Den Watts

"Dirty" Den Watts was a character in the British soap opera EastEnders played by actor Leslie Grantham.

Related Topics:
Soap opera - EastEnders - Leslie Grantham

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Den was married to Angie (played by Anita Dobson) and together they managed the Albert Square pub, the Queen Victoria. Den was notorious for his extramarital affairs and shady dealings, which earned him his nickname. His conquests included his adopted daughter Sharon's best friend Michelle Fowler (then sixteen, who bore him a daughter, Vicki), Jan Hammond and Paula Rickman, who bore him a son, Dennis, known as Desperate Den.

Related Topics:
Angie - Anita Dobson - Albert Square - Sharon - Michelle Fowler - Vicki - Dennis

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In one of EastEnders' most famous storylines, Den tried to leave his wife Angie for his mistress Jan. However, in a special two-hander episode that featured only Den and Angie (and a window cleaner), Angie managed to dissuade Den from leaving him by announcing that she had only six months to live, a lie that completely took Den in. In an effort to cheer up his 'dying' wife, Den took Angie to Venice, only to learn on the Orient Express that Angie was faking her illness. Den then served divorce papers on Angie on Christmas Day 1986, which was seen by an audience of 30.15 million viewers in the UK.

Related Topics:
Venice - Orient Express - Christmas Day - 1986 - UK

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Den was shot in 1989 by a hitman working for "The Firm" and presumed dead. Notoriously, the shooting was accomplished with a gun concealed in a bunch of daffodils. Although Den was not seen shot on screen, viewers heard him fall into the canal. His jacket was subsequently retrieved from the canal, Sharon found his distinctive signet ring with a D initial for sale at the local market and she even identified a body as his. Nevertheless, on 29 September 2003 it was revealed that the death was faked and he returned to Albert Square. Although the shooting did not kill him, it still caused his death indirectly as it forced him to go into exile, where he met Chrissie, who ended up murdering him.

Related Topics:
1989 - "The Firm" - Sharon - 29 September - 2003

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This followed plotlines explaining that "The Firm" was that of Jack Dalton, played by Hywel Bennett. Dalton revealed to former gangster Dennis, though not yet to viewers, as his words were drowned by a passing train, that Den was alive and living in Spain. Dennis then murdered Dalton, allowing Den to return, followed by his estranged wife Chrissie, whom he had married during his years of lonely philandering exile in Spain.

Related Topics:
Jack Dalton - Hywel Bennett - Dennis - Spain - Chrissie

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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.

Related Topics:
1988 - Billy Mitchell

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The nightclub 'Angie's Den' (formerly E20, after Walford's fictional postcode) was named after the Watts by their daughter Sharon.

Related Topics:
'Angie's Den' - Postcode - Sharon

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