Coming up next week on EastEnders, Dot Branning (June Brown) is terrified that she’s going to lose her home on the Square as the court hearing looms…

The hearing was of course ordered by Walford Council after they learned that Dot had been subletting her house to tenants – and most notably to Cora Cross (Ann Mitchell) who failed to pay the rent – and had got into arrears.

However, her friends on the Square are set to be horrified to learn of the court case, and the fact that Dot’s been issued with an eviction notice, so Fatboy (Ricky Norwood) and Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) decide to fight Dot’s corner… Read more & comment »

The Great British soap opera has become segmented in our lives, with the likes of Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks providing us with over 22,850 episodes between them totalling over 11,500 hours since they all began entertaining us, making them almost an extension of our own lives.

With these facts and figures which make the likes of the Mitchells, the Barlow’s, the McQueen’s and the Dingles such a strong influence on society, it is no wonder the divorce rate in Britain today is so high.

The average relationship life expectancy in soapland is anywhere between six weeks and six years, and whilst weddings occur almost weekly on one mainstream soap or another, successful, long and fulfilling marriages are almost unheard of.
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Coming up on next week’s episodes of EastEnders, Poppy (Rachel Bright) and Fatboy (Ricky Norwood) are desperate to get enough money together to put a deposit down on a place of their own…

So when Alfie (Shane Richie) tells Poppy that auctions are a great way to pick up bargains to resell, she and Fatboy decide to try it out.

At the auction, they buy a set of suitcases which nobody had claimed from a lost property department. They have no idea what’s inside but hope that it’s stuff that they can then resell on the market… Read more & comment »

Tonight sees the second instalment of new BBC2 sitcom, Heading out, starring and written by British comedy genius Sue Perkins, and Unreality TV were privileged enough to catch up with one of its main stars, Joanna Scanlan, to find out all the goss for the rest of the series.

Heading Out tells the story of Sara, a veterinarian who is given an ultimatum by her friends to tell her parents that she is gay.

In order to help her ‘come out’, Sara’s friends buy her 6 weeks’ worth of sessions with a life coach in the form of eccentric netball player, Toria (Joanna Scanlan), before her parents are due to visit so that Sara can come clean to them at last.
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Fans of EastEnders will know that Cora Cross (Ann Mitchell) is persona non grata as far as Dot Branning is concerned, given that while Dot was away from the Square, she allowed Cora to live in her house on condition she paid the rent and the bills…

However, Cora did neither, so now, poor Dot (June Brown) faces the possibility of losing her home and is in debt as she tries to pay all the bills left by Cora.

So when things suddenly begin disappearing, Dot – who threw Cora out a couple of weeks ago – suspects that her former houseguest is taking stealing the items. And in the episode that airs on Tuesday, March 5th, when some cuts of cold meat mysteriously vanish from the fridge, Dot storms off to confront Cora and to demand she hand back the keys to the house. Read more & comment »

EastEnders fans will of course know that last year, Dot Branning (June Brown) left Walford after what had been yet another annus horribilis for the downtrodden granny…

She wanted time away from Walford and therefore headed off to stay with friends, however, she’s headed back to the Square, but as we’ll see in a Red Button special tomorrow night – which is entitled Dorothy Branning: The Next Chapter – Dot’s initially in no hurry to come back to Albert Square.

Until that is her step-granddaughter Abi (Lorna Fitzgerald) tracks her down and convinces her that the good ship Branning needs her at the helm to guide the troubled relations back to some kind of normality… Read more & comment »

Dot Branning has of course been away from the Square for months now, having taken herself off to visit relatives and have a break from the various and nefarious activities of her family…

However, her return is heralded by the death of her stepson Derek Branning (Jamie Foreman) at Christmas, and to celebrate the return of the EastEnders icon, the BBC are to air a Red Button special which will see Abi (Lorna Fitzgerald) tracking down her MIA step-granny.

