, in the true style of "The Graduate", rushed to interrupt the wedding and declared his love for Kat. Kat left Andy at the alter and the two walked away together. Alfie quickly proposed to Kat and she accepted and the two prepared to wed on Christmas Day. However Alfie decided to check he had divorced his first wife. Visiting her mother, Alfie was told that the two were divorced, however they weren't and when Alfie found out he quickly attempted to get his divorce finalised before the wedding however Christmas Day arrived and his decree absolute still hadn't arrived in the post. Unwilling to tell Kat they couldn't get married, Alfie called a dodgy mate asking him to officiate the wedding, reasoning he could tell Kat after the divorce had arrived, but Spencer recognised the mate and confronted his brother and demanded he tell Kat the truth. Alfie told Kat the full story, and she was furious and ready to call the engagement off, but at the last second Alfie's solicitor turned up with the divorce certificate. Alfie persuaded the registrar to leave his Christmas Dinner to officiate the wedding, and the two were married and Alfie sprung a final surprise on Kat... he had arranged a snow machine to beb brought into the Square covering it with snow.

On New Years Eve, Mickey crashed the mini van that was taking the Walford teens to Scotland and almost killed Zoe.

Meanwhile, Barry asked Janine to marry him but later Dr. Leroy told him he had an enlarged heart. Deciding to look this up on the internet, Barry bungled the search and read a page on the wrong heart condition and thought he only had weeks to live. Barry told Janine then fled to Scotland, unwilling to marry her and leave her a widow. Janine however was delighted to think that Barry only had weeks to live and went to Scotland with Paul to persuade him to marry her immediately. Paul was able to convince him that Janine really wanted to marry him, and the two had a shotgun wedding. However Paul was beginning to have doubts about the plan as not only did he feel bad about conning Barry after seeing he was a genuinely nice man, but he had fallen in love with Janine, however his declaration was ignored by her. That night, Barry called Dr. Leroy to make sure his heart to stand up to the vigors of a wedding night and Dr. Leroy, who had himself been trying to contact Barry to tell him his condition wasn't serious, informed Barry that an enlarged heart wasn't a serious problem and that he would probably live a normal life. Barry was ecstatic about this and told Janine, who was horrified her plan had backfired.

2004

2004 began with a murder. Barry Evans felt at one with the world, and felt at peace after learning he would lead a normal life. Janine and Paul were desperate to find a way out of the marriage, and saw a chance when a woman int he hotel bar confessed to Paul she fancied Barry. Realizing Barry sleeping with another woman could lead to a quickie divorce, Paul desperately tried to get Barry to sleep with the woman but to no avail. During a walk through the countryside, Barry showed Janine a love heart he ad carved into a tree with their initials, and Janine, sick of her new husband's overpowering love confessed to him that she loathed rather than loved him, as well as her affair with Paul and the fact she'd done it for the money. A devastated Barry begged her to stay with him anyway and as he attempted to hug her she pushed him over a cliff and she approached him and despite his pleas for help happily watched him die. While she initially feigned ignorance, she confessed the truth to Paul, and had the body cremated before returning to Walford. A disgusted and horrified Paul finished with Janine, but was forced to keep her dastardly deed a secret, for fear he would implicate himself as an accomplice. Back in Walford Barry's ex-wife, Natalie Evans, suspected that Janine had something to do with his death. She began to investigate, which led to her growing close to Paul, the only other person who knew the truth about Barry's death. The truth finally came out, but with no evidence, Janine was in the clear and appeared to have got away with it. Later in the year Janine reignited a feud with her old nemesis Laura Beale and shopped her to the DSS for benefit fraud. Laura subsequently tripped on the stairs and fell to her death and everyone assumed Janine had pushed her. Pat Evans was the only one who could give her an alibi, but she wanted payback for Barry, and so Janine was sent down for murder.

After being raped by Graham Foster, Little Mo Mitchell was shocked to learn that she was pregnant with his child. She decided to keep the baby, but her husband Billy couldn't handle it and they decided to go their separate ways, leaving them both devastated. Mo's father, Charlie Slater couldn't handle it either and he viciously attacked Graham, putting him in hospital with severe injuries. Graham threatened to sue and so it was left to Kat Moon to pay him off and she had to borrow the money from her malicious ex-fiance , Andy Hunter, to do it. Kat struggled to meet the loan repayments, so she agreed to sleep with Andy in order to absolve her debt and save her husband, Alfie Moon, from Andy's heavies. Andy taped their sordid romp and then gave it to Alfie. Alfie's world fell apart and he was unable to forgive Kat. After much arguing and yet more infidelity, Kat packed her bags and left Walford.

Tariq Larousi admitted to Mickey Miller that he was, in fact, the Ferreira siblings’ half brother! Later on, Ronny Ferreira and Tariq got caught in a fight. Ronny was stabbed and rushed to hospital where the staff quickly discovered he needed a kidney transplant or he would die. Tariq turned out to be the one whose kidney matched, forcing him to divulge to the family that he was their brother all along. Everyone was in shock and disbelief, but after much drama, Tariq agreed to be the donor and prepared for surgery.

February 2004 saw the revival of the controversial storyline "Shannis". Dennis Rickman and his adoptive sister Sharon Watts reignited their romance on Valentines Day. However their relationship was promptly nipped in the bud when their father, Den, found out they were sleeping together. After threatening to disown his son, Dennis had no choice but to end things with Sharon. He then started dating Zoe Slater. Later on Den's wife Chrissie arrived in the Square and agreed to stay in Walford with her newfound family. However Den was far from faithful, and after Chrissie discovered he was having an affair with Kate Mitchell, she found a suitable way to get her revenge.

Despite being in a relationship with Zoe Slater Dennis continued to pursue Sharon. Sharon no longer trusted him and refused to take him back.

Mark Fowler died off-screen of an AIDS related illness, a year after leaving Walford. His family gave him the biggest send-off Walford had ever seen. Happier times for the Fowlers came just weeks later when Martin married Sonia Jackson in a secret wedding in Southend. Later in the year Martin became the target of a psychopathic stalker, Sarah Cairns. She became obsessed with him and hell bent on splitting his marriage up. After a violent showdown she was sectioned and Sonia and Martin's marriage remained intact.

