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

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.

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 disuade Den from leaving him by announcing that she had only six months to live, a lie that Den was completely taken in by. 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 over 30 million viewers in the U.K..

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 plop 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, in 2003 it was revealed that the death was faked and he has since returned to Albert Square.

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 exile in Spain.

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

Final demise

February 18 2005 saw the 20th anniversary and the final death to Den Watts. With a confrontation in the Queen Vic privately between himself and the 'Three Witches' (Sam Hunter, Chrissie Watts and Zoe Slater), he was tricked into revealing the truth about destroying Dennis and Sharon's relationship to Sharon herself, hiding in the shadows. Leaving him and never wanting to see him again, Sharon caused Den to lose his temper and attack his wife. Zoe hit him in the head in defence with an iron dog doorstop.

However, as they locked all the doors Chrissie was attacked by a still alive Den. She gave him the final, fatal blow but didn't tell Zoe or Sam about this. However, Sam had seen this from the shadows. An era had gone and Dirty Den Watts was dead for good.

External link

• BBC Eastenders site