Dot Branning

**Dorothy "Dot" Branning** (née **Colwell**, previously **Cotton**) was the well-respected, long-standing resident of Albert Square who was the chain-smoking and Christian mother of Nick Cotton and grandmother of Ashley, Dotty and Charlie Cotton. A tragicomic person, Dot was known for her devout Christian faith, gossiping, chain smoking, hypochondria, and motherly attitude to those in need. She worked as a launderette assistant at the Bridge Street Launderette for almost the entire duration of her time in Albert Square.

Dot was born in Walford, but was evacuated to Wales as a child during the Second World War. Early in her life she became close friends with Ethel Skinner and Lou Beale, and the three would become lifelong friends. After the war, Dot had to leave her Auntie Gwen in Wales, and return to her parents in London. Dot lived in Albert Square throughout most of her life. She had a close friendship with fellow laundrette assistant Pauline Fowler. Dot and Pauline often gossiped, reminisced about the past, or shared their woes in the launderette. In 2000, Ethel became terminally ill and begged Dot to help her end her life. Torn between her Christian beliefs against euthanasia and her best friend's wishes, she helped Ethel to die.

Dot continually forgave Nick for his villainous crimes and believed he could be redeemed, and made various unsuccessful attempts to reform him. Nick often visited Albert Square to see Dot, though his visits almost always had malicious intentions. In 1990, Nick returned to Dot's life with the claim that he was a born-again Christian, and managed to convince his mother of his new-found faith and then began a slow campaign to poison her in order to claim her money. Dot was left alone, broken-hearted at what her own son had been prepared to do to her. In 2008, Nick attempted to con Dot again, this time aided by his daughter Dotty, who had intentions to kill Dot for her inheritance, which failed when Dotty had a change of heart. In 2015, after Nick told Dot that he murdered Reg Cox in 1985 shortly before he succumbed to a heroin overdose, Dot began to express regret for not reporting any of Nick's crimes earlier in life.

Initially married to conman Charlie Cotton until his death in 1991, Dot married again in 2002 to pensioner Jim Branning. In 1993, Dot left Walford and moved to Gravesend, where she lived for four years before returning to Walford in 1997. Dot left Walford for the final time in 2020, after discovering that Martin Fowler was responsible for stealing her savings, when in fact it was actually stepgranddaughter Sonia, and left a voicemail explaining she had gone to Ireland to visit her grandson Charlie. After her death two years later in 2022, Dot's body was returned to Walford and buried next to Ethel, reuniting them both for the first time in over twenty years.

## History

### Backstory

Dot Colwell was born in Walford to Bob Colwell and Martha Taylor, and was evacuated to Wales as a child during the Second World War. Her guardians, Gwen and Will, wished to adopt her, but Dot returned to Walford after Will's death and spent the rest of her childhood helping her neglectful mother care for her younger half-siblings: Gerry, Tim and Rose. She also had a nephew: Reiss. In Albert Square, Dot befriended Ethel Skinner and Lou Beale, and the three of them became lifelong friends.

Aged 18, Dot married Charlie Cotton. The following year, he forced her to have an abortion, threatening to leave her if she did not; in desperation, Dot approached Dr. Harold Legg, who reluctantly performed the procedure by inducing birth. Dot bore a stillborn daughter, and as she recovered, Dr Legg found Charlie in a pub and hit him for his callousness. Charlie soon left after Dot fell pregnant again, and as Dot was giving birth to their son Nick. Charlie was having an affair with her sister, Rose, in Liverpool. She raised Nick alone, with Charlie making unannounced returns and departures sporadically, and although Dot doted on Nick, she was not an affectionate mother.

### 1985–1993

Dot began working with Pauline Fowler at the Walford launderette. She associated herself as Walford's Good Samaritan, often taking in residents when they were homeless. Amongst those included Colin Russell and Donna Ludlow, who became addicted to drugs. Dot believed that she can help Donna change for the better, but came home one day to find Donna dead in her lounge. It was concluded that she died after choking on her own vomit, and Dot was devastated.

However, Dot caused trouble for certain residents too, although not intentionally. She was responsible for the break-up of Saeed Jeffery's marriage to his wife Naima. Due to the lack of lust in his marriage to Naima, Saeed began visiting sex workers. After continual pressure, Naima relented and finally consummated her marriage to Saeed, improving things between the couple (their marriage was arranged to begin with, much to their disliking), but their marital bliss is short-lived. Naima received an anonymous letter from Dot, who had discovered Saeed's sordid exploits. Dot felt it was her Christian duty to inform Saeed's wife, and when Naima confronted Saeed, he didn't deny it so she left him.

In March 1987, Dot learnt that Colin and Barry Clark were a couple and, uneducated about how one could catch AIDS, feared she would also catch it. The residents of Albert Square were initially dubious of having a gay couple living around them, but they eventually got used to the idea of having a same-sex couple around, and Dot began accepting both blacks and homosexuals in Albert Square.

