0:00:01 > 0:00:07The least sentence that I can impose is three years. Take her down.
0:00:09 > 0:00:15So the latest in a long line of much-loved characters has bid farewell to Albert Square.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17Following in one of the finest traditions
0:00:17 > 0:00:23of tear-jerking departures, explosive exits and tragic endings on British television.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27And tonight we're going to look back at some of the most memorable exits of all time.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00Walford. Why would anyone want to leave?
0:01:00 > 0:01:03It's beyond me, but they do, and in their hundreds.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07From cabs to catastrophes - we salute Albert Square's dearly departed,
0:01:07 > 0:01:11culminating in our block-busting Top Five Exits of all time.
0:01:11 > 0:01:17First though, we're going to spend the next 90 minutes enjoying a who's who of Walford's greatest goodbyes.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19You're lucky to be alive.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21But what's the best way to make your departure?
0:01:21 > 0:01:25There've been so many ways over the years.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28There's the obvious going in the back of a taxi.
0:01:28 > 0:01:33Best way to leave any soap is death.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37- Stabbings.- You can get shot. - Thrown down a cliff.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39- Car accident. - You need a bit of a bang.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42Falling against a rake.
0:01:42 > 0:01:47- People going to prison. - Four bunches of daffodils.- AIDS.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51The British public you know what they're like, they love a few deaths.
0:01:53 > 0:01:54End of!
0:01:54 > 0:02:00If you get the exit right a character can live on and be much more memorable.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04- Jamie, Jamie!- It's got to be something highly dramatic or it's not really worth it.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09We often refer to the characters as family silver.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11We don't want to be too hasty in killing them off.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17What you're trying to do in an exit is make that last scene
0:02:17 > 0:02:19as moving as possible.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21Let's go, Mrs Moon.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25And if you're really lucky, you'll get the special prize of a Julia's Theme.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27Where they play that tinkly piano.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30It goes a little bit like this. PIANO PLAYS
0:02:30 > 0:02:31That bit of music there.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34So what exactly is a Julia's theme?
0:02:34 > 0:02:38It's a kind of melancholy state of new acceptance.
0:02:38 > 0:02:43The world has changed and something has been lost but knowledge has been gained in a bittersweet way.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47So let's begin our quest to find the finest departures on offer
0:02:47 > 0:02:49with what some people might consider the best way -
0:02:49 > 0:02:51going out with a bang.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00If your brains were dynamite you wouldn't have enough to blow your hats off.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05Ah, EastEnders, it's such a blast!
0:03:05 > 0:03:10My favourite exits from EastEnders have always got to be the explosions.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14There's a massive heat forcing, expanding.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17And creating a blast.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22It doesn't get bigger than an explosion, does it?
0:03:29 > 0:03:35For our first explosive exit we're going back to 2008 and medic slash maniac, Dr May Wright.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39Crazy May had been after Dawn and her baby, Summer.
0:03:39 > 0:03:40I'm her mummy now.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44She was nuts. She was a crazy lady.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48- She should have been locked up at birth. - I want my baby!
0:03:48 > 0:03:51So when she paid them both an unannounced house visit,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54there was only one man who stood in her way.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58I promise, nothing's going to happen to you or Summer.
0:03:58 > 0:03:59'Yeah! Go on, Mickey!'
0:04:00 > 0:04:02THUD AND MICKEY GROANS
0:04:03 > 0:04:06'Well, at least he tried.'
0:04:06 > 0:04:09Dr May huffed and puffed but still couldn't break the door down.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13- Give it up, you mad cow!- Realising her baby-snatching days were over,
0:04:13 > 0:04:17Dr May made her way downstairs, turned the oven up to gas mark 9
0:04:17 > 0:04:19and indulged in a cheeky ciggie.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27It just shows you how dangerous smoking is...
0:04:27 > 0:04:28Kids, if you're watching.
0:04:33 > 0:04:38Our next explosive exit could've been a simple story of bad guy Trevor Morgan going up in flames,
0:04:38 > 0:04:42until fireman Tom Banks went and played the hero.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44A fatal EastEnders mistake.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48- Whilst Tom spent a romantic evening with Sharon...- I love you.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Trevor was wooing Little Mo in his own inimitable style.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55Do you remember what I said I'd do to you if you ever went with somebody else?
0:04:55 > 0:04:57You said you'd kill me.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00What a charmer. But Little Mo had had enough and called his bluff.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02You're a sad, pathetic, little man -
0:05:02 > 0:05:06I don't know why I was ever frightened of you!
0:05:06 > 0:05:11Our hero, Tom, had only been on the scene for minutes, when the first of tonight's exit alerts was triggered.
0:05:11 > 0:05:17That's the moment where we're given a quite unsubtle hint that somebody's about to make their exit.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20- 'Firstly Sharon told him...' - I love you.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23'As he plunged head first into the blaze.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26'Then Roy Evans sealed his fate by giving him the all clear.'
0:05:26 > 0:05:28It's all right, love. The worst is over.
0:05:28 > 0:05:33Bad call, Roy, this baby's about to blow.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36We live to fight another day, huh?