Sam Mitchell waged war against the Watts and instructed Billy Mitchell to blow up Angie's Den. Vicki was trapped inside but was rescued from the fire by Billy.

Nana Moon returned from a holiday with a new man on her arm. She was really taken with Wilfred Atkins and revealed to her shocked family that they were engaged to be married. Alfie was stunned and tried to get Nana to change her mind. Eventually, after he ran off with Nana's medals and Pat Evans's money, the family realized he was a fraud. Nana was heart-broken.

Garry Hobbs had a bad year. Firstly the son he thought was his, turned out to be Ian Beale's. Secondly his pregnant wife, Lynne, was involved in an accident when a fairground ride collapsed on top of her. Garry was forced to consent to an emergency cesarean. Unfortunately the baby died and as a result Lynne was never able to have children again. The marriage collapsed and Lynne left.

Dot Cotton discovered she had cancer. The strong willed woman decided to go against surgery, reasoning that it was God's decision. Eventually, Jim Branning persuaded his companion that surgery was the answer and Dot had the operation.

Sam Mitchell and Andy Hunter married in 2004 and so did Patrick Trueman and Yolande. The Millers all moved into the Square and Demi Miller, who was only 13, gave birth to a little girl. Vicki Fowler also upset her family after getting involved with a man who was old enough to be her father. The Watts were not impressed and set about trying to split them up. Stacey Slater also arrived in Walford and began causing trouble straight away.

Little Mo returned to Walford for the trial against Graham. She brought her new baby Freddie with her. She and Billy were finding it hard to talk and get along, but they both decided that they wanted to make a go of their marriage. Despite revealing that Graham was Freddie’s father, the jury found Graham guilty and he was sentenced to 8 years imprisonment. Little Mo returned to work at the Queen Vic and, as she and Alfie grew closer by the day, Billy couldn't accept Freddie as his own and so he and Mo split again.

Sharon Watts fell for a man called James at her club and began a relationship with him. Dennis was consumed with jealousy and attacked James. Sharon was furious - why was Dennis allowed to have a relationship with Zoe whilst any man that showed an interest in Sharon was scared off by Dennis?

Dennis forced Sharon to confront her feelings. He told her he was still in love with her and asked her if she felt the same. She told him she loved him too but she would never allow herself to be with him as she knew she couldn't give him the family she knew he craved. Dennis was shocked to discover that Sharon was infertile, but at the same time he refused to let the issue come between them. He insisted that they should be together and that it didn't matter if they couldn't have any children. Sharon knew he was blinded by his love and unable to see the whole picture. She told him to think seriously about it and Dennis left the square in turmoil.

Dennis returned to the square a few weeks later claiming that he had decided to make a go of things with Zoe so they moved in together. Heartbroken at being rejected, Sharon began a shameless campaign to win back Dennis and she and Zoe fought when Sharon told her that they all knew it was her Dennis really wanted.In the club, Zoe, Dennis and Sharon were alone. Zoe told Dennis to tell Sharon that he didn't love her anymore. Dennis turned to Sharon but was unable to say the words. Furious, Zoe fled and asked Dennis why he didn't think of her at all. A look of dawning crossed his face and he left Zoe with no answer.

Sharon refused to give up her quest and told a shocked Dennis it would only be a matter of time before they were back together. Again, Dennis couldn't handle the situation and took off. They later had a heated argument in which Sharon admitted she wanted Dennis. A stunned Dennis tried to flee once again but when Sharon attempted to confront him by blocking his path, he pushed her against a wall and unable to resist Sharon, embraced her passionately. Sharon was pleased she has provoked Dennis into showing his true colors for her, but Dennis took off yet again - unable to handle the situation. When Sharon returned to her house late that night, Dennis stepped out of from the shadows and embraced her tearfully. Sharon was estactic to believe that Dennis had finally chosen her.

Dennis still desperately loved Sharon and they started a passionate affair behind Zoe's back. Dennis wanted to go public as soon as possible but Sharon was reluctant as she was scared of what Den would do to Dennis.Stacey Slater discovered the affair as she saw the pair kissing and informed Zoe, who refused to believe her. Den was growing more suspicious of the pair and Dennis convinced Sharon to elope with him to America. They planned to leave on Boxing Day.

Den Watts was up to his dirty tricks again and managed to con Sam Mitchell into selling him the Vic and he was reinstated as landlord (16 years after selling it to Frank Butcher) and made his first act to immediately sack Alfie and throw the Moon family onto the streets.

Dennis was upset as he believed Sharon would be tempted to stay with Den and run the Vic rather than leave with him. Sharon told Den that she couldn't have children and he should stop hinting at her giving him any grandchildren.

On Christmas Eve Den caught Dennis and Sharon kissing behind the bar of Angies Den. They didn't notice him and he didn't confront them. On Christmas Day, Sharon and Dennis revealed that they were in love and leaving for New York the following day.

Den told Zoe Slater to fake a pregnancy with Dennis's child to stop him leaving with his adoptive daughter. Dennis refused to leave Sharon but later suggested that they stay in Walford as a couple and that way he could see the child and still be with her. Zoe was unable to convince Dennis to give up Sharon, so she talked to Sharon making her feel guilty for stealing her baby's dad. She lied and told Sharon that Dennis had told her about Sharon being infertile. Sharon was unable to cope with this and she called off her relationship with a stunned Dennis and decided to leave Walford without him. Den couldn't believe his plan had backfired so badly. He told Sharon to stay and let Dennis leave, but she had made up her mind. Desperate To keep her, Den admitted that he couldn't cope without her and that he didn't love his real daughter, Vicki, nearly as much as he loved Sharon. Vicki heard him and began to pack her bags, she was going with Sharon, both of his daughters left to go to America.

Dennis was left heartbroken in the street. He gave Sharon a ring and told her he would love her forever. Zoe watched and attempted to tell the truth, but Den silenced her. Den was left without his precious daughters and with the son he didn't want. He quietly swore under his breath that Dennis would pay for what he'd done.

As for the Moon's, Alfie was left devastated by his sudden reversal in circumstances, and while they arranged for Nana to stay with the Slaters, Alfie and Spencer were forced to spend Christmas Eve night sleeping in Ian's fish van. Alfie decided to leave the Square immediately. However when confronted by the angry residents of Albert Square (who had all turned up at the Vic expecting their Christmas Lunches only to be turned away by Den), he agreed to help out. Alfie's taxi had arrived and the driver waited impatiently throughout the festivities, and eventually threatened to take Alfie's belongings as the meter had been running throughout the party. All the residents helped Alfie pay off the debt, and he was persuaded to stay. The evening ended with an unexpected kiss between him and Little Mo, kicking off the unpopular Molfie storyline.