In March 1989, Nick told Dot during a prison visit that he is married to a woman called Hazel, and that the couple have a young daughter; Nick had avoided telling her due to their strained relationship. Hazel visited Dot with the baby, Dorothy Nicola, in May, revealing that Nick got 240 hours of community service instead of a prison sentence. However, this is revealed to be a lie as Charlie followed Hazel and found that the baby is actually her niece, Katy Joanna. Dot refused to believe him at first but Hazel was forced to admit she had been lying.

In 1993, after Nick was cleared of murdering Eddie Royle, his girlfriend Zoe Newton arrived in Walford and introduced Dot to their nine-year-old son, Ashley. Dot became close to Ashley and eventually Zoe asked her to move to Gravesend with them. Dot then left Albert Square.

### 1997–2020

Dot returned nearly four years later when Nigel Bates tracks her down. She revealed that Nick has been arrested for drugs possession and Zoe and Ashley moved away. After being held hostage by a convict friend of Nick, she returned to the square and was shocked when Nick returned unexpectedly. He tried to steal her money again by claiming he has AIDS and needed money to pay for illegally imported medication. Dot believed him but later discovered it was a lie and he was on the run from the police. She contacted the police, and he was arrested a week after his return.

Dot moved in with fellow senior citizen Lilly Mattock and was arrested for the illegal use of cannabis, which she confused for herbal tea. When Lilly left after she was mugged, Dot moved in with Pauline. Her oldest friend Ethel also came to stay with the Fowlers for a time, having become terminally ill. Ethel begged Dot to help her end her life. Torn between her Christian beliefs against euthanasia and her best friend's wishes, she helped Ethel to die, but later felt she should be jailed for murder. When the police do not believe her story, Dot demanded retribution in another form and she ended up in court for shoplifting. She initially avoided a prison sentence but was imprisoned for 14 days for contempt of court following an outburst in the courtroom.

When Dot reappeared on the square after serving her sentence, she learned that Nick has also been released from prison. She went to stay with Pauline's son Mark Fowler for a while, and at some point encountered Ashley after he ran away from home. Eventually, Nick himself returned to the square and reunited with Dot – who was shocked to see her son once more. Initially sceptical over Nick's previous criminality, Dot was pleased to have her family around and moved out of the Fowler household to live with them. Mark, however, was unimpressed due to his longstanding feud with Nick and the two ended up clashing with each other on multiple occasions.

At one point on New Year's Day 2001, Mark spiked Nick's drink and caused him to fall off a railway bridge in revenge for the trouble he caused to his family. Nick vowed revenge and called the police on Mark, before telling Dot about the incident. At first she accused Mark, but later believed his story and the pair worked together to deal with Nick's temporary paralysis. Months later, Nick's feud with Mark led him to cut the brakes on Mark's motorbike in an attempt to kill his rival. However, Ashley unknowingly took the bait instead and ends up crashing the motorbike at the launderette in front of his family and the Fowlers. Ashley was pronounced dead and Dot was devastated. On the night before Ashley's funeral, Dot was horrified to learn that her son was responsible for Ashley's death upon overhearing Nick telling Mark about this during another confrontation between them. The following day, Ashley's funeral took place and Dot later confronted Nick over the fact that he caused Ashley's death. She then disowned Nick, telling him that he was no longer her son, and he left Albert Square in disgrace.

By then, Dot had been establishing a relationship with her neighbour Jim Branning. He soon proposed to her, but she was overwhelmed and left Walford in response to this. Jim persevered and when they went on the London Eye one Christmas Eve, he proposed again and she accepted. They decided that they will have a platonic marital relationship and later tied the knot.

In 2004, Dot was diagnosed with kidney cancer and reacted with confusion and fear - she decided not to tell anyone except her friend Dennis Rickman. Dot initially refused treatment and planned to die quietly, but was eventually persuaded to undergo chemotherapy and made a full recovery. In 2007, when Dot found an abandoned baby, Tomas, in a church, she took him home, leaving her contact details at the church. Subsequently, Tomas' mother Anya arrived in Walford, revealing she was an illegal immigrant. Jim anonymously reported Anya and when she was deported, Dot hid Tomas from the authorities, vowing to take care of him. Dot and Jim struggled to look after the baby and, after talking to the local vicar and her old friend Dr. Legg, Dot decided to hand him over to Social Services. Jim suffered a stroke, leaving him seriously ill. Jim was placed in a nursing home, but Dot struggled with this decision and tried at a later date to care for Jim at home. However, she found being a full-time carer exhausting and lonely. Eventually, after Dot experienced ill-health brought on by stress, Jim moved back to a nursing home.

