Den Watts

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

EastEnders character
Den Watts
Portrayed by	Leslie Grantham
Duration	1985–1989, 2003–2005
Date of birth	11 July 1946
Date of death	18 February 2005
Marital status	Deceased
Home	The Queen Vic
Occupation	Landlord
Family	Sharon, Dennis, Vicki, Chrissie

Dennis "Den" Watts was a fictional character in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by actor Leslie Grantham. He become well-known for his tabloid nickname, Dirty Den.

Den was the original landlord of The Queen Vic. He had a stormy relationship with his alcoholic first wife and his dalliance with the criminal gang known as The Firm led to an attempt on his life in 1989. He was presumed dead for 14 years only to resurface in Walford to reclaim his patch in September 2003. 17 months later, his character was killed off again - at the hands of his second wife Chrissie.

Contents 1 Character creation and development 2 Den and Angie 3 First demise 4 Back from the dead 5 Dennis and Sharon 6 Chrissie 7 Back behind the bar 8 Second demise 9 Beyond the grave 10 In popular culture 11 Family 12 References 13 External links

[edit] Character creation and development

Den Watts was one of the original twenty-three characters invented by the creators of EastEnders, Tony Holland and Julia Smith. The character of Den was originally going to be named Jack^[1] and he, his wife and adopted daughter were to be the occupants of the soap's local pub, now famously known as The Queen Vic. Holland, who had worked as a barman in his youth, called upon his own personal experiences to invent the Watts family and the pub they lived in.^[1] Holland and Smith had always been critical of the way pubs had been portrayed on television feeling they lacked vitality and life, so they were determined that their pub and occupants were going to be more 'real'. The Watts were seen by Holland as integral to the show's success, partly because he had already guessed that the pub was going to be a monstrous battleground where emotions would run high on a regular basis, and also because the occupants would be providing the majority of the drama.^[1]

Den's original character outline as written by Smith and Holland appeared in an abridged form in their book, EastEnders: The Inside Story. In this passage, Den will be referred to as Jack, his wife as Pearl, his daughter as Tracey and his dog as Prince (known now as Angie, Sharon and Roly respectively).

"Jack and Pearl are not criminals. They're not angels either. Villains perhaps? Well, he certainly is. They've been married for fifteen years, and haven't had sex with each other for thirteen of them. The marriage is a front for the sake of the pub's image. The daughter, Tracey is adopted - maybe for the same reason. They have a dog too - Prince - an Alsatian...Even with a marriage on the rocks, Jack still likes the area. His mates are here, it's friendly and it's his territory. "Local lad makes good"...People look up to him. If you've dragged yourself up by the scruff of the neck and moved up a notch, you need a few people around you who didn't quite make it, or you might as well be invisible. He's had a mistress for five years...Unlike Pearl, she's a very up-market woman, a lady, real class. Jack's her bit of rough, and they're happy. They actually talk. With Pearl, you shout - or shut up...He's a smart dresser. Changes his shirt twice a day and his shoes sparkle. He runs a good pub. He's firm and fair with the staff (if you've got any problems - go to him, not her.) The cellars are well organised and spotless. His masculinity is the key to his character. It was called into question at an early stage in his marriage and he's defended it ever since. Some call him a ladies' man (because of his good looks) others - a man's man...He's a con man and has the gift of the gab. He can defend himself smartly in a brawl. (He's only ever thumped Pearly once.) You can accept Jack being a snob - because it's not malicious: it's done with a grin. Like Pearl, he's also trapped by is background...Jack and Pearl's relationship is pretty heated...The smooth public face (workers in pubs are always on stage); the trial reconciliations; the rows; the fights and the tears...Will Jack ever bring his mistress into the pub, which is Pearl's territory? Will Pearl accept too many free drinks from punters and lose control in public?...They were lovers. They are husband and wife. There was affection...love...if it came to it, could they give each other up? The private grins and winks to each other when they're working as a team - which usually means taking money. The love turning to hatred...Jack the lad and the artificial Pearl...They're an electric couple." (page 74).^[1]

