Den Watts
| Den Watts | |||||||||||||
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| EastEnders character | |||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Leslie Grantham | ||||||||||||
| Duration | 1985–1989, 2003–2005 | ||||||||||||
| First appearance | Episode 1 19 February 1985 |
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| Last appearance | Episode 2891 18 February 2005 |
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| Created by | Tony Holland | ||||||||||||
| Introduced by |
Julia Smith (1985) Louise Berridge (2003) |
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| Book appearances |
Blind Spots Swings and Roundabouts |
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| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||
| Other names | Dirty Den | ||||||||||||
| Occupation | Pub landlord | ||||||||||||
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| Family | Watts |
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| Father | Dennis Watts |
| Wife | Angie Watts (until 1987) Chrissie Watts (1999–2005) |
| Sons | Dennis Rickman |
| Daughters | Vicki Fowler |
| Adoptive daughters | Sharon Mitchell |
Dennis Alan "Den" Watts is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by actor Leslie Grantham. He became well known for his tabloid nickname, "Dirty Den".
Den was the original landlord of The Queen Victoria. He perhaps is best remembered for his stormy love-hate relationship with his alcoholic first wife Angie (Anita Dobson). After nearly 19 years of marriage, he finally handed divorce papers to her in the 1986 Christmas Day episode that was watched by a record-breaking 30.15 million viewers, more than half of the UK population at the time. He was also well known for his later involvement with the criminal gang known as The Firm that eventually led to an attempt on his life in 1989. For 14 years, it was believed that the Firm's attempt on his life had been successful, but he returned to Walford in September 2003. Seventeen months later, his character was killed off again, this time for good, at the hands of his manipulative second wife Chrissie (Tracy-Ann Oberman).
His character has been described by EastEnders executive producer Louise Berridge as being arguably one of the most iconic soap characters ever.
Den and his wife Angie Watts (Anita Dobson) are landlords of The Queen Victoria pub in Albert Square, Walford. Despite being married, in his late thirties and having a mistress in Jan Hammond (Jane How), Den is unable to turn down the advances of his adopted daughter Sharon Watts's (Letitia Dean) 16-year-old best friend, Michelle Fowler (Susan Tully), in 1985; they have sex one night after closing time in the Queen Vic. When 16-year-old Michelle falls pregnant, she refuses to name the father, fearing repercussions for Den and herself. When she gives birth to a daughter Vicki in 1986, Den is not allowed any contact with her; he is allowed to hold his daughter once and supported Michelle financially in secret. For many years the secret is kept hidden but Michelle's mother, Pauline Fowler (Wendy Richard), is one of the first to realise the truth, igniting a feud between her and Den, which intensifies when he admits to her in January 1988 that he is indeed Vicki's father.
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