Shortly after Jim left, Dot heard a doorbell ring and assumed that Jim had come back to collect his hat. She opened the door, but is surprised to find Nick waiting outside. Nick came in the house, and claimed to his mother that he had changed and was now a plumber. Dot ended up believing Nick when he introduced her to his six-year-old daughter Dotty, thus disclosing that his mother now has a granddaughter. Although Dot promptly bonded with Dotty, she continued to remain apprehensive towards Nick and quickly learns that he was once again exploiting their reconciliation for her. She refused to pay him, so Nick responded by telling his mother that she either relented or she cannot see Dotty again. This caused Dot to give Nick the money, and he in turn allowed her to look after Dotty. It soon transpireed, however, that Nick is plotting to kill Dot for her life insurance – and that Dotty was secretly involved with her father's plan. They worked to convince Dot that she had symptoms of dementia, but their plan backfired when Dotty exposed the plot. In a rage, Nick held various members of the community hostage in the café, resulting in an explosion. Nick survived and headed back home to find Dot expecting his arrival. She renounced Nick as her son and ordered him to leave for good. Nick did, but not before informing his mother that Dotty had masterminded the murder plot in the first place. Months later, Dotty was retrieved by her mother, Sandy Gibson following various devious deeds – such as accusing Dot of beating her that leads to Dot getting arrested and being questioned by the police for child abuse. Dot was released without charge and was distraught to see Dotty leave Walford.

Soon afterwards, Dot developed a friendship with vicar Edward Bishop, who developed romantic intentions towards her. Dot turned Edward down, remaining loyal to her husband. She took in various lodgers, including Arthur "Fatboy" Chubb, her sister Rose and Cora Cross, who caused Dot problems with the council for failing to pay the rent, leaving her in arrears. Dot was taken to court but managed to persuade the judge to allow her to keep her home and avoid a prison sentence. Fatboy later allowed his girlfriend Poppy Meadow to move in with him and Dot, and Dot formed a close bond with Poppy. When Fatboy and Poppy broke up and Poppy moved out, Fatboy gently assured Dot that she and Poppy were still friends. In 2007, Dot attempts to hide Anya Covalenco and baby Tomas from the immigration authorities. She takes them to a church where she believes they will be given sanctuary. Anya eventually decides to give herself up and asks Dot to look after her child. Dot agrees - but later finds looking after a baby is too much for her and gives him up for adoption.

In 2014, Dot receives a police visit, informing her that Nick has died. One of the police officers returned later to tell her that he was actually her grandson Charlie, whose existence she never found out about. A devastated Dot held a funeral for Nick and grew close to Charlie in the aftermath as he moves in with Dot, causing Fatboy to move out. However, it was later revealed that Charlie was being dishonest and although he was Nick's son, he was not a policeman but a caretaker and that he has helped Nick stage his own death to avoid being arrested following a robbery. Nick reappears in Walford to Dot's shock and persuades his mother to hide him at her house. Although horrified that Charlie and Nick lied to her, she forgave Charlie and agreed to aid Nick's escape from the UK, this time for good. However, Nick later realised that he does not want to leave and gets embroiled in a feud with Charlie's fiancée, Ronnie Mitchell, who tried and failed to ensure his departure. This led to Nick tampering with the brakes of Charlie's car and the resulting crash left a pregnant Ronnie comatose in hospital. When Charlie discovered this, he demanded that Nick leave, and as Charlie moved out to live at Ronnie's flat, Fatboy moved back in with Dot. However, Dot, unwilling to give up on her son, hid Nick in a derelict neighbouring house.

Unable to leave the premises, Nick started using heroin again but couldn't feed his drug addiction and asks Dot to obtain drugs for him. Dot purchased the heroin, but Fatboy caught her and urged her to cut ties with Nick. Dot urged Nick to confess to the police, but when he told her he was unwilling to take responsibility for Ronnie's injuries, she gave him the drugs and stormed out. Dot later found Nick unconscious, having had a bad reaction to the drugs, and it soon becomes clear to her that Nick was dying. Once he awoke, Nick accused Dot of raising him wrong and the pair started recapping on his role behind Ronnie's injuries – before bringing up his past misdemeanours such as when Nick killed Eddie and later caused Ashley's death whilst trying to kill Mark. Despite those facts, Dot remained adamant to see the best in Nick until he confessed to the one crime he never told her about; the murder of her old friend Reg Cox, who was alleged to have died by accident nearly three decades ago. Horrified to have learned that it was Nick who killed Reg Cox all along, Dot branded her son evil and slapped him when he insulted her. Nick then endured another effect of his drugging and requested his mother to phone an ambulance, to which she appeared reluctant to do. Dot nonetheless complied, but stopped at the last second and again contemplated her decision. When she returned, Dot admitted to Nick that she does feel responsible for making him the monster that he was and started lecturing over the trouble he caused in Walford ever since he killed Reg. It was then revealed that Dot never called the ambulance in the end, but instead prayed to let the circumstances decide whether Nick should live or die. As he took his last breaths and accepted his fate, Nick apologised to Dot for all the trouble he caused for her and asked her to forgive him; Dot told Nick to seek Jesus for forgiveness and watched as Nick ultimately succumbed to the overdose and died in front of her.

