June Brown: the genius chain-smoking queen of the East End

Over 35 years as a pivotal figure in EastEnders, June Brown achieved two significant firsts in British soap opera.

Dorothy “Dot” Cotton (later Branning), scripture-quoting chain-smoking 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.

On 9 February 2020, the 35th anniversary of EastEnders’ launch, in a Sun newspaper poll on the popularity of the soap’s characters, Dot Cotton achieved 86% approval ratings – the highest of anyone tested.

Brown’s contribution to the show – and status as one of its most accomplished performers – had already been internally recognised in Episode 3518, screened