2005

Dennis didn't want anyone to know about the baby and Zoe agreed to keep quiet. Zoe needed to get pregnant and Dennis couldn't bring himself to sleep with her, he was focused on the baby and was struggling without Sharon.

Andy Hunter encouraged Dennis to fly out to America and get Sharon but he knew he couldn't abandon his child. Andy also was very vocal in raising doubts over Zoe's convenient timing with her pregnancy, he confronted Zoe. Zoe began to panic and threw herself at the men around the square in a bid to get pregnant. Dennis wondered about baby scans and why Zoe was leaving it so late to have one. Den offered to make her pregnant, repulsed she turned him down flat.

Zoe failed to find anyone to sleep with and after sleeping with Den (37 years her senior) she became pregnant to keep up with the pretense of their child. Dennis caught them in bed, Den tried to make Dennis stay for the sake of the 'baby'. Dennis refused and Den compared Dennis's actions to his own. Dennis stated that he was nothing like his father, Den disagreed - spitefully he spat out that the only reason Sharon had been interested in Dennis was because he reminded her of Den.

Zoe confessed to Dot that she loved Dennis and would do anything to keep him. Dot pointed out that it isn't really love if the person you love doesn't love you back, Dot told Zoe that until Dennis met Sharon and Vicki his life was empty of love, and felt sorry for Dennis, now that Sharon and Vicki are gone, his life was missing the loved ones he finally found. Zoe realized her selfishness, Den tried to stop her but she refused to be bullied by him anymore. She confessed to Dennis that she was not and has never been pregnant, confessing that she had played along with Den's scam. Dennis remained expressionless as she told him the truth and why she did it. Dennis was devastated and got up to leave, but Zoe still believed that they could be together. He insults Sharon and Dennis hits her.

Dennis stormed out of the square, saw Den and told him some home truths. Den remained smug and unrepentant. Dennis runs into Chrissie, sensing something is wrong she asks him if he's OK. He stares at her suddenly and with a sardonic smile informs her of everything. She kept the information to herself. Dennis leaves to track down Sharon.

Den had conspired with Marcus Christie conned Sam out of the Mitchell fortune, and Johnny Allen killed Sam's husband, Andy Hunter.

Phil Mitchell foolishly returned to Walford in search of money and was promptly caught by the police.

Zoe aborted Den's child, and she, Chrissie and Sam Hunter all confronted Den in The Vic. Den confessed to everything, only for Sharon to appear from the shadows. Chrissie had summoned her from America by saying that Den was ill, only for her to hear her father confessing to his scam to buy the Vic and leave Sam with nothing, as well as his plan to split her from Dennis. Sharon fled the Square and told Den that she was an orphan; her father had died a long time ago. Den walked back into the pub and turned violent towards Chrissie, knowing that she had organized his humiliation. Zoe hit Den over the head with an iron doorstop to protect Chrissie. They were all convinced that Den was dead. She and Sam left the room and Den grabbed Chrissie's leg. She picked up the doorstop and delivered a fatal blow (secretly watched by Sam), but allowed Zoe to believe that she killed him. Sam wanted The Vic back or she would blow Chrissie's cover, and after a few months, she told Zoe that Chrissie murdered Den.

Zoe decided to start a new life with Kelly in Spain. At Zoe's farewell party in the Vic, Sharon and Dennis turned up from America looking for Den. Zoe's family and all of the other residents who were unaware of Den's scam were convinced that Dennis had abandoned Zoe and the baby for Sharon and the couple were made very unwelcome in the square. Sharon pressured Zoe to tell the truth about the baby and Dennis, and in a crowded Vic she revealed that Den and not Dennis had been the father of her baby.

The Slaters were in turmoil and Kat demanded the truth from Zoe, eventually Zoe revealed what had really happened to Den, Kat was stunned and Zoe left for Spain leaving Kat to deal with Chrissie. Dennis proposed to Sharon and she accepted, they both began to search for Den, Chrissie did all she could to stop Sharon finding out the truth about her father, it looked like Chrissie had succeeded when Sharon gave up looking. and decided that Dennis was more important to her, Chrissie planned to sell the vic to a mystery buyer (who later turned out to be Ian Beale) and flee the country with her new boyfriend Jake Moon, Dennis and Sharon's wedding day was to be the date of Chrissies departure but her plans changed when Sam found out that Chrissie had lied to her about owning all of the Vic (she had in fact forged Den's signature on the deeds and didn't really own it all).

Sam was hell bent on revenge and on the day that Sharon and Dennis got married Sam got drunk smashed up the Vic, destroyed chrissies aeroplane tickets and passport and smashed the concrete cellar floor, with the intention of bringing Chrissie to justice. The police soon arrived and found a body beneath the cellar, quickly identifying it as Den's. Sam's plan backfired, and Chrissie framed Sam, who ended up being remanded in prison on a murder charge. Grant returned from Rio to help his brother and sister out of prison. Phil was released after the witness withdrew their statement after Grant pulled some strings. Johnny Allen taped Chrissie in his club admitting to murder, the Mitchell brothers took the tape by force and showed it to the police. Sharon discovered that Chrissie had killed Den and the Rickmans and the Mitchells teamed up to bring down Chrissie. Chrissie was caught by Sharon at the airport fleeing and Sam was released on bail, escaping to Rio to avoid being sent to prison for being an accessory. Dennis and Sharon now owned the Vic and decided to sell it to Phil (much to Ian's disgust), while Phil Mitchell started paying Juley Smith to date Ruby Allen (and eventually move in with Ruby), to make Johnny angry.