When Nick's dead body was later discovered, Dot wished to accept punishment for this and decided to confess to the police; she was later charged with Nick's murder and subsequently imprisoned. Dot initially decided to plead guilty, believing she should atone for her sins in prison, but when Jim passed away, she attended his funeral and realised how much her family needs her. She changed her plea and was cleared of murder at the court hearing; however, she was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to prison for 14 months.

Four months later, Dot was released and shared her regret with Ian Beale that she did not report any of Nick's crimes earlier in life. Fatboy told Dot he was spending Christmas with his father, but later his friend Vincent Hubbard discovered Fatboy's belongings amongst some blood in the boot of a crushed car and told Dot that Fatboy is not coming back because of a job abroad. Dot took salsa classes and works with her old friend Patrick Trueman to prepare for a salsa show, who mistakenly thought she wanted a relationship, but she actually set him and Vincent's mother Claudette up on a date. Dot received a wedding invitation from Colin, but she did not want to attend because she didn't not believe in homosexual marriage. Colin visited her on his wedding day to persuade her to come, which she did. Dot discovers the launderette was to become a dry cleaner and is interviewed for her own job; she struggled with the technical terminology but defended herself as a people person. However, she was told that she would not be kept on after the launderette was refurbished. She tried to contact her boss by telephone but when she finally got through, he hung up. Ricky Mitchell learned about the harvest festival and left a box of food on Dot's doorstep, which offended her as she did not believe she was poor or lonely, however, she realised just how lonely she is when her step-granddaughter Abi was unable to have dinner with her. Dot and Kim Fox-Hubbard were involved in a car collision, but both blamed the other as Kim has no licence but Kim accuses Dot of being too old to drive. Dot then locked her car key away. After Patrick and Dot went to the cinema together, he convinced her to see an optician because she was squinting throughout. Dot was seen hiding away in her house on Halloween and Patrick came to talk to her. Dot said her hatred of Halloween was due to awful things happening on Halloween, such as Stacey Fowler getting electrocuted and her stepson Max getting run over. She then tries to read the Bible to Patrick but couldn't see the words. Patrick told her she wasn't scared of Halloween but of the world. Dot revealed that she thought she was going blind but then kicked Patrick out of the house. When he left, it was revealed that Dot cannot see anything clearly. Patrick booked Dot a doctor's appointment; the doctor suspectd age-related macular degeneration, which was later confirmed. Dot started treatment but she was annoyed that her eyesight did not improve much. She turned down Ronnie's offer of paying for surgery to permanently fix her sight.

Abi invited Dot to Christmas in Exeter but Dot insists she has plans of her own. The launderette closed on Christmas Eve, but everyone is too busy to visit her. She finds a Christmas mixtape recorded by her deceased friend Heather Trott, and took in a stray cat, which she eventually names Dave. She spent Christmas Day alone, but when Patrick realised she had not gone to Exeter, he invited her to the Vic where everyone is celebrating Christmas, and her neighbours present her with the gift of a washing machine. When Ronnie, the wife of Dot's stepson, Jack Branning, and her sister Roxy Mitchell, mother of Jack's daughter Amy, both drowned, Dot told the children that they were in heaven, helping them to understand after Jack struggled to find an appropriate way to tell them. When Jack was unable to take Dot to the garden centre, she decided to drive herself with her great-grandson, Matthew, but drove through a no entry sign into oncoming traffic and ended up in the verge. Dot was surprised when Charlie returns but he is only back for his son and she is upset when he leaves again with Matthew. Abi then lived with her for a while but moved out with Dot's blessing.

Dot tripped over Dave and fell awkwardly onto a chair. Nobody knew she is injured until her other step-granddaughter, Sonia, found her. Dot was then taken to hospital and Sonia blamed her neighbours for not looking out for her and scolded Sharon Mitchell and Ian. Dot was worried when the doctor told her that she'll need an operation on her hip but she refused physiotherapy. Dot went to stay with Dotty for three months, returning when she heard that Abi was brainstem dead after falling from a roof. Dot was surprised to see the launderette had reopened and Karen Taylor working there. After attending Abi's funeral, Dot went to stay with Charlie, Liz and Matthew in Ireland. Dot returned several months later. She was worried about her health and despite being told by her doctor that she was fine, she visited Dr. Harold Legg. He confirmed that she is in good health and revealed he was dying of pancreatic cancer. Dot was shocked that he was refusing treatment but eventually accepted his decision and decided to make the most of the time they had left together. Dot cared for Dr. Legg in her home until his death. She inherited his entire estate and went away to visit her family.