The writer Matthew Robinson recommended the actor Leslie Grantham for the part. Julia Smith had taught Grantham at The Webber-Douglas Drama School and had felt him a "mature student". They needed the character of Den to have "panache, charisma and electricity". They were initially uncertain about casting Grantham, but they both felt that the actor had "something" - a "tensed up internal emotion of some sort, that was being held in...barely contained violence behind the eyes". After a successful reading with the actress Jean Fennell (who was originally cast as Angie), he was offered the part. However, shortly afterwards Grantham contacted Smith and asked to speak to her urgently. He revealed that whilst serving in the Army as a young man, he had been convicted of the murder of a taxi-driver in Germany, and had served a long spell in prison. Although there were fears that if this story got out, the resultant publicity would do enormous damage to the programme and the BBC, Smith decided not to withdraw Grantham from the role. In her opinion, he had paid the full penalty that society requires for a mistake committed in his past and it was a "Christian duty to forgive".^[1]

Three days after the transmission of episode one, EastEnders made the front page of a national newspaper for the first time with the headline "EASTENDERS STAR IS A KILLER." The security gates at Elstree Studios (where EastEnders is filmed) were swamped with journalists and photographers, and so began a "double-edged" relationship between EastEnders and the popular press. The devisers of the programme were quick to realise that whilst a newspaper's publicity may sometimes boost a soap's position in the ratings, it could equally help to tarnish it. In conjunction soaps could help to sell newspapers, and from then on stories about EastEnders and the cast began to fill their pages.^[1] Grantham became hounded by the press and the BBC was forced to put out a statement supporting Grantham and their decision to employ a convivted murderer. In order to keep the press at bay, Grantham was smuggled out of the studios by the back route and decoy cars were used to lure the press away from his home, which all put an increasing strain on the actor. Eventually the furore quietened down, but it never went away entirely and nearly every article written about the actor during his first stint in the show, referenced his past. Press began to blur the characters in the show with the actors and it was at this point when Julia Smith, in an attempt to dispel confusion about reality and fiction, introduced the rule that no actor was ever to appear in public "in character".^[1]

Despite the controversy surrounding Grantham, the Watts, with Anita Dobson as the newly appointed Angie, were the surprise hit characters of the show. Angie and Den were a live-wire couple whose on/off relationship made the Queen Vic pub exciting and unpredictable and the viewers tuned in in their millions to watch the destruction of their relationship on-screen. Den's clashes with Angie brought EastEnders to a peak of popularity and toppled rival soap Coronation Street from the top of the ratings chart.^[2]

Early on in the series, the character of Den became central to the programme and was the focus of a controversial storyline involving the teenage pregnancy of Michelle Fowler. Press interest in the show escalated to record levels as journalists continuously tried to predict who had fathered Michelle's baby. In true whodunnit fashion, the audience had been kept in the dark as to the real identity of the father and were given teasers implicating several residents on The Square. The audience finally discovered the culprit in episode 66 of the programme, October 1985. The episode was written by series co-creator/script editor Tony Holland and directed by co-creator/producer Julia Smith, and was considered to be a landmark episode in the show's history. Four possible suspects were seen leaving the Square in the early half of the episode: Tony Carpenter, Ali Osman, Andy O'Brien and Den Watts. As Michelle waited by their rendez-vous point a car pulled up and finally the fluffy white legs of Roly the poodle bounded out of the car, and gave it all away: Den Watts was the man meeting Michelle and it was he who had fathered her baby. It was when Den was revealed as the father that his famous nickname "Dirty Den" was created by the British press. The rest of the episode consisted of just one long scene, where Den and Michelle discussed whether or not to keep the baby. Up to that time it was the longest scene ever done in a soap-opera, lasting fifteen minutes. For a series that in its first eight months of existence had established a reputation for being fast-moving and rapidly cut, this was a bold experiment. It relied on just the one story and two actors to hold the audience for over half an episode. Tony Holland's handling of the awkward scene between a teenage girl and the father of her best-friend is deemed as one of the highlights of EastEnders first year. The finishing touch was the use of an alternative end title music, a variation of the normal one which replaced the dramatic drum beats with a longer, gentler piano solo introduction.^[3] After this storyline the programme started to appear in newspaper cartoons as it moved more and more into the public mainstream. One such cartoon showed the British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, telling her cabinet that the best way to alert the country to the dangers of AIDS was to give the disease to Den.^[1]