0:05:36 > 0:05:39And what a great line to end it on... No, you don't.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47That is a bummer, isn't it? You go and save Trevor of all people,
0:05:47 > 0:05:51the most hateful character in the Square for several years,
0:05:51 > 0:05:53and get killed.
0:05:53 > 0:05:58Yes, this was a great value two-for-one exit. Double the misery, double the fun.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01Sorry, Sharon.
0:06:01 > 0:06:06Our most memorable explosive exit takes us back to 2002
0:06:06 > 0:06:11and the story of the showdown between two of the baddest men to ever grace Albert Square.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14They were destined to hate each other eternally.
0:06:14 > 0:06:15Or what, ey?
0:06:17 > 0:06:20They locked horns so many times.
0:06:21 > 0:06:26Steve and Phil's rivalry was born out of greed, envy and frilly shirts?!
0:06:26 > 0:06:33I actually really hated Spandau Ballet and their frilly shirts.
0:06:33 > 0:06:38Musical differences aside, this is how it went down. Steve had been a naughty boy.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40You did an armed robbery, Steve!
0:06:40 > 0:06:43- I had no choice. - And Phil grassed him up to the mob.
0:06:43 > 0:06:44So the mob were after Steve.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48- Where's Owen? - Good question.- But Steve had a plan.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52- I'm going to bring the car round, pack our bags and we go. - 'To take his sweetheart Mel.'
0:06:52 > 0:06:54- Are you going to come?- Yeah.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56Phil's girlfriend, Lisa.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59Stay here and let your girl grow up to be a Mitchell, that's up to you.
0:06:59 > 0:07:04And his beloved baby Louise to start a new life in America.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08- Whilst all along having a bit on the side with Phil's sister, Sam. - You want to fill me up?
0:07:08 > 0:07:12It wasn't long before Phil found out about Steve's plan.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15- Billy! Where is he! - He's gone to Jimmy Diamond.
0:07:15 > 0:07:16Cue the car chase!
0:07:19 > 0:07:23There was an amazing car chase through the East End of London.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31And I thought that the way we did it in the end,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34Steve's whole exit was very filmic.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37It wasn't at all like an EastEnders episode.
0:07:37 > 0:07:42It was much more like the way that I would shoot an independent British film,
0:07:46 > 0:07:52With Steve trapped inside the burning wreck, Phil dived in to save baby Louise.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54But would he go back for his old mucker Steve?
0:07:54 > 0:07:59There's an opportunity for Phil to go back to the car to get Steve out...
0:07:59 > 0:08:01Phil, the door's stuck!
0:08:01 > 0:08:04I think he was going to go back and save him but he didn't get the chance.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06Phil, the door's stuck - get me out.
0:08:06 > 0:08:11He was inside the car, so you've got that tortured...
0:08:11 > 0:08:14final moments and quite a grisly ending.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27But the stunt was great. That car spinning over...
0:08:27 > 0:08:30I felt the heat of that explosion.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32I felt it, it was there, it was real.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39Steve Owen was a kind of alpha bad boy.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43To be burned alive feels like a compelling way for him to go out.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47If you're going to go, you might as well go with a bang.
0:08:47 > 0:08:53Certainly true but you don't necessarily need big explosions to enter our exits Hall of Fame.
0:09:00 > 0:09:01Hello, boys.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04The residents of Albert Square can be accident-prone.
0:09:04 > 0:09:09- You don't know what you're missing... - Ron!- They've spun, tripped...
0:09:09 > 0:09:13fallen, tumbled, tripped again,
0:09:13 > 0:09:17slipped, been whacked,
0:09:17 > 0:09:21wobbled, stumbled and for our final trick,
0:09:21 > 0:09:24fallen headfirst into a birthday cake. How do you pull that one off, Phil?
0:09:24 > 0:09:26Just like that.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31And some accidents have been more serious than others.
0:09:31 > 0:09:36Here's June to talk you through our first accidental exit, and play 'Exits Word Bingo'!
0:09:36 > 0:09:38- There was that struggle.- Forgive me!
0:09:38 > 0:09:42I can't! Only God can do that.
0:09:42 > 0:09:47Jim came in to save Dot and in the melee, the scuffle...
0:09:50 > 0:09:52..Joe fell out of the window.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02SHE LAUGHS
0:10:02 > 0:10:06I shouldn't laugh about all these sad exits.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11Next up, probably Walford's most-bizarre exit ever.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14- Death by rake.- Death by rake.
0:10:14 > 0:10:19It sound's like an 18th century tragedy, doesn't it? Death by rake.
0:10:19 > 0:10:25This shocking shed-based exit sees Lucas finally get rid of ex-wife and all-round pain-in-the-neck, Trina.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29That's very good what you did there. Leave me alone!
0:10:29 > 0:10:33She attempts to get some kind of romantic, sexual connection
0:10:33 > 0:10:36- with him in the garden shed. - You're mine.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38He pushed her
0:10:38 > 0:10:43and there was an unfortunately positioned rake just there.
0:10:43 > 0:10:44No!
0:10:48 > 0:10:50That had gone in pretty deep.