Demi Miller and the father of her baby, Leo Taylor ran away together, but after Demi took heroin to numb her pain of being homeless, Leo discovered her lifeless body and committed suicide. Demi later woke up and survived. Danny Moon also burnt Johnny's house down, and Johnny nearly murdered him, letting him leave the country on the condition that he wouldn't return.Nana Moon died of an aortic aneurysm just before Christmas and Alfie decided to leave the Square and fulfill his dream of traveling the USA on a motorbike. Alfie left on Christmas day, with Kat watching his car disappearing into the distance. He later came back and told Kat he had "forgotten the most important thing in his life", and the two drove off together. Sharon believed that she had food poisoning, Dennis took her to the hospital and accused her of being a drama queen — until she collapsed in hospital. The worried couple were later amazed to discover that she was pregnant, despite the fact that a doctor had declared her infertile several years before.

Sharon and Dennis had "interfered" too much with Ruby's life, and Johnny threatened Sharon that if they weren't gone by midnight on New Years Eve, he would kill Dennis. Sharon confided in Phil, who told Dennis about it, in the hope that Dennis would attack Johnny. Phil got what he wanted - Dennis headed straight to the nightclub and battered Johnny in his office. Phil went to see Johnny in hospital the next day, and took the CCTV tape from Johnny's camera. Dennis was walking in the Square as the clock struck midnight, but as he was walking towards Sharon, a hooded man brushed into him and stabbed him. He fell to the ground and died seconds into 2006, while Sharon lay screaming next to him.

2006

The year began with Sharon in a depressed silence, mourning the loss of her husband. While Dennis Rickman lay in a mortuary, Johnny was in a critical condition in hospital, but survived. While Johnny was in hospital Phil (who was guilt-stricken over the fact he had been involved in Dennis's death) manipulated Juley into dumping Ruby. Johnny discharged himself and went to talk to Juley. Gus and Juley told Johnny about Phil's bribery.

Sharon and Phil headed off to America to see Michelle and Vicki, but Phil saved Ruby from death by alcohol poisoning before leaving. Johnny took Ruby on holiday when she was given the all clear, and put his house on the market.

Mickey and Dawn's real dad, Mike Swann, appeared in Walford. He was in London visiting his sick mother, Nora, and stayed with the Millers. He and Rosie enjoyed a brief kiss and decided to run away together. Rosie changed her mind at the last minute, and Mike left without her. Dawn and Mickey knew about it and Dawn accidentally told Keith Miller, who moved out of the family home.

Joe Macer proposed to Pauline Fowler, only to be turned down. Pat Evans' ex-great nephew, Deano Wicks arrived in the Square, as did Jim Branning's grandson Bradley. Deano spiked Stacey's drink to cheer her up, and Bradley got arrested for it, but Deano eventually owned up to the crime and got away with a caution. Billy Mitchell's girlfriend, Honey Edwards, also revealed that she was pregnant and Billy proposed, later in the show Honey gave birth to Janet but Billy and Honey soon discover that baby Janet had Downs Syndrome. Joe was offered a job in Dubai, and asked Pauline to marry him before leaving. She said yes, and he stayed. They were then married but at the wedding reception Stacey told Yolande in the Queen Vic that her husband Patrick had been having an affair with Pat. Yolande slapped both of them but Pat then slapped Yolande back which then led to them having a massive fight in the reception.

Deano's dad and sister, Kevin and Carly, arrived in Walford in February. Carly had marriage problems with her husband Nico, and after a series of meetings with his father Yanis, they reconciled, only to break up again because Nico wanted to move back to Cyprus.

Mike Swann reappeared in Walford when his mother died, and used Dawn to steal money that Rosie had inherited from Nora. Rosie, Mickey and Dawn discovered his plan and Rosie gave him the money on the condition that he wouldn't return. Keith proposed to Rosie and she accepted.

News reached Ian Beale that his mother, Kathy, had died in a car crash. Ian went to South Africa for her funeral and brought back his 10-year-old half brother Ben. Joe's old friend Bert Atkinson arrived in Walford, and blackmailed Joe to let him stay, or he'd tell Pauline Joe's secret; that he was convicted of a crime in the past.

Honey's dad Jack also arrived in Walford and took an instant dislike to Billy. Upon learning that his daughter was pregnant he told her "You can't have this baby!" Honey went for a scan, and found out that she did not have the same heart condition as her mother, and would not be endangered during labor. Jack and Peggy showed an interest in each other, and went out on a date, but Jack had to leave Walford to do a job in the north. Dot discovered that Joe and Bert were ex-convicts, and threatened to tell Pauline. When Pauline found out she threw Joe out when he refused to choose between her and Bert.

Danny Moon returned to the square and told his brother Jake that he was working for Johnny Allen. Phil Mitchell returned to Walford to learn that Ben had been living there for two weeks. Phil's brother Grant and niece Courtney also returned to the Square, and Phil and Grant went on a golfing trip to Essex. While in Essex, Phil and Grant caught up with Johnny Allen, who had suffered a relapse in his battle against alcoholism, having gone years without consuming any alcohol. Grant talked to Ruby while Phil spoke to Johnny, but Johnny, aided by Danny Moon, captured the brothers and took them to some woodland. Just as Danny was about to shoot Grant, Jake arrived and shot his brother. Jake, Phil and Grant buried Danny's corpse in the woods and left, as Ruby persuaded to Johnny to give himself over to the police for the murders of Dennis and Andy. Jake was distraught when he returned to Walford, so the Mitchell brothers drove their car at him to test if he wanted to die.

A new family, the Foxes, arrived. First, 19 year old Chelsea who started working at the video shop and going out with Grant. Then Chelsea's mum Denise and little sister Squiggle (Libby).

Little Mo was terrified when Freddie was taken to hospital and everyone blamed her. Ben Mitchell admitted to hitting him, but Little Mo left the Square and moved to Barnstapleand ex boyfriend Oliver went to Leeds.

Grant and Jane slept together but it wasn't until her birthday that Jane realized that she loved Ian the most. Phil told Ian four months later, leaving him devastated but he stayed with jane and they got engaged.After finding out that his wife Carla was scamming him, Grant and Courtney left to go to Portugal.

Martin got sole guardianship of Rebecca after Margaret found out that Sonia was in a same-sex relationship. In October they shared a night of Passion.

Denise Fox's ex-husband Owen Turner turned up in the Square and caused lots of trouble. He took Denise hostage and ended up getting arrested. In September, Owen kidnapped Libby and tried to drown her in a stream, but luckily denise rescued her just in time.

Rosie and Keith Miller got engaged, and despite Keith's hope for a long engagement, the two made it up the aisle. However when the time came to say 'I Do', Rosie realized that she can't be with Keith and went for a job in the Cotswolds, taking Demi and Aleesha with her.