During 1986 the series became dominated by Den and Angie's storylines and the focus of the programme was very much concentrated on their combustible relationship. The emphasis began early in 1986 with the arrival of Den's mistress Jan Hammond. Jan had been a powerful off-screen presence for the first year, a menacing voice at the end of the telephone, which severely affected the mood of both Den and Angie and kept the audience on edge everytime the phone rang. Jan's physical arrival at the Vic in January 1986 was one of the show's dramatic highlights. Her invasion of Angie's territory was a springboard to future emotional fireworks and a pre-cursor to Angie's further dependence on alcohol and her attempted suicide. Den and Angie's traumatic two-hander episode in October 1986 was a risky experiment. A thirty minute episode with only two people in it had never been attempted in a soap before. Holland and Smith feared that the episode would not hold up, however press and audience alike were in agreement that it did. Once it was done, it set a precedent and the programme has featured two-handers ever since. The episode was structured like a "tennis match" between Angie and Den, with a non-speaking window-cleaner forever strolling innocently into the action. It began with Den trying to tell Angie that he wanted a divorce. Angie was shocked and for a moment defeated, but she then dropped her bombshell and told Den that she only had six months to live. At first Den didn't believe her, but eventually Angie's hysterical performance convinced him. He crumbled and promised to stay with her and only after he left did Angie smile in triumph, letting the audience in on her secret that it was all a big lie. Written by Jane Hollowood and directed by Antonia Bird, this episode is considered to be one of the finest episodes in EastEnders' catalogue.^[3]

The Den/Angie/Jan triangle was to continue for many months. The climax was a trip to Venice when Angie, convinced that Den had finished with his mistress, was taken there for a second-honeymoon, returning to London on the Orient Express. This gave the writers and producers an opportunity to open the show up from the confines of Albert Square. However the trip to Venice was frought with problems and Dobson, Grantham and Jane How (Jan) were hounded by the press at all times. Their photographs appeared in British newspapers, thus ruining the shock surprise that Tony Holland had created, by including Den's mistress in the episode. Despite huge efforts from all involved the Venice episodes were only moderately successful, although the revelations discovered by Den in the episode set the scene for one of EastEnders most renowned episodes, which aired on Christmas day that year. After over-hearing his wife confess that her illness was fabricated, Den filed for divorce. 30.1 million viewers tuned in on Christmas day in 1986, to witness Den handing Angie her divorce papers, giving the soap its highest ever episode rating, which has yet to be beaten by any other plotline from any other soap in the UK.^[4]

This storyline saw the separation of Den and Angie. Holland and Smith had anticipated that Den and Angie would be popular, but they had not guessed how hysterical the reaction to them would be. It was decided that Den and Angie would have to be played down for a while so that other characters would have the opportunity to shine through.^[1] The next few years saw Den and Angie struggle to get by without each other and eventually they reunited as business partners. However in 1988 Anita Dobson decided that she wanted to move on after three years playing Angie. She left in May 1988. Leslie Grantham had also decided that he wanted to move on, but Julia Smith didn't want the programme to suffer the double blow of losing both Den and Angie at the same time. The solution to the problem was one of the soap's most complex and creative exercises, that required intricate planning. The idea was to enable Den to stay as an on-screen presence for an extra year while keeping Grantham working for EastEnders for only a few months. Tony Holland and writer/editor Bill Lyons came up with a story to put Den in prison for a year, intending that material recorded in a block of intensive filming would then be included in the programme for the rest of the year. The programme didn't want to make Den into a criminal, however, so he had to be put in prison for doing something that could be justified to the viewing public - otherwise there would be no sympathy for him. The answer lay in a storyline that was running with another character - the rape of Kathy Beale. After simaltaneously getting in way over his head with a criminal organisation (The Firm), Den torched The Dagmar in retaliation against Kathy's rapist and was then made to take the blame for the deed by the firm. After he refused, went on the run, and was nearly killed by the firm's heavies, Den turned himself into the police and was put on remand at Dickens Hill prison. For the next five months he was seen, in the company of a small group of new characters also confined in the prison, on a regular basis in EastEnders. This material was shot in less than a month at Dartmoor Prison, Devon. When these segments were written and recorded, they were done so entirely in isolation and in advance - the production team had no real idea of other material that would have to fit around it.^[3]

