EastEnders legend Leticia Dean’s cheeky lie which landed her iconic BBC soap role

As soon as EastEnders legend Ross Kemp dons Grant Mitchell’s black leather jacket he’s filled with the uncontrollable urge to add tight trousers, pick a fight and start an over-complicated relationship – all while planning a spot of arson. The telly hardman is returning to Albert Square for the soap’s triumphant 40th anniversary. The celebrations will be marked by an hour-long episode on February 19, followed by an interactive live show where viewers can vote to choose whether Denise Fox ends up with Ravi Gulati or Jack Branning.

Grant’s return will see him reunited with pal Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley) as he tries to help his suicidal brother Phil (Steve McFadden) who is in the grip of an acute mental health crisis. But before he films his comeback, Ross, 60, has put his documentary making skills to the test and caught up with his old co-stars including Gillian Taylforth, Letitia Dean, Adam Woodyatt and Pam St Clement to film EastEnders: 40 Years On The Square.

Ross says, “Over the last few months I’ve realised what an impact EastEnders had had on my life, on the other people who work here and on its viewers. EastEnders has tackled some difficult subjects, it’s changed hearts and minds and reflected an ever changing society all the while entertaining millions of people and that’s why I’m very proud to be part of the 40th anniversary.”

Ross Kemp presents EastEnders: 40 Years on The Square wwhcih airs at 8pm, Monday 17 February on BBC1 and iPlayer  ( Image: PA)

LETITIA DEAN

Letitia Dean was just a teenager when she won the role of ‘princess’ Sharon Watts. But she had to pretend to be a Cockney get the part. In the end it was her filthy laugh that clinched the deal. Letitia said: “I was 16 or 17. You had to be born within the sound of Bow Bells and of course I wasn’t. I was from Hertfordshire but I lied. They were very, very authentic. Apparently I got cast for my dirty laugh.”

During her time on the show, Letitia has filmed some enormous storylines – but her favourite remains ‘Sharongate’ – where husband Grant Mitchell discovered she’d slept with his brother Phil.

She says, “I was trusted with a huge storyline in front of 25 million viewers. It’s still talked about to this day. The best stories are slow burners.”

Sharon was married to Grant Mitchell but later married his brother Phil, played by Steve McFadden ( Image: BBC/Kieron McCarron)

GILLIAN TAYLFORTH

Gillian made her debut as market stall worker Kathy Beale in the first ever episode of EastEnders after impressing creators Julia Smith and Tony Holland with her acting skills. However, Gillian admits the part wasn’t much of a stretch as before winning her life-changing role she worked on a London market stall in real life! Gillian says, “I was born in Islington and I used to work on Chapel Street Market. My boyfriend at the time had a stall there so Saturday and Sunday I used to help him out.”

However, not everyone was impressed with her arrival in showbusiness. Gillian adds, “My granddad said ‘Don’t watch it, watch Emmerdale ’ and I thought, ‘So I’ve lost to a load of sheep, lovely!’”

Gillian Taylforth worked on a market stall in real life before winning the role of Kathy Beale ( Image: PA)

ADAM WOODYATT

He’s been there right from the start so it’s no wonder Adam Woodyatt’s Ian Beale is the most married character in the show’s history, with six weddings to five brides. But Ian doesn’t spend all his time romancing gorgeous women who are way out of his league, he also finds himself embroiled in dark storylines like the whodunnit around his daughter Lucy’s death. And it’s these dark storylines that Adam believes gave the show the edge over its rivals when it launched in 1985. Adam says, “There was Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Crossroads, but we were the slightly rougher one and I think a lot more people managed to identify with that.”

PAM ST CLEMENTS

Pam St Clement was only booked to play Pat Butcher for three weeks when she signed up to the show in 1986 – but she stayed in Walford for 26 years. Fans loved her flamboyant character with her black eyebrows, blonde quiff and giant earrings. Pam says, “When I got the part of Pat, like any actor I decided to do a bit of homework, and I saw this bus condructress on a number 38 bus and she was wearing the most dangly earrings and she had spiky hair.”

Pat was known for her chemistry with husband Frank Butcher and her rivalry with Peggy Mitchell, played by the late Dame Barbara Windsor, who passed away in 2020. Pam says of her close friend, “I miss her. I miss her tremendously.”

Ross Kemp and Pam St Clements take a bus as they chat about EastEnders’ 40th anniversary ( Image: BBC/Pulse Films/Kieron McCarron)

JESSIE WALLACE

When Zoe Slater yelled: “You ain’t my mother!”, Kat Slater roared back: “Yes I Am!” and the 2001 scene became an instant classic, so much so that fans still shout those words to actress Jessie Wallace in the street. The hard hitting storyline revealed Kat had been abused by her evil uncle aged 13, and fallen pregnant. Fearful, the family had covered the secret up and passed baby Zoe off as Kat’s little sister. The storyline saw Jessie receive letters from young girls and women in similar situations, which were passed to the NSPCC. Jessie says, “It had a massive impact. I don’t really watch myself, but I’m proud of that.”

Jessie Wallace plays Kat Slater, who was revealed to be ‘sister’ Zoe’s real mum ( Image: BBC)

LUCY BENJAMIN

The shooting of Phil Mitchell in 2001 sparked a nationwide manhunt as millions of soap viewers tried to work out exactly who would be brave enough to take out Walford’s hardest nut. When Lisa Fowler was revealed as the shooter, fans were stunned. Actress lucy Benjamin says, “None of us were told if we were the culprit, which was a masterstroke.” Phil might have died but viewers thought Lisa’s actions made her a hero after months of abuse from Phil. Lisa says, “People used to pat me on the back! They disliked Phil so much, I remember once in the supermarket someone saying, ‘You should have finished him off!’ People loved it.”

Ross Kemp interviews Lucy Benjamin on the set of Albert Square ( Image: BBC/Pulse Films/Kieron McCarron)

MICHELLE COLLINS

Ever since she joined the show in 1988, Cindy Beale has been a sexy maneater. An eternal romantic, she’s always looked to men to make her feel special. And she’s no different today. Actress Michelle Collins, 62, wouldn’t have it any other way. She says, “When you get to your mid 40s it definitely changes for women. You start playing the mum, or the best friend or the auntie or the granny, so it’s great EastEnders are embracing that. Why can’t middle aged women have their own lives?”

Michelle Collins’ character Cindy with Junior Knight, played by Micah Balfour ( Image: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)

COLIN SALMON

Den Watts, Grant Mitchell, Phil Mitchell, Alfie Moon and Mick Carter have all been great landlords of The Queen Vic. Now, Bond star Colin is thrilled to have joined the ranks of EastEnders landlords, and proud to be the first black star cast in the role. He says, “It’s really important. I think he’s a very symbolic figure within British culture. We have people watching, looking at life thinking, ‘This is something I could be.’ If you can see it, you can be it.”

EastEnders: 40 Years on The Square will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, at 8pm, Monday 17 February 2025.