EastEnders is officially 41! Since the very first trip to Walford, the show has given us the wildest drama and those legendary “Doof-Doof” endings we all love. It’s been over four decades of chaos in Albert Square. And even after all this time, the Slaters and Mitchells are still keeping us glued to our screens. Stay with us to see the 5 most iconic moments of the soap.
Angie’s Fake Illness And Den’s Christmas Surprise 1986
The soap aired its most-watched episode in British history on Christmas Day 1986. “Dirty” Den was planning to leave his wife, Angie, for his mistress, Jan Hammond. However, in a desperate bid to keep him, Angie pretended to be sick and said that she was only going to live for six months. Den, feeling guilty, continued to live with her and even took her on a second honeymoon to Venice.
However, while they were returning home on the Orient Express journey, Angie was drunk. She soon confessed to a barman that she was faking her illness. Unfortunately, her husband was nearby and heard their conversation. But the mastermind didn’t confront herimmediately. He would rather wait till Christmas to do maximum damage.
During the festival the pair had a dance at the pub. However, as soon as they were alone, Den told Angie that he knew about her lies. He mocked her acting and handed her the divorce papers in a solicitor’s envelope.
While walking away, he mentioned, “This, my sweet, is a letter from my solicitor…Happy Christmas, Ange” This storyline was so impactful because at that time it had only four TV channels. So nearly half of the UK population was eager to witness this twist.
The Iconic “You Ain’t My Mother!” 2001
None of us could ever forget this quoted line. The Slater arrived in 2000, with Kat showing as Zoe’s sister. However, Kat was hiding a dark secret. She had been abused by her uncle, Harry. Moreover, she gave birth to Zoe at a young age.
Later, during an argument, Zoe screamed, “You ain’t my mother!” to which Kat replied, “Yes, I am!”
The Sharongate Tape 1994 In EastEnders
Sharon Mitchell was having a secret affair with her husband Grant’s brother, Phil Mitchell. Unaware of its existence, Sharon confesses to the affair on a tape recording. Soon, Grant discovered the tape and chose to play it at Phil and Kathy’s engagement party.
Everybody went silent, and ultimately it led to a brutal clash between the two brothers. Later, Grant spent months humiliating Sharon. He even called her the “pub whore” and forced her to sign the divorce papers. Soon she fled to America to be with her mum.
Max And Stacey’s Affair Revelation 2007
Max Branning cheated on his son Bradley with Bradley’s wife, Stacey Slater. But their love affair was inadvertently recorded. On the very day of Bradley and Stacey’s wedding, a video camera filmed them kissing in the morning.
On Christmas Day, soon the whole Branning family was assembled to watch a wedding DVD. However, to their great surprise, they saw the footage of the affair shown on the TV.
The 40th Anniversary Explosion 2025 In EastEnders
During that time, the storyline was centred on Billy and Honey’s wedding. However, chaos happened when murderer Reiss Colwell was on the run and attempted to flee the Square. Later, Cindy and Ian were arguing when Cindy pushed him into the path of the murderer’s speeding car. To avoid Ian Reiss crashed into the Queen Vic barrel store. And this causes several gas canisters. Also, the impact was very large when the roofs and upper level collapsed.
In the middle of all this, among all the mayhem, Stacey Slater was trapped in a burning house. And in order to rescue her, Martin Fowler, her ex-husband, went inside the house. Although he managed to get to her, a huge metal beam fell which broke his legs. As the firemen were working to get them out, Martin told her that he loved her.
However, when the beam was lifted, Martin had a cardiac arrest. The most loved character died in his lover Stacey’s arms. Meanwhile, let us know your favourite moment on the soap. For more EastEnders spoilers and updates, keep following Soap Opera Daily.