The character was eventually to bow out on 23 February 1989 in one of the programme's most famous episodes which attracted an estimated 20million viewers. After escaping from custody Den returned to the famous canal (in Alperton) for one last rendezvous with Michelle. The episode ended with Den being shot by a member of the firm in a gun concealed in a bunch of daffodils and ended with him falling into the canal. The scene where Den actually hit the water had to be taped at the BBC's Ealing Film Studios, using a water tank, because the waters of the Grand Union Canal were deemed unsafe. When the episode was finished, however, Jonathan Powell, controller of BBC1, requested that the final shot should be removed, to allow for the possibility of Den returning at a later date. In protest Tony Holland and Julia Smith had their names taken off the credits. Den's exit ended up being the creators' final contribution to the show.^[3]

However, after 14 years presumed dead, executive-producer Louise Berridge made the highly controversial decision to reintroduce the character to the series and reunite him with his daughter Sharon, played by Letitia Dean. Den walked into her nightclub Angie's Den and greeted his stunned daughter: "Hello, princess." Den's return was part of a plan by scriptwriters to fight back against the continued success of ITV's long-running soap, Coronation Street. More than 16 million viewers watched his long-awaited return to the show, attracting 62% of the viewing public.^[5] His return was voted as favourite TV soap comeback, in an AOL online poll of over 23,000 viewers, taking over a third of the vote (37%).^[6] Although Den's return was popular with many viewers, the British press branded the plot unrealistic and felt that it questioned the show's credability.^[7] A severe press backlash followed after actor Leslie Grantham was outed in an internet sex scandal,^[8] which coincided with a swift decline in EastEnders ratings. Newly appointed executive-producer Kathleen Hutchison then made the decision to axe the character and he was killed off in a high-profile storyline, which saw his body buried in the cellar of The Queen Vic.^[9]

Despite the controversy surrounding Grantham, the character of Den remains one of the most popular and high-profile characters in EastEnders history and was voted the 75th greatest television character of all time in a Channel 4 poll.^[10] He has also been branded the villain "you most love to hate" and was voted the number one TV Bastard in a 2002 poll^[11] In addition, the moment that Den served Angie divorce papers has been voted the number one soap moment of all time in a 2004 poll.^[11]

[edit] Den and Angie

Den was married to Angie (played by Anita Dobson) and together they managed the The Queen Victoria pub in Albert Square. Den was notorious for his love affairs and shady dealings. When the series began in 1985, he already had an off-screen mistress, Jan Hammond and within months he had seduced the best friend of his daughter, Michelle Fowler. The teenage Michelle became pregnant and in one of Eastenders most famous storylines, viewers were encouraged to guess the identity of her baby's father. The revelation that it was Den led to him being dubbed Dirty Den by the tabloids. Michelle gave birth to Vicki in 1986 but her paternity continued to remain a closely guarded secret throughout the early years of the series.

In 1986 Den tried to leave Angie for good and in a groundbreaking two-hander episode featuring only Den and his wife she announced that she had "six months to live". In a guilty attempt to build bridges with his 'dying' wife he took Angie to Venice for a second honeymoon. As they returned home on the Orient Express Den overheard his wife admit that she had faked her illness to stop Den from leaving her. This discovery culminated in a Christmas Day episode in which Den served divorce papers to a shocked Angie. This episode was seen by an audience of 30.15 million viewers in the UK.

In 1987, the pair divorced, with Angie going to work at the Dagmar Pub. Den split from his mistress and began an affair with the catering manager at the Vic, Magda Czajkowski. On New Years Eve he welcomed his ex-wife back to the Queen Victoria where they agreed to start again, working purely as business partners.