Dot returned with Dotty and she bought her council house with her inherited money. She later discovered that an attempt to take £5,000 out of her bank account had failed. It was revealed that Sonia tried to take the money. Sonia was later blackmailed after ex-husband Martin was involved in a hit-and-run and she successfully stole £8,000 from Dot when Dot signed a blank cheque for Sonia to pay for some baby clothes she bought for the baby that Charlie and his wife were now expecting. Dot told Sonia that this money was stolen and when Sonia tld Martin what she did, Martin tol Dot that he took the money. Sonia convinced Dot to visit Charlie again in Ireland and Dot left Sonia a message asking her to find out why Martin took the money and to let her know.

In December 2022, Sonia received news from Charlie that Dot passed away peacefully in her sleep. The residents of Walford honoured her in the Vic where they toasted her, and they dedicated the Christmas light switch on in her memory. Many Albert Square residents, past and present, gathered at her funeral to pay their respects and shared their memories of Dot whilst Sonia delivered a eulogy. She was buried next to Ethel, reuniting them both for the first time in over twenty years.

## Personality

*"Ooh I say!"*

Upon her arrival in Walford, Dot quickly established herself as the gossip, commenting on the foibles of her fellow residents of Albert Square, from her vantage point as manager of the local launderette". She was also known for her devout Christian faith, gossiping, chain smoking, hypochondria, and motherly attitude to those in need.

Dot was originally portrayed as a "lovable bigot", prejudiced against her neighbours and only happy when others were not. During the 1980s, Dot was shown to exhibit both racism and homophobia to members of the Walford community. In 1987, Dot was shown to respond negatively to Colin Russell (Michael Cashman) upon learning he was gay, reacting in "horror and ignorant self-righteousness" and spreading rumours that Colin had AIDS. However, while Dot portrayed bigotry, she later learned to accept both blacks and homosexuals in Albert Square.

## Relationships

#### Nick Cotton

*"No! You're not my son! You're not the son I wanted! I wanted a son I could be proud of, and what did I get? A drug addict. a thief, a murderer; all the times you come back, you told me your lies, I believed 'em, I'd give you another chance, but not no more! You think you had a hard time in them prisons you was in? It was me who had to face people, hearing whispering behind my back, "Look! Nick Cotton's mother! Nasty piece of work!" And they were right. Ashley was the only decent thing in your life and you killed him!"*

Dot continually forgave Nick for his villainous crimes, and made various attempts to reform Nick. Nick is a criminal; he is involved in drugs and robberies, and even commits murder twice. More than once, he tries to cheat Dot out of her money. He attempts to poison her to inherit her bingo winnings, but is unsuccessful. Despite Nick's deeds, Dot often believed he can be redeemed. However, after Nick tells Dot that he murdered Reg Cox in 1985 shortly before he succumbed to a heroin overdose in 2015, Dot expressed regret that she did not report any of Nick's crimes earlier in life.

One of Nick's most notable returns to Albert Square occurred in 1990. Nick returned to his mother's life with the claim that he was a born-again Christian, which happened to coincide with her £10,000 win on the bingo. With the help of a fake priest, Nick managed to convince his mother of his new-found faith and then began a slow campaign to control her eating habits and poison her in order to claim her money. At the last moment, Nick backed out of his plan and stopped Dot from eating the poisoned meal he had intended to kill her with. Once again Dot was left alone, broken-hearted at what her own son had been prepared to do to her.

Dot made various attempts to reform Nick, such as in 1991, when Nick returned with a heroin addiction. As the plot unfolded, Dot tried to curtail Nick's addiction by locking him in his room and forcing him to go cold turkey. His resulting paranoia and cravings led him to escape and murder the first person he encountered, The Queen Victoria landlord Eddie Royle. Other scams included Nick's attempt to con Dot by claiming he had AIDS in 1998 after escaping from prison, which ultimately led to Dot having him re-imprisoned. Then followed a plot that saw him largely responsible for the death of his son Ashley in June 2001, ultimately leading Dot to disown Nick and prompting to leave the Square again. He is not seen for more than seven years after this, although he was mentioned in 2006 when recovering from cancer off-screen.

Nick returned to Albert Square again in December 2008 in an attempt to con Dot again, this time aided by his daughter Dotty, who was born in 2002 after Nick's previous departure from the square. Nick and Dotty had intentions to kill Dot for her inheritance; they concocted a plan to make her think she had developed dementia then overdose her with sleeping pills, which fails when Dotty has a change of heart and Nick flees once again after causing an explosion and being disowned by Dot.

