EastEnders is set to air emotional scenes next week as the residents of Albert Square say their final goodbyes to Dorothy 'Dot' Branning. Between 1985-2020, the character was played by June Brown, who passed away in April this year aged 95. Several characters from the BBC soap-opera's past are set to return for Dot's funeral and it's not just actors who will make cameos - Brown's real-life children will also appear.
According to EastEnders boss Chris Kershaw, three of Brown's children contacted the soap with a request to appear in the episode. From her marriage to Robert Arnold - Sophie, Nim and Billy are set to feature in the powerful scenes, which will air on Monday, December 12.
The episode will be extended to 37 minutes and feature a re-worked theme tune in tribute to Brown. You can get more TV news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
Read more: The iconic EastEnders characters returning for Dot Cotton's funeral
Executive producer Chris said that June did not want Dot killed off while she was alive. He said: “She did of course know that when she did leave us, it was the right thing to do. After some time, we couldn’t put it off much longer. We spoke to June’s family who knew it was what she would have wanted.”
Chris added: “June’s children Nim, Sophie and Billy knew what EastEnders meant to their mother, so much so they requested to attend Dot’s funeral to say their goodbyes. It was lovely for all involved." Dot's Funeral airs on EastEnders at 7.35pm on Monday, December 12.
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