Their new found business relationship was short lived and Angie eventually left the Square for Spain in 1988,

[edit] First demise

Den became involved with the underworld organisation known only as The Firm. He was forced to take on various tasks for them, including flying to Morocco to pick up a mysterious package. In 1988, he was forced to give up his beloved pub to become the puppet manager of Strokes wine bar (formerly Henry's) with Joanne Francis. The wine bar was merely a front for the illegal gambling den downstairs.

In 1988 a chilling storyline saw James Willmott-Brown, the proprietor of The Dagmar pub, rape his barmaid, Kathy Beale. Kathy was the wife of Den's best mate Pete Beale and it was Den who discovered her alone and afraid in Willmot-Brown's abandoned flat. In angry retaliation he used his underworld connections to have the Dagmar firebombed. Strokes's rival establishment was therefore eliminated although Willmot-Brown escaped the blaze unharmed. The Firm's bosses, including Gregory Mantel, forced Den to take the blame in order to distances their organisation from the attack and in September 1988 he was remanded in custody at Dickens Hill prison.

In Dickens Hill Den got to know his fellow prisoners and their stories, even going on to encounter former neighbour Nick Cotton as a prison-mate. Den was grateful to escape the pressures of his underworld connections outside and quickly rose through the prison ranks to become 'No.1' of his landing.

In February 1989, before leaving prison for his trial, Den had his wallet mysteriously swapped. On his way to court Den's taxi was intercepted by The Firm and he was kidnapped before managing to escape and going on the run. He contacted Michelle and arranged to meet her by the canal, where he promised to turn himself in. But after Michelle had left, Den spotted a man walking towards him take out something from his jacket. Den turned the other way and was shot by a man whose gun had been concealed in a bunch of daffodils. Although he was not shot on screen, viewers heard him fall into the Walford Canal.

That canal was subsequently searched and no body was found, although his jacket was retrieved from the water and traces of blood found on the embankment matched his own. In 1990, Sharon found Den's distinctive signet ring with a 'D' initial for sale at the local market, and discovered it had been fished out of the canal by a local angler. This led to the police dredging the canal for a second time, and the discovery of a body, which Sharon identified as her father's. However, eagle-eyed viewers would have spotted that Den was not wearing his signet ring when he was shot.

[edit] Back from the dead

In September 2003 Den returned to the series, claiming that he had been on the run in Spain since 1989 to protect himself and Sharon from The Firm. The body Sharon had identified as his was explained to have been that of former Firm boss Mr. Vinnicombe, murdered as punishment for Den's escape and dumped - with a hint of irony - in the canal, his teeth having been bricked out to prevent dental identification.

This followed plotlines explaining that 'The Firm' was now that of Jack Dalton, played by Hywel Bennett. Dalton had gained control of The Firm from Vinnicombe and ordered Den's death. He revealed to Den's long-lost son Dennis - though not yet to viewers, as his words were drowned by a passing train - that Den had survived the shooting. Dennis murdered Dalton in revenge and tracked down Den's posh former mistress Jan Hammond, who admitted helping Den escape the country after he had come to her for help and planting Den's ring (which had been in his wallet) at the canal to fool the police.

Den made his return on 29th September 2003; his first line was "Hello Princess", referencing his nickname for Sharon. His return was watched by more than 16 million viewers and was a big ratings success for EastEnders that year. It was revealed he owed the local video shop £9,000 because in 1988 he rented out Porky's II and never returned it, even though he was supposedly dead. The hapless Billy Mitchell's attempt to recoup this video rental fine was met with sneering derision and a curt dismissal from Den's presence. Sharon employed Den as manager of her nightclub Angie's Den (formerly e20, after Walford's fictional postcode), which she had renamed in honour of her parents.