In March 2014, Dot is told by the police that Nick has died of respiratory failure from a heroin overdose the previous week. One of the police officers who breaks the news to Dot is Nick's son Charlie Cotton, although it is later revealed that he is impersonating a police officer. Charlie explains that he was conceived from a brief marriage Nick had with his mother Yvonne. During the funeral, Charlie and undertaker Les Coker prevent Dot from looking in the coffin. Dot is suspicious and invites Yvonne to tell the truth and she assures Dot that Charlie is her grandson. A few weeks later, Carol Jackson asks Charlie for advice, when he leaves his phone at her house, she answers a call and discovers that Nick is still alive.

Nick reappears in Albert Square seven months after his faked death. Ronnie takes an instant dislike to him and tries to bribe him to leave but Nick returns for Charlie and Ronnie's wedding. Nick decides to get revenge on Ronnie and cuts the brakes of her car. After the wedding, Roxy, Charlie and Ronnie are involved in an accident which hits and later kills Emma Summerhayes, while Ronnie ends up in a coma but survives. Yvonne discovers that Nick cut the brakes of the car. Yvonne tells Charlie but he does not believe her until he catches Nick with some of the money Ronnie used to bribe him. Then Nick implicates Yvonne in Ronnie's accident, so Charlie asks them both to leave. Dot hides Nick next door and obtains heroin for Nick. Later she finds him unconscious, Nick regains consciousness briefly but later dies in Dot's arms, in the same location that Reg Cox was discovered 30 years earlier.

#### Dotty Cotton

Dot and her granddaughter Dotty got off to a slightly bad start when she and Nick had intentions to kill Dot for her inheritance. However, she and Dot subsequently become close after Dotty sabotages Nick's murder attempt at the last minute.

#### Charlie Cotton

Like Nick, Dot's first husband, Charlie Cotton, came and went in Albert Square. Depicted as bigamous and a conman, Charlie typically would reappear in the show whenever he needed money or temporary accommodation and, because of Dot's Christian ideals regarding forgiveness, Charlie would always be permitted to return. Charlie's funeral took place on 11th July 1991, and was dominated by Dot's reaction to Charlie's death and her trip to identify his body.

#### Jim Branning

Dot's second significant romance was with pensioner Jim Branning, who became her second husband. Dot was initially outraged by Jim's advances, resulting in numerous rejections, but she later finally succumbed and accepted his marriage proposal. Following her marriage to Jim, Dot became a caring stepmother for Jim's sons Max and Jack, as well as a caring stepgrandmother to Jim's grandchildren Lauren and Abi.

In 2007, Jim suffered a stroke, leaving him seriously ill. Jim was placed in a nursing home, but Dot struggled with this decision and tried at a later date to care for Jim at home. However, she found being a full-time carer exhausting and lonely. Eventually, after Dot experienced ill-health brought on by stress, Jim moved back to a nursing home and passed away a few years later.

#### Rose

Dot and her estranged half-sister Rose fell out when Rose had an affair with Dot's husband Charlie, but after suffering a bout of hypochondria, Dot decided to track Rose down after feeling it was time to put things right, but Rose was not pleased to see Dot again after so many years.

#### Friendships

##### Ethel Skinner and Lou Beale

    One of Dot's most enduring friendships was the one with Ethel Skinner. They were neighbours who grew old together in East London, along with Lou Beale.

##### Pauline Fowler

*"You're the only real friend I got left. 60 years I've known you. I can still see you as a little girl; little Pauline Beale, with Lou fussing around you, telling you off, your father building you that one doll's house for Christmas. Do you remember? I adored you. You was his golden haired little angel. I can't talk about that with no one else. I can't replace them years. Neither of us can. Stay, Pauline; make sense, before it's too late."*

Dot and Pauline Fowler had a close friendship, both working in the Laundrette for many years. They frequently gossiped, reminisced about the past, or shared their woes in the launderette. Shortly before Pauline's death on 25 December 2006, Dot remarked to Pauline, "You're the only real friend I've got".

## Background information

### Creation

Dot was conceptualised by show creators, Tony Holland and Julia Smith, along with the other original characters. Although Dot had been referred to since the very early episodes of the programme as the mother of villain Nick Cotton, she did not actually appear on-screen until episode 40 in July 1985. Introduced as the "bible thumping arch-gossip" of the launderette, Dot was a character who bridged the generations. The actress June Brown was given the role after being recommended by actor Leslie Grantham, who played fellow original character Den Watts.

Brown was offered the part of Dot Cotton for a period of three months initially and in her own words, she was brought in "merely to be Nick Cotton's mother because Nick was coming back again". Brown told Decca Aitkenhead of *The Guardian* in 2009 that she was wary of joining a soap opera as she had seen *EastEnders* once on television, "and there was an argument going on, and I thought, 'Oh, I don't want to watch all that,' so I switched it off. I didn't watch it again until I was asked to be in it." The role was extended and the character became one of the longest-running to have featured in *EastEnders*.

