EastEnders fans have hit out at this year's British Soap Awards and accused the annual event of 'snubbing' late soap icon June Brown and the funeral episode of her iconic character Dot Cotton, after it lost out on a category many assumed it would win.
Having been a small screen legend for decades, much loved actress June died in April 2022, at the age of 95, with her passing sparking a wealth of tributes from fans and fellow actors across the world. June hadn't appeared in EastEnders for a long spell before her death, meaning Dot had an off screen death away from Albert Square.
EastEnders promised that they would give June and Dot a very special send-off and millions of viewers tuned into the funeral episode, which saw returns for characters from the past, including a very brief appearance from Ian Beale as Natalie Cassidy's Sonia led a moving eulogy inside the church.
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Dot's Funeral,/'Goodbye Dot' was up for the first accolade of the night at the Soap Awards, hosted by Jane McDonald, for Best Single Episode, but lost out to Coronation Street's Acid Attack for the trophy, voted for by the panel, with Twitter swiftly full of angry reactions, not just from EastEnders viewers, but soap fans in general.
One tweeted: "i don’t care whether corrie deserved it or not, eastenders absolutely deserved best episode. dot’s funeral was a beautiful piece of television and felt so classic. it wasn’t awards bait or about a specific issue, just a wonderful tribute to an iconic character." In firm agreement, a second commented: "The fact the acid attack episode has won the Best Single Episode award over Dot Branning's funeral is a travesty and utter joke!"
Also angry at the outcome, another responded: "the one that hurts the most is best episode i’m ngl. dot’s funeral deserved it SO much i’ll never not be mad about this"
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