Upon Den's return he met his long-lost son Dennis - who was conceived during a fling with young woman called Paula Rickman, the daughter of one of his friends, in 1974 - and intervened decisively in his ongoing feud with Phil Mitchell. Den made Phil a generous offer for The Queen Vic and talked him into funding a warehouse robbery to be carried out by Den and Dennis in order to raise the cash. On Den's instructions, Dennis got himself arrested for affray on the night of the robbery, tricking Phil into taking his place rather than losing the money. Once they had broken into the premises, Den absconded with the escape ladder and the lion's share of the loot. Den then explained to Phil that he was punishing him for his treatment of Sharon, Lisa and Dennis, before fleeing the warehouse. Inevitably Phil was arrested and charged with armed robbery but escaped 3 weeks later and confronted Den on Christmas Day. Den convinced Phil of the futility of attacking him, paying him off with half the stolen money to support him while he was on the run.

[edit] Dennis and Sharon

Dennis had a passionate fling with Sharon on the eve of Den's return but she rejected him as soon as their father appeared. They secretly resumed their affair while Den was away on business for a few months. Once Den returned and realised the truth he expertly manipulated Dennis to split them up. Although he betrayed some scruples by entreating Dennis not to "make me do this" under his breath, Den went on to insinuate that "some sick nonce" had sexually abused his son while he was in a children's home, driving Dennis into a psychotic rage during which he hit Sharon accidentally when she tried to stop him attacking Den. Den later apologised for this, offering Dennis forgiveness and readmission into the family only if he ended his affair with Sharon. Dennis then started a relationship with Zoe Slater and tried to put Sharon out of his mind.

[edit] Chrissie

While presumed dead Den was running a bar in Spain with second wife Chrissie. As Chrissie had left him when he was contacted by his daughter Vicki he sold the bar and returned to Walford without giving Chrissie a penny. She arrived in Walford supposedly seeking her share of the money but Den soon won her back and got her a job as a hairdresser in his mistress Kate Mitchell's salon. Den then started an affair with Kate and assured her that his marriage to Chrissie was just a business arrangement. When Chrissie discovered Kate's affair with Den she hacked off Kate's hair and smashed up the salon but eventually forgave them both, although she threatened to kill Den if he ever strayed again...

[edit] Back behind the bar

Den then set about reacquiring the Queen Vic and blackmailed the Mitchell clan's corrupt lawyer Marcus Christie into telling Sam Hunter, owner of her fugitive brother Phil's estate, that Phil needed money and had instructed her to sell all his businesses. This enabled Den to buy the Queen Vic from the panicking Sam at a knock down price, evict the Moon family on Christmas Eve 2004 and move in his own family in time for a Christmas dinner they would never forget. Den was finally back in the Vic as landlord 16 years after he first sold the pub to Frank Butcher.

Den, Chrissie, Sharon, Vicki, Dennis and his girlfriend Zoe gathered around the table only for Dennis and Sharon to announce that they had resumed their affair. A disgusted Den split them up again by convincing a distraught Zoe into faking a pregnancy, knowing Dennis would never leave his own child like Den had deserted him. Dennis was forced to stay with Zoe but it was a pyrrhic victory for Den; while begging Sharon not to leave he said he didn't love Vicki half as much and she overheard. Both of Den's daughters left for America together and he never saw Vicki again.

Despite winning back his beloved pub Den developed insomnia and eventually conceded that the bricks and mortar meant nothing to him without Sharon. He had successfully broken up Dennis and Sharon but instead of trying to build a relationship with the only child he had left in Walford, Den seemed to be seeking revenge on Dennis for stealing Sharon's affections. Zoe urgently needed to get pregnant to maintain their deception so Den exploited her desperation and fear of losing Dennis to extort sex from his son's girlfriend. When Dennis eventually caught Den and Zoe in bed together, Den greeted him with a gloating smirk and the line, "Hello son" and Dennis left the Square to search for Sharon.

Ironically Zoe discovered that she had fallen pregnant to Den now that it was too late to pull the wool over Dennis's eyes. This happy news gave Den a new lease of life, representing an opportunity for him to finally get fatherhood right, but Dennis and Chrissie had the last laugh. Before leaving, Dennis had told Chrissie the truth about Den's relationship with Zoe and, feigning ignorance, Chrissie talked Zoe into aborting Den's baby.