The Branning clan doubled it's numbers when Bradley's dad Max turned up with his wife, Tanya and two daughters, Lauren and Abi.Ian joined the WCCT pretending that Dawn was his wife. Jane discovered when she decided to join him at a hotel and was furious.

Whilst returning money to the club, Ruby was mugged by Juley, who then left Walford. Following that Stacey and Ruby went on holiday, on their return Stacey discovered she was pregnant, and bumped into her older brother, Sean Slater. She later terminated her baby, but claimed she'd had a miscarriage. Sean started dating Ruby in order to get her money.

Honey got food poisoning two days before her wedding. She was determined to go ahead but she collapsed on the way to the church and the wedding was canceled. Her second wedding was equally as bad when Billy woke up in a furniture warehouse and didn't make it the church on time. Their third wedding was a surprise wedding, Honey went into labor and gave birth to a girl named Janet(later re-named Petal) who had Down's syndrome. Honey refused to accept Petal and decided to get her adopted.

Jake was worried about Ruby so he slipped a note to Johnny. Jake tricked Sean into going to see Johnny. Sean angered Johnny, and when Sean left Johnny went into his cell and suffered a fatal heart attack. Sean proposed to Ruby, but was annoyed when they were told that she couldn't get her money until she was 21. Sean then dumped Ruby who took revenge by telling Jean that Sean was back, leading to a fight and Ruby leaving for good.

Dawn dated WCCT member Rob Minter, but was devastated when she discovered that he was married to Dr. May Wright.

Ian's plan to ruin his wedding to Jane backfired when Phil found out and told Jane. Ian and Jane ended up fighting in the mud and got back together, angering Pauline.

Pauline wanted to keep Sonia and Martin apart so she lied that she had a brain tumor, but when her family found out they were furious. Pauline decided to leave and go to live with daughter Michelle on Christmas Day. However, a confrontation with former daughter-in-law Sonia took place on Christmas night. A fierce argument broke out, culminating in Sonia giving Pauline a slap across the face. Sonia apologized and desperately pleaded for Pauline to stay. This led to Pauline changing her mind and deciding to stay in Walford to mend her broken relationship with Martin and to be a grandmother to little Rebecca. She tried to find him to make amends for ruining his and Sonia's relationship, but in a heartbreaking conclusion to the storyline, Pauline died beside the bench of her beloved Arthur before she could apologize and rebuild her relationship with her son.

2007

The year started with Pauline Fowler's funeral and the second appearance of Shirley Carter. Carly Wicks saw her dad and the women whom she met in Dorset having a fight, and realised that she must be her mum.

Rebecca Miller told Dot Branning that it was Sonia Fowler who killed Pauline. Dot called the police who interrupted the funeral. Martin Fowler accused Joe Macer of murder until Sonia revealed that it was her. Sonia and Martin had an argument and Sonia was arrested on suspicion of murder. Sonia was later released due to lack of evidence but, when the post mortem results came back, the police wanted to arrest her so she went on the run with her daughter. However, when Joe Macer turned out to be Pauline's killer after all, Sonia's name was cleared. She subsequently left Walford with Martin and Rebecca to start a new life in Manchester.

After Deano Wicks went to visit his mum Shirley Carter, he became crazed and depressed. Chelsea Fox was worried when she spotted him getting angry in a car, so she got in as well. Deano wasn't concentrating and knocked over Abi Branning whose father Max had forgotten to pick her up because he was too busy flirting with Stacey Slater. Their affair continued but Tanya became suspicious. However, her suspicions were curbed in an emotional showdown which saw Max confess to having been abused as a child.

Another major storyline of 2007 was Dot and Jim Branning's attempts to look after Tomas Covalenco, the baby of illegal immigrant Anya Covalenco, under the pretense that the child was Dot's grandson.

In May 2007, a storyline about a missing baby in "EastEnders" was scrapped because of similarities with the Madeleine McCann case in Portugal. The plot was due to revolve around pregnant character Dawn Swann and GP May Wright. Dawn had promised to sell baby Summer to May and her husband Rob but broke off the deal. Dawn was abducted by May and Rob, who had promised her a weekend in the country. May then handcuffed Dawn to the bed, and wanted to perform a caesarean section on Dawn. Dawn managed to break free of the handcuffs, break a vase over Rob's head, stab May, and escape in Rob's car. She did not tell the police, as she wanted to take care of Rob and May herself. Dawn went into labor whilst on the London Underground, during a train delay. She was on her way to stay with her mother and sister. Dawn gave birth to Summer, and decided to stay in Walford after May tried to kidnap Summer from the hospital. May left Rob and went on the run. She turned up days later at the Millers' house, wanting to give Summer all the toys and clothes she had bought her. May asked to see Summer, and Dawn cunningly phoned the police when she went to get her. The police arrested May for kidnap. This was the last time she was seen. Also in May in order to resolve their differences Ian Beale and Phill Mitchell decided to take there sons Peter and Ben camping (with Billy Mitchell acompaning them). However on the way back Phill crashed the car , as Ian and Phill tried to get Ben and a unconcious Peter out of the car the car rolled down a hill and into a lake. Phill managed to get Ben out but Peter nearly drowned.

Stacey Slater and Max Branning's affair continued throughout 2007 until Max's wife Tanya discovered she was pregnant. Max and Tanya left for Spain and returned several weeks later, to discover Stacey was back in a relationship with Max's son Bradley, and they were engaged to be married.

Phil Mitchell met lawyer Stella Crawford and after some time, the pair became engaged. Stella psychologically bullied Phil's son, Ben, and after months of bullying going on behind Phil's back, Ben spoke out on their wedding day. Ben refused to walk down the aisle with Stella, and Stella grabbed him and threatened to kill him. He was then forced to walk down the aisle, but then he stood up asking for help, showing Phil and the guests at the wedding what Stella had done. Phil quizzed Stella, who blamed it all on Ian Beale, saying he had been hurting Ben. Phil knew that Ian wouldn't hurt Ben and saw past her act, and followed her out of the church. Stella got away, but she phoned Phil to try and reason with him. He said he wouldn't hurt her, but tried to run her over when he found her. It all ended with a showdown on a roof, with Stella jumping to her death. While the rest of the family attempted to recover from the revelation, Phil became depressed at his failure to protect his son, and turned to his alcoholism.

