Dirty Den’s best EastEnders moments: Leslie Grantham’s infamous TV scenes

Iconic: Leslie Grantham played Dirty Dec on the Square for many years
BBC

Former EastEnders actor Leslie Grantham’s death was announced on Friday, aged 71.

"His ex-wife and sons have asked for their privacy to be respected at this difficult time. There will be a private funeral which will be attended by close family and friends only."

The actor was best known to a nation as “Dirty” Den Watts from 1985 to 2005, who was seemingly killed off in 1989 but made a shock return to screens in 2003.

Having been killed off twice and involved in some of the grittiest storylines in Walford to date, here are Dirty Den’s top five EastEnders moments….

Leslie Grantham - In pictures

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1) The divorce papers

Perhaps one of the most iconic EastEnders moments of all time was when Den served his wife Angie divorce papers on Christmas Day 1986.

The villainous character’s marriage had been teetering over the edge for some time as Angie grew jealous of Den’s other relationship.

The episode helped EastEnders pull in its biggest ever audience with more than 30 million tuning in to see the surprise gift.

2) The shooting

Den met his maker in 1989 when he was shot by a man hiding behind some daffodils, leading him to fall back into the canal in one of the most iconic “deaths” in soap history.

3) Dirty Den returns from the dead

Walford got the shock of its life when the resident villain swaggered into Albert Square 14 years after he was ‘shot’ by a bunch of daffodils.

Den was on the run from criminal gang The Firm when he supposedly fell into the canal after taking a bullet. His body was ‘identified’ and family and friends thought they attended his funeral but he rocked up in 2003 with the famous line “hello, Princess” as he revealed himself to be Sharon Mitchell’s father.

4) Zoe Slater romance

Despite serving up divorce papers on Christmas Day to his wife Angie Watts, Den had a reputation with the women of Walford.

Years after an affair with teen Michelle Fowler he had a fling with Zoe Slater in a bid to get her pregnant and pretend his son Dennis Rickman was the father so he’d stay put in Albert Square.

5) Death…again

In 2005, Dirty Den was bumped off for good by estranged wife Chrissie Watts – played by Tracy Ann Oberman – in a Queen Vic struggle, which ended with him lamped over with an iron doorstop….after he’d been whacked by Zoe Slater.

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