This was only the beginning of Chrissie's plans for revenge; she teamed up with Zoe and Sam Hunter to exact their final revenge. The tabloids dubbed them "the three witches of Walford". On February 18, 2005, the trio conspired to confront Den together and shame him into signing the Vic over to them with the threat of exposure. Naturally Den laughed this off, justifying himself by claiming to have shown them their weaknesses and challenging them to take responsibility for being so needy, gullible and stupid as to fall for him and his scams. He declared that exposure of his true character held no terror for him as; "There's no-one left in Walford I give a toss about", only for Sharon to step out from the shadows behind him. Unbeknownst to her confederates Chrissie had phoned Sharon and told her that Den was very ill, luring her back to Walford, but Chrissie only used the confrontation as a way to provoke Den into confessing his sins, destroying him in the eyes of the only person he had ever loved. The disgusted Sharon announced "My Dad's dead!", and fled Walford.

[edit] Second demise

Den walked back into the Vic and Chrissie taunted him that now he knew how it felt to lose what you love most. Sharon's rejection drove Den into a violent rage as he attacked Chrissie, repeatedly smashing her face into a fruit machine. Zoe defended Chrissie by hitting him over the head with an iron dog-shaped doorstop belonging, ironically, to his oldest surviving enemy Pauline Fowler. Sam couldn't find his pulse so she and Zoe ran off panicking as Chrissie told them to get ready to cover up the murder. She gazed down at Den and said, "I may not have been the first woman in your life, Den... but I will certainly be the last!" Den seemed to have cheated death yet again as he woke up, grabbing Chrissie's ankle and lunged for her throat, but she hit him again with the doorstop, killing him instantly. Chrissie let Zoe think she had murdered Den but Sam had secretly witnessed Chrissie's blow from the shadows.

Den's last words, "You'll never get me out the Vic!", proved appropriate as the Three Witches encased his corpse in concrete under the cellar of his pub, but he still casts a long shadow over the Square. As Sam pointed out to Chrissie; "He'll get his revenge. He always does. And when did being dead ever stop Den Watts before?".

[edit] Beyond the grave

In June 2005 the happily reunited Sharon and Dennis marched into the Vic and Dennis demanded "Where's Den?". Chrissie told them Den had run off with another woman. They found it strange that Den would leave so suddenly after going to so much trouble to buy back the Vic. Sam vied with Chrissie for the Vic but realised Chrissie was planning on selling the Vic and fleeing Walford. Sam took to drink and tried everything possible to stop Chrissie from getting away with murder. Eventually on 29 August, a drunken Sam exhumed Den with a pickaxe on Dennis and Sharon's wedding day in the hope that Chrissie would finally get arrested for Den's murder. Sam had attacked Tracy the barmaid and locked her in a bathroom before digging up the cellar floor, and was arrested anyway when the police arrived. But when the police found a body under the floor, they were convinced that Sam was responsible. The body was quickly identified as Den's, and Sam was charged with murder. Sam's brothers Grant and Phil returned in October 2005 to ally themselves with former rivals Sharon and Dennis. Thanks to a CCTV confession from Johnny Allen's nightclub obtained by the Mitchell brothers Chrissie was eventually arrested and charged with Den's murder. At the end of the storyline it seemed that Den had the last laugh as he was still causing trouble from beyond the grave.

[edit] In popular culture

In the short story Brief Encounter: Mistaken Identity by Gary Russell, published in Doctor Who Magazine #174, the mercenary Lytton meets Den Watts in the Queen Victoria and mistakes him for Davros's adjudant Kiston.

The 2006 episode of Doctor Who entitled "Army of Ghosts" features a scene where Peggy Mitchell tells the ghost of Den to "get outta my pub!" as the only spirits that will be served are vodka, whisky and gin. Leslie Grantham is not seen in this episode.

[edit] Family

• Wife: Chrissie Watts
• Son: Dennis Rickman (deceased)
• Daughter: Vicki Fowler
• Adoptive daughter: Sharon Rickman
• Grandson: Dennis Rickman Jr.

Preceded by Alf and Polly Barrett	Landlord of The Queen Vic unknown - 1988	Succeeded by Frank and Pat Butcher
Preceded by Phil Mitchell	Landlord of The Queen Vic 2004 - 2005	Succeeded by Chrissie Watts

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• BBC character profile