The wedding also saw two newcomers to the Square in the shape of Ronnie Mitchell and her sister Roxy, who were cousins of Phil. Having arrived from their bar in Ibiza in time for the reception, the two stayed for longer than expected as they attempted to help the family recover from the news that Stella had been abusing Ben. When the others left for Brazil to visit Grant, the two were placed in charge of the Vic, putting barmaid Shirley Carter's nose out of joint. Also, the two reignited the Mitchell/Beale feud when Ian, while upstairs, accidentally saw Ronnie in her bra. This led to further events such as a bag of rubbish getting dumped outside Ian's, Ian stealing the Queen Vic bust and Ronnie and Roxy also starting to serve food in the Vic, causing a loss of business in the cafe.

Another case was the attacking of Patrick Trueman in the Minute Mart. One suspect was thought to be Sean Slater after Chelsea Fox and Deano Wicks turned him in after they saw Sean having a violent row with Patrick. They knew Sean did not attack Patrick but did it as an act of revenge. Carly later found Sean's blood stained shirt which is a vital piece of evidence. Deano was attacked out the Vic and Sean admitted to Carly he was the reason he was attacked, ending their relationship. Deano's father Kevin found the CCTV tape from the shop that Deano and Chelsea had taken and discovered that Craig Dixon had attacked Patrick. Craig was arrested for attempted murder (but not before leaving a gun in Lucy's belongings), Sean was released and Chelsea and Deano were arrested for attempting to pervert the course of justice. Sean was enraged with the two, and planned revenge by beating up Deano and cutting Chelsea's hair. They were later sentenced to six months imprisonment.

Another major storyline started in September with Ian Beale getting messages, supposedly from his ex-wife, the late Cindy Beale. It all started when Lucy announced to her brother Peter that she was off to visit their mother in the park. Ian's prime suspect at the beginning was Cindy's sister Gina. While Ian was at Gina's, Jane received an envelope with a picture Cindy looking older than when she died, standing in the Square, holding a recent newspaper. Ian's nightmare continued when he saw a coffin in the back yard and received text messages on his phone. When he rang the number, he was horrified when he found the phone ringing in Jane's jacket pocket. Ian was eventually led to a block of flats where the tormentor revealed himself as Cindy's son Steven Beale.

Ian was held hostage by Steven, who returned to Walford. Lucy asked Steven to hand in Craig's gun to the police but he couldn't do it. After weeks of Ian being missing, Steven took Lucy to the flat where Ian was held. Ian and Steven talked in private and Lucy escaped to let Jane know where they were. When Jane arrived, Ian tried to call the police, but Steven pointed the gun at him to stop him. Steven then realized how depressed he was and pointed the gun at himself. Ian, Lucy and Jane tried to stop him shooting himself, and they scuffled, the gun went off and Jane took the bullet in her stomach. She was then taken to hospital, where she and Ian had a brief reconciliation before the doctors announced they had been forced to perform a hysterectomy to save Jane's life, ruining the plans the two had just made to have a child together. Ian confronted Steven outside and Steven admitted that he thought he was unwell. Ian took Steven to stay in a psychiatric hospital.

Jim Branning was written out of the show indefinitely after John Bardon suffered a stroke. His extended absence from the Square has been explained as Jim suffering a stroke while visiting his daughter Carol (there is still no confirmation as to when/if he will return). Dot, after visiting him, became lonely and withdrawn as she was desperately missing her husband.

In October, a storyline about Peggy Mitchell being in debt formed. Ronnie and Roxy asked her to lend them money so they could buy the nightclub, Scarlet. Peggy agreed to lend them the money, but later, she broke down and admitted she was £40,000 in debt. Bailiffs turned up to take some of Peggy's assets, but Roxy demanded they leave. They informed the Mitchell girls that it's not over, and left. Peggy got Sean Slater to trash the pub and steal from the bar (which he later sold the alcohol and gave Roxy and Ronnie the money), but she didn't want to go to the police so the insurance company refused to pay out.

In November, Bradley and Stacey finally got married and Max's brother Jack Branning turned up. Whilst Stacey was having her hair styled by Tanya, they were unaware that Lauren's video camera was in the room as well. The camera remained there throughout the wedding and Max and Stacey were caught on film ending their affair. Bradley and Stacey left with the camera to film footage of their honeymoon, returning a few weeks later. However the two had returned with the wrong suitcase, preventing the two from watching the wedding (and the incriminating footage) that night. The suitcase was returned two weeks later, but the footage went unwatched for the short term.

Ronnie challenged Jack to a poker game to win some extra money to pay off Peggy's debts, which she won. Jack then bought the night club Scarlet which Ronnie was planning to buy. Jack asked Ronnie to go into partnership with him which she agreed to without Roxy knowing.

Jase Dyer got into trouble when his old gang, including Terry Bates, turned up and trashed the Vic and also sent Honey Mitchell into labor. She gave birth to William who at first wasn't breathing but was revived. Phil, who had returned to Albert Square after spending time with Grant getting past his drink problem, blamed Jase for the pub being trashed and forced him to work for him. Also Phil got Kevin Wicks to sell stolen cars for him.

Peggy started a charity collection for children with Down's syndrome, which angered Billy as his daughter has the disorder. Phil, who was attempting to cash in some of his assets, sold Billy's flat, and his new landlady Manju Patel didn't want a couple with children living in her flat, and gave them notice to vacate. Billy worked extra hard to make more money and started giving away free holly with the fruit and veg on Ian's stall. However the holly was stolen and other market traders were unable to sell any, so Billy was forced to give the extra money he made to charity, meaning he was unable to pay another week's rent. Billy was unable to find a new home, and visited the council to arrange housing. While he was waiting, Ian fired him from his job on the market because he hadn't turned up for work. Billy was told he would have to wait 28 days for an answer, even though he was due to leave the flat the next week. Desperate for money, Billy stole the charity collection box from outside the pub. The next day, Peggy was helping Honey put some Christmas presents away, and found the broken collection box in Billy's wardrobe. On 17 December, Peggy exposed Billy's theft at a birthday party for her sister Sal Martin. Billy later tried to return the money but it ended up spilling over the pub floor, and Billy's theft was exposed to all the residents of the Square. Three days later, Billy and Honey were physically evicted from their home by Mrs Patel and her two nephews. Peggy allowed them to stay at the Queen Vic.

