EastEnders bosses ditch storyline that would have ended Dot Cottons bloodline from soap

EastEnders bosses shelved their plans for their controversial storyline that would have seen Dot Cotton's association with Walford come to an end.

June Brown, who played Dot for more than 30 years, died at the age of 95 back in April. The actress played Dot from 1985 – the year the soap started – all the way to 2020, but now her on-screen granddaughter Dotty is the only person left from her family tree remaining on Albert Square.

However, Dot's bloodline nearly left the show altogether following a contentious storyline which involved Dotty that was set to air on Christmas Day last year, The Mirror reports.

Dotty, played by Milly Zero, was stunned to find out that Nick Cotton, Dot's good-for-nothing son who terrorised his mother over the years, may have not been her real father.

As well as this, fans were shocked to discover that Tom 'Rocky' Cotton – Nick's half-brother – could have been her real father. This would have meant that Dot would have had no existing relatives on Albert Square.

Following the bombshell claim from Dotty's mum, Sandy Gibson, last Christmas, Dotty had sat on the news as her relationship with Rocky improved in recent weeks.

But after Vinny Panesar told Rocky that he could have been Dotty's biological father, the two sat down and cleared the air.

Rocky – played by Brian Conley – insisted he never had a relationship with Sandy, and that it was impossible he was Dotty's father – stressing that Nick is most definitely her father. This corrected any potential wrongs from last year's Christmas episode and re-established Dot's bloodline on the Square.

As well as paying tribute to June Brown earlier this year, the soap is now preparing to say a final farewell to Dot Cotton in a special episode of the show this winter.

In a special EastEnders episode airing this winter, Dot’s friends and family will come together to say their final farewells at her funeral after news of her death reaches Albert Square.

The character is currently residing in Ireland but as per Dot’s wishes, her funeral will be held in Walford, with her family and friends giving her the send-off she deserves, the BBC have said.

Executive producer Chris Clenshaw said: “Everyone at EastEnders was truly heartbroken when June passed away earlier this year and, for quite a while, no-one could even think about saying goodbye to Dot; an iconic character who will go down in television history and be cherished forever.

“June was always adamant that she never wanted Dot’s time to end while she was still with us, but she also knew that EastEnders would rightly say their farewells to Dot when the time was right.

“Sadly that time has come and we are determined to give the audience, who treasured Dot for so many years, the fitting tribute that she so deeply deserves.

“So whilst it will be a very, very sad day in Walford, we will be giving Dot the send-off that she and June would want and rightly deserve.”

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