June Brown, 'EastEnders' icon Dot Cotton, dies at 95
Apr 4, 2022
June Brown, who played the chain-smoking Cockney matriarch Dot Cotton on the British soap opera “EastEnders” for 35 years, has died
LONDON (AP) — June Brown, who played the chain-smoking Cockney matriarch Dot Cotton on the British soap opera “EastEnders” for 35 years, has died. She was 95.
The BBC, which produces the show, announced Brown’s death on Monday. It said she died at her home outside London on Sunday with her family by her side.
“EastEnders” producers said Brown appeared in 2,884 episodes of the soap and “created one of the most iconic characters in Dot Cotton, not just in soap but in British television.”
Born in 1927, Brown served in the Women’s Royal Naval Service towards the end of World War II before training at the Old Vic Theatre School. She played myriad stage parts with the Royal Shakespeare Company and other troupes, and had many film and TV roles before being cast in “EastEnders,” a soap opera chronicling life in the fictional working-class London neighborhood of Walford.
Intended as a southern rival to the northern England-set soap opera “Coronation Street,” the show launched in 1985 and soon became a ratings hit. Brown created one of its most popular characters in Cotton, a devout Christian and incorrigible gossip who worked in the local laundromat and assessed her neighbors with a sharp eye and equally sharp tongue.
Storylines over the years charted Dot’s tribulations at the hands of her wayward son “Nasty Nick" Cotton, who once plotted to kill her to steal her bingo winnings. One memorable plot strand saw Cotton struggle with her faith after a terminally ill friend asked for help to end her life.
“EastEnders” became a British institution — Queen Elizabeth II even visited the set in 2001 — and Brown was one of its longest-serving stars. Apart from a break between 1993 and 1997, she remained on the program until 2020, receiving a lifetime achievement honor at the 2005 British Soap Awards for the role.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said Britain had “lost a true national treasure.”
The show’s producers said ”a very bright light has gone out at ‘EastEnders’ today, but we shall all be raising a sweet sherry in June’s memory."
“Rest in peace, our dearest June. You will never be forgotten.”
More News
Media industry could be forced to improve safeguards after Walliams allegations
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy could force participation in an industry watchdog to protect whistleblowers, the BBC understands.
Tom Holland Says Starring in ‘The Odyssey’ Has Given Him an ‘Ambition to See What Else is Out There For Me’
Tom Holland has starred in two of this year’s biggest-grossing films – “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and “The Odyssey” – but he says it’s the latter that will impact the next stage of his career. At a screening of Christopher Nolan’s Greek epic in London on Thursday, Holland was asked what he’d taken away from […]
Netflix Are Releasing A Documentary About Russell Brand Tomorrow, And Everyone Is Thinking The Same Thing
"Then maybe take Brand's stand-up show down lads???" View Entire Post ›
King Charles appears on Sir Elton John's radio show
The latest episode of Rocket Hour will air on the monarch's 78th birthday on Saturday.
‘Ghost Soldier’ Review: Jim Caviezel Is a Superheroic Soldier in an Uninspired, Retrograde Actioner
If “Walk Hard” was the parody that made it harder to take seriously subsequent music biopics, “MacGruber” did the same for a certain subset of action movies. Directed by William Eubank (“Underwater”), “Ghost Soldier” stacks up one-man-army cliches as early as the opening credits and continues as if no one’s ever told the story of […]
Palme d’Or Winner ‘Fjord’ to Open 26th European Film Festival Malaysia, Astro First to Stream Selected Titles
Cristian Mungiu’s Palme d’Or winner “Fjord” will open the 26th European Film Festival Malaysia (EUFF) on Nov. 26 at TGV Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. This year, for the first time, some of the festival’s films will also go to home audiences through Malaysian media and entertainment group Astro. The festival runs through Dec. 13 under the […]
Animated Vs. Live-Action: The Disney Debate
This might just start an argument... View Entire Post ›
DJ Tim Westwood denies two more sexual offences
His latest pleas of not guilty mean he now denies a total of 17 charges concerning allegations from 1983 to 2016.
BBC Boss Matt Brittin & Industry Leaders Set To Attend Culture Secretary’s Emergency Meeting Next Week Following Brand & Walliams Scandals
EXCLUSIVE: BBC Director General Matt Brittin is one of a number of industry bosses who will attend an emergency meeting convened by the UK Culture Secretary next week in the wake of the Russell Brand, David Walliams and MAFS scandals. Nandy will tell a meeting of leaders that if their response to the recent allegations […]
Lei Lei’s Hybrid Doc ‘Vertigo Garden,’ About a Botanist’s AI-Replicated Memories, Lands at Asian Shadows Ahead of IDFA Bow (EXCLUSIVE)
Boutique sales company Asian Shadows has acquired “Vertigo Garden,” the new feature from Chinese filmmaker and animation artist Lei Lei, ahead of its world premiere in the Envision Competition at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA). This is Lei’s second feature. IDFA has also nominated it for the Beeld en Geluid IDFA ReFrame Award, […]
'I Play Rocky' is an 'anti-money movie,' says its director. Just like the original
Director Peter Farrelly, star Anthony Ippolito and more of the team behind 'I Play Rocky' joined The Envelope for a live taping at AFI Fest.
Masterpieces From Paris Go Town to Town in a Semi-Truck
Culture funding in France heavily favors the country’s capital. So a traveling outpost of the Musée d’Orsay is bringing art to rural communities that have long felt left behind.