### Appearance

To become the character of Dot Cotton, Brown was required to wear a wig to replicate Dot's 1950s "Italian Boy" hairstyle that remained in a largely unchanged style since she first appeared in 1985. Originally, the hair sported by Dot actually belonged to the actress, but Brown later started wearing a wig. Brown stated that as soon as Dot's hairpiece was on, she became the character. The unchanged style of Dot was deemed so important by the programme makers, that when Brown requested to have dental work carried out to improve her prominent front teeth, the producers refused to allow it, arguing that Dot could not afford expensive tooth capping. Brown was not permitted to alter her teeth until early 1991 when they became loose. Brown has indicated that she does not want Dot's style altered. She claimed in 2002 that Dot had the same coats in her wardrobe that she was given in 1985. The fur-collared coat Dot wears for special occasions was donated by the character Angie Watts in 1988 when she left the serial. Brown commented, "I like the older clothes [...] I don't want new clothes, I'm happy the way she is. She thinks she looks really smart. She's got a terrible opinion of herself that woman!"

### Personality and religion

*"I couldn't manage without my faith, not with the life I've had."*

Brown said that when she was cast as Dot, she was given a list of illnesses the character had. She added, "It meant she was a hypercondriac because she had nobody to care about her. She was quite a selfish woman [initially]." Dot has been described by author Hilary Kingsley as a "born victim." She adds that "with each blow that life delivers [Dot] bobs back up again, almost asking for more trouble, more pain, more suffering." Dot is renowned for being a hypochondriac, her Christian faith and quoting from the Bible. She has been described by Rupert Smith, author of *20 Years in Albert Square*, as "God-bothering" and self-righteous. According to Kingsley, "nothing shakes Dot's view that the world is good because the creator made it so. Her faith sustains her through the most appalling ordeals." Dot once expressed part of the reason for her faith on-screen in 2000, commenting to a vicar, "I couldn't manage without my faith, not with the life I've had"; former executive producer of *EastEnders*, John Yorke, stated that this is his favourite line of EastEnders' entire existence. Author Antony Slide noted that Dot's religious beliefs gave her solace, but gave her an excuse to be prejudiced against her neighbours, and to deal with the criminal antics of her wayward son. He described her as a "simpleminded woman whom one loved to hate".

In Kathryn and Phillip Dodd's published essay, *From EastEnd to EastEnders*, Dot was used as an example of the media's representation of the working-class as community-orientated, but defensive: "evangelist-cum-launderette supervisor. Eagle-eyed, she patrols the Square, confronting evil and despair and asking those stricken with doubt to trust God, while simultaneously organizing the local Neighbourhood Watch scheme."

Dot took on a matriarchal role in the absence of her own family, taking on the burdens of numerous waifs and strays throughout the show's history, including Donna Ludlow, Rod Norman, Disa O'Brien, Nigel Bates and his daughter Clare. Author Christine Geraghty asserted that Dot's role in the mothering structure of the serial was confirmed.

Describing Dot, Brown said, "I love playing her – she's a strong character. Dear old Dot, she's got strong moral views and odd religious beliefs, but her heart's in the right place. She has that awful worried expression on her face the whole time". Brown noted the changes within Dot since the show's inception, saying that initially Dot was sharp and selfish, but since her character remarried in 2002, she gained security and had "no reason to have the hypochondria she had in the past [...] She's become more caring over the years. She enjoys the company of young people. She loves her church. She can get in an anxious state – I like it when Dot's hysterical! She's also amusing, mostly because she doesn't realise she is".

### Traits

#### Comedic role

As well as being tragic, Dot was scripted as a comic character. Brown discussed the humour she incorporated into her performances: "I think Dot would be awfully boring if she weren't a bit comic [...] I always thought I had to put an edge on it, an edge of comedy, which just means doing it more seriously than you would do. If you want to play comedy then you have to be very intense about it [...] very, very serious." Some of Dot's catchphrases were used for humour, such as "Ooh I say!", uttered when she was "stuck for words". In 2004, Brown discussed the origin of the saying: "It was written once in the script and I quite enjoyed it, so I used to say it occasionally when it wasn't in the scripts. It was useful because it could be said in all different ways. Dot's very straight-laced, so it helped to express her horror at what went on." Brown revealed in 2008 that she tried to cut down the use of this, along with the mispronunciation of her employer, Mr Papadopolous, as she became a little embarrassed by them now they are so known. Mr. Papadopolous was the owner of the launderette where Dot worked. In a long-running joke, Dot had difficulty pronouncing his surname, and for much of the show's history he had been referred to as Mr. Oppodopolus, Oppydoppy, or varying other mispronunciations. Brown said she enjoyed playing the comical aspects of Dot, stating, "She's not dreadfully funny but she's amusing and I like that because it lightens it up a bit."

