June Brown, a pivotal figure in EastEnders for 35 years, achieved two significant firsts in British soap opera.
Dorothy “Dot” Cotton (later Branning), scripture-quoting chainsmoking mum of a killer, was the first BBC soap star to match the impact of the monstrous but compelling women, such as Ena Sharples and Hilda Ogden, in ITV’s Coronation Street, which met in EastEnders its first real ratings rival.