While announcing the one-off mini-episode, which is entitled Dorothy Branning: The Next Chapter, the BBC stated, “Why has Dot stayed away from Walford for so long? Why won’t she come home?

“We’re about to find out when Abi Branning leaves the East End on a mission to seek out her Grandma Dot…” Read more & comment »

In tonight’s episode of EastEnders, we’re set to see Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace) doing her best to shun the advances of her persistent Branning brother lover who just will not take ‘No’ for an answer!

However, as Kat is trying really hard to avoid the temptation to cheat on Alfie (Shane Richie) again, in a bid to save their marriage, she’s left furious when her lover sends her a note asking her to meet him in the bedsit that has been their love nest…

Furious Kat calls her mystery man and tells him that she has no intention of meeting up with him for an illicit tryst, and warns him to stop contacting her. However, it would seem he knows Kat better than she knows herself, and when he continues to call and text, she storms round to the bedsit to tell him in person that it’s over.

But when she gets there, she finds that he’s put rose petals on the bed, has champagne on ice and has written her a loving message via the medium of lipstick on a mirror… Read more & comment »

EastEndes matriarch, Dot Branning, is to return to the award-winning soap in New Year, the BBC have today confirmed, after what producers are calling an “explosive Christmas” in Albert Square!

Dot, played by June Brown, was last seen on our EatsEnders screens in July when, after the trauma of Heather Trott’s murder, she went to visit her granddaughter, Dotty, along with her sister, Rose.
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As fans of EastEnders will know, June Brown who plays Dot Cotton, is currently on extended leave from the show, and part of her time spent away from the soap was to film June Brown: Respect Your Elders, which will air on BBC1 on Thursday at 10.35pm…

And in it, according to the Daily Mirror, we’ll see June visiting her co-star John Bardon who of course played the role of Dot’s husband Jim Branning until he had a devastating stroke, which saw him having to leave the role.

However, John’s stroke was written into Dot and Jim’s storyline, and Jim was of course an occasional visitor back in Walford at times when John was well enough to make brief appearances.

But as we’ll see in the show, sadly 73 year old John’s condition has deteriorated and he now needs constant 24/7 care from his elderly wife Edna, as he’s unable to walk and is speech impaired… Read more & comment »

In next Monday’s episode of EastEnders – we have a sneak peek clip for you after the jump – when Dot Branning (June Brown) hears that the police have arrested Andrew (Ricky Grover) she refuses to believe he could be guilty.

However, when she goes over to visit Shirley (Linda Henry) and she tells her that she expects Andrew will be released any moment, sure the police are mistaken, Shirley lashes out at Dot and reminds her of how Andrew behaved on Heather’s hen night.

A shocked Dot soon leaves and finds Patrick (Rudolph Walker) and sure he’ll share her belief in Andrew’s innocence, she’s yet again shocked when Patrick tells her he believes Andrew’s guilty… Read more & comment »

When evil pimp Rob (Jodi Latham) schemes to meet up with Whitney (Shona McGarty) in tonight’s episode of EastEnders, it seems he’s worked his magic on the troubled teen, because she lies to Fatboy (Ricky Norwood) and Dot (June Brown), telling them Rob is in fact her new love interest, Lee…

But will Fatboy sus out what she’s up to in time for him to save her from falling into Rob’s clutches yet again?

Watch the spoiler clip after the jump… Read more & comment »

In an upcoming storyline, Dot Branning is to be reunited with her sister Rose, who she lost contact with years ago after they fell out.

Dot – who is of course played by June Brown – will decide it’s time to get in touch with her sister when health worries cause her to fret that she might not be long for this world…

However, Rose and Dot haven’t spoken since Dot found out that her sister had had an affair with her then husband Charlie Cotton, but, anxious to reconcile matters, Dot will call her sister and arrange to meet.

Actress Polly Perkins will play the part of Rose, but it seems there’s further intrigue when Rose has a secret she’s desperate to keep from Dot… Read more & comment »