EastEnders’ Dirty Den Watts was an iconic character but despite actor Leslie Grantham’s death, fans have predicting how the villain could return, and it’s not via a recast
EastEnders legend Dirty Den Watts could be a surprise return to the soap – despite the actor dying six years ago.
The notorious Albert Square villain, played by Leslie Grantham, made his Walford debut back in 1985. Leslie was the first EastEnders cast member to be seen on-screen and had the opening line when the programme launched on February 19.
And it’s fair to say Dirty Den had a part in several big storylines. In 1986, over 30million viewers tuned in to watch him hand his alcoholic first wife Angie (Anita Dobson) divorce papers on Christmas Day.
Grantham quit the series in 1988, and in February 1989, Den was apparently killed off after getting shot. Despite turning down several offers to return to the series, Grantham reprised the role of Den in 2003.
The character returned 14 years later in a highly publicised week in September 2003, where Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) discovered that Den had survived his shooting and had fled to Spain afterwards.
Den was ultimately killed off in 2005 during the show’s 20th-anniversary episode in a major whodunnit storyline. It was later revealed that Den’s second wife Chrissie (Tracy-Ann Oberman) hit him over the head during a confrontation in the Vic.
Leslie himself passed away in 2018, at the age of 71 following a battle with lung cancer. A statement from his representative said: “We formally announce the loss of Leslie Grantham, who passed away at 10.20am on the morning of Friday 15th June 2018.
But now, fans reckon a return could be on the cards for the Dirty Den character – despite actor Leslie’s death, as they have ‘worked out’ how he could make a comeback.
Over on an EastEnders fan Reddit thread, viewers shared their thoughts on which characters they would like to return from the dead on the soap. And as expected, Dirty Den popped up.
Rushing to share their thoughts, fans pointed out how Den could make an appearance thanks to CGI or AI. If this theory was to happen, it’s believed it would be a UK soap first for it to bring back a deceased actor in the form of CGI.
One Reddit user commented: “Dirty Den again, use cgi lol.” A second echoed their thoughts and replied: “Could always use Al to make Dirty Den a figment of Sharon’s imagination like Denise had Keanu images.” A third replied: “That would be epic.”