Jack and Phil became enemies when it was revealed the Jack owned half of the nightclub R&R with Ronnie. Jack later told Phil he could find the whereabouts of his daughter Louise, so Phil asked for his help. Jack also revealed that the cars Kevin was selling for Phil were cut-and-shuts, so Phil told Kevin to get rid of them as soon as possible. While Kevin was out, his wife Denise sold a car to Yolande Trueman.

Tanya gave birth to Oscar, so as a present, Lauren decided to transfer Bradley and Stacey's wedding video to DVD. Max gave Lauren money to spend on Christmas presents, but she spent it on herself. When Max discovered this, he told Lauren to return what she had bought, and demanded that she edit the wedding video for Bradley and Stacey. In her room, she watched the video alone, and was upset to see Max kissing Stacey. She transferred the video to DVD and decided whether to expose the affair, she wrapped up the DVD for a Christmas present for Bradley. However, Lauren changed her mind, deciding to throw the DVD away. Tanya discovered the DVD in the bin and put it under the tree. On Christmas Day, Bradley received the gift and the Branning and Slater families gathered to watch the video. Chaos and heartbreak ensued as the incriminating scene with Max and Stacey was viewed, with Tanya slapping Stacey and Bradley punching Max. Christmas ended with both marriages in turmoil and Tanya chucking Max out of the house.

On New Year's eve Kevin tried to steal Yolande's car so he could have it crushed. He used a spare key to get into the car, but Yolande caught him and asked him to give her the keys. The bonnet of the car was slightly open so Kevin disconnected something so the car would not run. Later, he saw Carly fixing it and he then tried to stop Yolande driving the car with Carly inside. Kevin was relieved when they returned later. Kevin later smashed the car's window to break in, but was seen by Phil who told him to get rid of the car, and Ian. Kevin told Ian the car had been vandalized and he had called the police. In the pub, Ian told Yolande the window was smashed. Kevin offered to take the car for repair, so Yolande gave him the keys. As Kevin was getting into the car, he was seen by Shirley, who knew the car was illegal. She threatened to call the police, but Kevin smashed her phone and dragged her into the car, quickly driving off. On the way to their destination, the car ran out of petrol, so they tried pushing it but it ran away from them and ended up crashing. They came up with a plan to remove the number plates, siphon patrol from another car, drive the car around to make it seem like joyriders had stolen it, and then burn it with the remaining petrol. In the car, Kevin was driving dangerously, but then decided it was time to go. Shirley encouraged him to do it again, so Kevin drive off at speed, but the car bonnet opened, blocking their view. The car rolled over and landed on its wheels, seemingly OK.

2008

2008 began with the revelation that Kevin's accident had left him with a metal pole through his stomach. Shirley phoned an ambulance, but before it arrived, Kevin told Shirley that he knew he would be dead before they got there. Shirley arrived back in the Square and informed Denise that Kevin had died. Denise told the rest of the family, who all went to the hospital to view the body. Denise spoke to Kevin, telling him to wake up, and then saying how much she loved him, kissing him at the stroke of midnight and wishing him a happy new year.

In January, Jay Brown became involved with a gang of youths who tormented Dot Branning. When Jay refused to throw a brick through Dot's window, the gang rejected him. However, the leader of the gang, Tegs, later met Jay in a park where they played football together. A fight broke out between them and Jay brandished a knife but they soon laughed it off and said they were still friends. However the rest of the gang then arrived and forced Tegs to choose between them or Jay. Tegs chose the gang and as he walked off, he stabbed Jay. This episode prompted 191 complaints from viewers. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7206562.stm|title=EastEnders stabbing angers fans |publisher=BBC News|date=2008-01-24|accessdate=2008-01-24] On the 31st January, Eastenders screened the first ever single handed episode to be shown in Soap history. This episode featured only Dot Branning a she recorded a personal message for her husband Jim, who was in hospital after a stroke. The episode included Dot talking about how she loved Jim, her dramatic past and what she should do in the future. At the end of the episode, Dot told Jim in the message that she will send him to a Hospice as she believed that being on her own was how it was meant to be.

In February, Clare Bates returned to the square after being thrown out of a car. It was quickly established that all she wanted was money when we saw her palming money off Ian. She then decided to live with Dot. Hazel Hobbs became very ill at the beginning of February and told her dearest friend, Heather, that he thought she was pregnant. After telling her fiance Minty, she then discovered that she wasn't pregnant at all but going through the menopause. When Minty heard this he became deeply upset and after hearing a conversation between Garry and Minty stating that Minty wanted kids so badly and now he can't, Hazel decided to flee Walford. Clare started an ongoing feud between herself and Chelsea Fox when they both applied for a job in Booty, Tanya's Beauty Salon. This feud is still ongoing. Deano returned to Walford after being let out of prison, but he had changed for the worse. First, he made his mum, Shirley, pay for a prostitute for him, he then attacked Sean Slater, and warned Shirley to stay away from him and stole money from her before leaving Walford for good. In a special week of episodes which centered around the Slaters and the Brannings. Tanya and Max went through there divorce hearing, Charlie and Mo reminisce the good times of the past and Bradley and Stacey had a promising reunion on Valentines Day. Unfortunately, Bradley turned down an offer from Stacey, stsing a move from Walford together, and Bradley left her. Behind Jane's back, Clare seduced Ian, but Ian told jane of Clare's seductiveness and Jane showed Clare up in front of the whole pub.

In March, we saw Tanya and Sean getting prepared to take their revenge on Max. Their first plan was to trick him into signing over all of his money to Tanya, but when that didn't work, Tanya wanted rid of him for good. She was going to kill him. So on Good Friday, Tanya and Sean took out their deadly revenge and drugged Max and buried him alive! But Tanya couldn't hack it and later that night she drove back to the grave and dug Max back up. Luckily Max was still alive, just. After lots of talking Max decided it was best if he left her and if she needed him he told her to text him and he would be straight back. So Max left on Easter Monday and whether he will be back is unknown.Also over the Easter period Lucy Beale decided to throw a massive party while Jane and Ian were out, but when they came home the house was trashed, literally. Ian became very angry and Lucy lashed out at him hitting him in the face. Ian retaliated by hitting her back, but quickly regretted it. The next morning Lucy could not be found and it was quickly established that she had ran away. On Good Friday Ian was asked to identify the body of a girl that the police had found but luckily, it wasn't Lucy. She is still missing to this date.

