EastEnders will be rocked by a devastating death later this year, as residents learn soap legend Dot Cotton has passed away.
News of Dot's death reaches Walford, with residents preparing to say a final farewell to the much-loved character this winter.
Actress June Brown, who famously played the role for more than 20 years, passed away earlier this year aged 95.
Now, Chris Clenshaw, Executive Producer of the BBC soap, confirmed the soap had been waiting for the right time to air June and Dot's sendoff.
Sharing the grief of cast members when the news was broken to them, Chris explained it wasn't a storyline they were ready to air until the right time.
He explained: "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. So whilst it will be a very, very sad day in Walford, we will be giving Dot the send-off that she and June would want and rightly deserve."
Chris also spoke to The Mirror and other press about the sendoff during a recent press conference, and explained how "difficult" it was for the cast and crew to say goodbye to their "dear friend" both on screen and off screen.
But Chris said they knew there would be a time that they would have to air the storyline, while they knew it would never happen while June was alive - despite her exiting the soap for good in 2020.
Confirming the storyline would be a "fitting tribute" to the character and the legendary actress, Chris told us: "We lost June earlier this year, and June and Dot are two wonderful characters, the most engaging, and Dot's one of the most iconic characters in British TV history. I think what it will be is a fitting tribute is what I will say.
"We're working on it as we speak. I think it will be exactly what June deserves and what Dot deserves, what the audience deserve. You know, we always knew we couldn't say goodbye to Dot while June was with us.
"She also knew that we would have to find a time when we would do that. Since I've been here, I think the hardest day of my time here so far, was having to break the news to the cast and crew and the whole company that June had sadly passed away, and you know, some of the crew and the cast have worked with June for many, many years and she's more than just a colleague, she's a dear friend. So it was very difficult. We miss her dearly."
It's not known if past characters could return for the funeral of the icon, but her family and friends will unite to say a final farewell in emotional scenes later this year.
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