#### Smoking

Smoking cigarettes became synonymous with Dot, and Brown suggested that the habit is "intrinsic" to the character. Dot's smoking was criticised by private healthcare company Bupa in 2008, when they rated her television's most unhealthy character. They suggested that, in order to spread a public message, Dot should appear breathless, not with "implausibly good health". They added, "Though Dot Cotton has a smoker's voice – deeper than you might expect, she does not seem to be short of breath or wheezy" and that viewers would be influenced by this. However, Dot's smoking was described by broadcasting watchdogs Ofcom as "justified in the context of the programme as a representation of an East End character" and they therefore stipulate that enforcement of broadcast smoking-sanctions would be unlikely on *EastEnders*.

### Monologue

In January 2008, Dot became the first soap opera character to be featured in a monologue episode, known as a "single-hander". Written by Tony Jordan, the episode features Dot recording a message for Jim, who is in hospital recovering from a stroke. The episode is entitled "Pretty Baby....", named after the song of the same name by Tony Jackson, which replaced the drumbeats and *EastEnders'* theme tune that typically accompanies the end credits of episodes. Brown was nominated in the Best Actress category at the 2009 British Academy Television Awards for her performance in the episode, becoming the first soap actress nominated in the category since 1988, when Jean Alexander was shortlisted for her role as Hilda Ogden in *Coronation Street*.

### 2020 departure and off-screen death

On 20 February 2020, it was reported that Dot's appearance on 21 January 2020 was her last and that Brown had announced that she would "never go back" when she told the Distinct Nostalgia podcast, “I don’t want a retainer for EastEnders, I’ve left. I’ve left for good. I’ve sent her off to Ireland and that’s where she’ll stay. I’ve left EastEnders. I did make up a limerick. It’s a bit dirty. I went back to do a good story. Alas and alack, when I got back it had gone up in smoke. Well that is no joke. I got a small part, a very small part. And that ended up as a big wet fart. Alas and alack, I will never go back." A BBC statement said: "We never discuss artists' contracts, however as far as *EastEnders* are concerned the door remains open for June, as it always has if the story arises and if June wishes to take part." It was also reported that Brown was due to attend a gathering of the cast and crew for the show's 35th anniversary in February 2020, that her dressing room was intact and that there were no plans, to the production team's knowledge, for Brown to leave the role permanently.

John Altman, who played Dot's villanous son Nick Cotton and had an incredibly close relationship with June and was almost like a real-life son, revealed the reasons she had told him for leaving. "I spoke to her obviously and I don't want to quote her but I think generally, bless her heart, she's 93 number one, so she does get very tired these days, Number two I don't think she was getting the best of storylines. She's very much a die hard professional in the business and she wasn't getting quite what she was… she wasn't very impressed by some of the writing she was getting." Altman also said that June was unhappy that the original actress who played her granddaughter Dotty Cotton, Molly Conlin, had been replaced by Milly Zero when the character was brought back, saying "It was a great shame that Molly Conlin wasn’t brought back as Dotty as well. I don’t think she was very happy about that. And nor was I, actually, I didn't understand why, when they had the original actress who'd grown up, they hadn't brought her back, but that's up to the BBC. I think all those things I've mentioned – tired, not delighted with the storylines and a different Dotty. She just wasn't happy anymore so she had to decide to leave, which is a shame."

Brown died in April 2022 without returning to the role of Dot. In August 2022, it was announced that a storyline around Dot's death, including the character's funeral, would take place later in the year. The executive producer of *EastEnders*, Chris Clenshaw, stated: "Everyone at *EastEnders* was truly heartbroken when June passed away earlier this year and, for quite a while, no-one could even think about saying goodbye to Dot – an iconic character who will go down in television history and be cherished forever. June was always adamant that she never wanted Dot's time to end while she was still with us, but she also knew that *EastEnders* would rightly say their farewells to Dot when the time was right. Sadly, that time has come and we are determined to give the audience, who treasured Dot for so many years, the fitting tribute that she so deeply deserves." Dot died in early December 2022, and her funeral, complete with a glass hearse drawn by black horses, was broadcast on 12 December.

### Reception

Dot was generally well received by critics: she has been referred to as a cultural archetype and Brown won multiple awards for her portrayal. However, aspects of the character, such as her smoking and her religious beliefs, were criticised, with religious groups suggesting Dot's faith was used in a pejorative manner. Dot also made an impact on popular culture; she was spoofed, most notably by Alistair McGowan, and was credited as inspiration for catwalk collections.

## First and last lines

"Give me a tea, Lofty!" (First line)

"Goodbye, my dearest girl." (Final line, to Sonia Fowler)