In early April the big storyline was the return of Ricky Butcher and Bianca Jackson. Ricky returned to the square with his new girlfriend, goldigger Melinda, and his sister Diane to announce the death of their father, Frank Butcher and to arrange his funeral in Walford. The funeral ended up being a right East End send off with Peggy and Pat fighting over who he loved the most and Frank's evil daughter Janine Butcher returning for the funeral week only. Suspicions soon arose as to whether Janine was in it for Frank's money only but everyone was soon put in their place after Janine confronted everyone in The Vic. Meanwhile Ricky was desperately trying to get hold of his ex-wife Bianca, so that their son, Liam, could go to the funeral. But Bianca had her own problems. We saw her being thrown out of a B & B after not being able to pay the rent and her and her 3 children and step daughter were left homeless. This was the first time we had seen Bianca on Eastenders in 9 years.During the funeral week we also saw Chelsea desperately trying to discover the true identity of her father and with the help of her little sister Libby and her new friend, ex foe Clare, they found him but Chelsea was upset when she discovered that he used to be in and out of prison but was now a reformed criminal working for his local Church of England as a priest.

Meanwhilst,the wedding between Minty Peterson and "Hazel Hobbs" was full steam ahead.But when the real Hazel Hobbs threatened Heathers happiness,Minty ended up proposing to Heather instead.The couple got married and set of on honeymoon.
June saw the anticipated return of May Wright, who moved back to London, after dismissing herself from a Mental health hospital, and tracking down Dawn. She employed Jase Dyer, Dawns fiancee as her decorator, in order to get to see Summer again. She returned to the Square, seeing her old Surgery, and home. She saw Summer, and gave her a present and a card, and said "Goodbye Little one, I love You, Goodbye!" , but she changed her mind once she had seen the state of the Miller House, thinking it was a bad place to bring up a child.Later on in the month she returned intent on snatching baby summer but ended up killing herself in the process when she accidentally blew up the house.

Jack was still seeing Tanya and Max was distraught to learn the truth when he returned and was soon plotting revenge on his brother.He was quick to reveal their affair to everyone in the Queen Vic believing he had gotten the upper hand.But this only set him further back when he learned their relationship was still continuing.When Ruby Allen offered him the house he was overjoyed and believed this was the first step to getting his family back.But Jack was having none of it and outbidded him.Max then moaned to Bradley that Jack was stealing everything from him.

Bradley meanwhilst was growing closer to Stacey again and when they were locked in Dots House together he confessed that he still loved her.When Sean returned covered in blood that wasn't his the young couple were quick to investigate and their search led them to a block of flats...

Bianca was being showered in gifts and suspected Ricky was her guardian angel.When he denied it she suspected Pat but to no avail.Vinnie had spent the tippings from the vic leaving Shirley furious but it wasn't long before she had turned to Horse Racing herself and success.Jeans romance with Ted from the singles night continued but will it last?

Peggy and the Mitchell clan returned from visiting Grant but it wasnn't long before Peggy and Phil had a bust up.Another Mitchell returned : Ronnie determed to find Roxy.Sean meanwhilst was pursuing her determined to know Roxys whereabouts and he even confronted Jack over his romance with Tanya.Peggy finds out where Roxie is living she is living with her dad Archie, but Peggy doesn't tell Ronnie that Roxie is with her dad she just tells her the name of the place they both go to Dorset and sean realises his responsibilities to be a father to his child so he asks Billy he puts Billy in an akwad position Billy tells Sean so Sean goes to the same place as Peggy and Ronnie When Peggy and Ronnie arrive at the door Archie opens it Ronnie gets a shock and wants to take Roxy home Roxy does not want to go home Ronnie has a chat with her dad about her daughter he starts going mad at her and tells her the truth about her daughter he says she died 13 years ago in a bath tub she was playing with a duck and banged her head he says its true and he brackes her locket of her Ronnie eventually gets it back meanwhile Roxy and Sean decide to give it a try so Ronnie,Roxy and Sean head back to London but Peggy decides to stay with Archie for a while.

Jase has been doing some work for Terry and has secretly been stealing money off the gangster.He along with Billy agrees to one last job since he is getting married to Dawn the next day.He discovers Jay has been kidnapped by Terry and tries to save his son to no avail.Dawn receives the heatbreaking news on her wedding day.Jase dies in his enemies arms...

In august 2008,Jim Branning returned and had a reunion with his family and Dot promised to bring him home.Suzy Branning formed a relationship with Phil when he saves her from some thugs.She is very protective of her pink bag which has a gold bar inside.Honey leaves when she discovers the truth about Jase's death.

When Archie and Peggy returned they announced their engagement,despite Ronies pleas.They are due to be married in November.Newboy Callum made a play for Stacey and dated Danielle to get her attention and locked lips.Since then Stacey has denied any feelings.Bradley has since found out and is not pleased.Max gives Callum a cheque to leave Walford.

In September 2008 Bianca Jackson's fiance Tony King came to the square. Tony and Bianca's stepdaughter [Whitney Dean] were in a secret sexual relationship. Howver on 15 September Whitney got the part of Juliette in Walford High School's production of Romeo and Juliette with Peter Beale as Romeo. Over 2 weeks Tony's jealousy grew until he hit Peter. Peter told his girlfreind [Lauren Branning] who went to confront Tony who was instantly attracted to her and dumped Whitney to be with her... Whitney then locked herself in her room and refused to come out.

When the fridge was turned off at the minuite mart, a dodgy prawn sandwich was eaten by Dot who was given food poisining.Patrick and Yolande pleaded with her not to reveal anything but she called the health inspector who offered Yolande a job in the head office.Patrick was not ready to move to Birminghham and Yolande left Walford alone...

Stacey has been on the pill despite apperently trying for a baby.When Bradley finds them he is devestated and ends it with her.Max tries to stich Jack up with a gun but his plan fails.When he learns that Jack is plotting to move to France with Tanya and the kids he goes after his brother with the gun.Revenge turns nasty...

Births, marriages and deaths

Births