0:10:50 > 0:10:55It was the noise that you'd make from pulling your finger out of a melon.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59Ooh, didn't see that coming,
0:10:59 > 0:11:01but who would?
0:11:01 > 0:11:06It's one of the most surprising deaths and certainly one of the most inventive deaths.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09Help me.
0:11:09 > 0:11:15Our next casualty of an accidental death comes from 2004 and the exit of Laura Beale.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19Because they said it was going to be a domestic accident
0:11:19 > 0:11:23I spent quite a lot of time thinking about what it could possibly be.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26Maybe she drops her hair straightness in the bath,
0:11:26 > 0:11:30or something really ridiculous, death by electrocution?
0:11:30 > 0:11:35Laura had been feuding with surprise, surprise, Janine Butcher, over the attentions of...Ian Beale?
0:11:35 > 0:11:38You cow!
0:11:38 > 0:11:40I thought she was going to kill me.
0:11:40 > 0:11:45Our exit alarm bell began to ring when instead of calling Ian to tell him he was the father of her baby,
0:11:45 > 0:11:49- she decided to write a letter. - My intention was to tell Ian that the baby was actually his.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53And with one fatal ring of the doorbell, Laura made a quick exit.
0:11:53 > 0:11:54Ian, wait!
0:11:54 > 0:11:55Wait!
0:11:58 > 0:12:01Laura's death is a warning to all mothers out there -
0:12:01 > 0:12:07when going down the stairs always watch out for a children's random toys on wheels.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12So it was left to Pat to find poor Laura's lifeless body.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15Laura? No! Laura!
0:12:24 > 0:12:27Time now to look at the most iconic way of leaving the Square
0:12:27 > 0:12:31with your life still intact, the good old London black cab.
0:12:31 > 0:12:32Bye, Den.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35Many of EastEnders' greatest characters
0:12:35 > 0:12:37have left in the back of a cab.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40Go on, driver, double-speed to the airport.
0:12:40 > 0:12:45But for our stars, is being given the taxi exit a slap on the back, or a kick in the teeth?
0:12:45 > 0:12:49I think any person working on EastEnders after a certain period
0:12:49 > 0:12:52of time would be slightly upset if they picked the script up
0:12:52 > 0:12:55and is said "exits in taxi after waving goodbye."
0:12:55 > 0:12:58East Road, please.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01The taxi is the one everyone wants to avoid.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03I don't need you in my life, Phil.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06- Sam?- The problem is it's been used so many times
0:13:06 > 0:13:10it's getting a bit tedious and whenever anyone is leaving
0:13:10 > 0:13:12everyone says "They can't leave in a cab."
0:13:12 > 0:13:14Please!
0:13:14 > 0:13:17Leaving by taxi is better than a bus.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21But it's not that much better, is it, let's be honest?
0:13:21 > 0:13:24But perfecting this exit isn't as easy as it looks.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28It's very hard to shoot a black cab travelling down
0:13:28 > 0:13:32about five yards of road and make it look iconic and extraordinary.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34It's really hard to make that work.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36What are the taxi exit rules?
0:13:36 > 0:13:40- You've got to learn to do the wave. - There's the crying.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44The lingering lookout the back of the window.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48The inside shot, the look around the square.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51The iconic crane shot is what makes it.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55So maybe this exit just reflects the mundane realities of life.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58It can't always be "he died while bungee-jumping,"
0:13:58 > 0:14:02"tragic water ski accident, skiing snowboarding accident,
0:14:02 > 0:14:04"cable-car disaster," they can't do that.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08A lot of the time in real life people do wave goodbye in taxis.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11Or maybe it's down to plain old practicality.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13Time for the voice of reason...
0:14:13 > 0:14:17You can't really go on the tube carting three or four suitcases,
0:14:17 > 0:14:20so you have to take a taxi.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27But in the land of the black taxi exit, one woman reigns supreme.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30Hi, I need a cab.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32- 'Not again, what time?'- 5 o'clock.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34- 'Which airport?'- Heathrow.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Yes, that's right, it's Sharon Watts.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41On Christmas day 1994, after an argument with Grant...
0:14:41 > 0:14:43You make me sick.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47She left in a black taxi. A year later Grant tried to propose...
0:14:47 > 0:14:49I can't.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52And she left in another very conveniently parked taxi.
0:14:52 > 0:14:59Fast forward to a classic Christmas Watts family tear-up, I bet you can't guess what happens?
0:14:59 > 0:15:00Thanks.
0:15:00 > 0:15:06- Sharon and brother-turned-lover Dennis were planning to run away together.- Forever.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09The only problem being that Dennis was shacked up with Zoe Slater.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12Time for a Watts family Christmas lunch to remember.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16- This should be fun!- What do you keep looking at each other for?
0:15:16 > 0:15:20- Don't say it.- We're in love and we have been for a very long time.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22Cue the fireworks!
0:15:22 > 0:15:25Even Den's wife, Chrissy, got into the festive spirit.
0:15:25 > 0:15:30For once in your selfish, miserable lives
0:15:30 > 0:15:33could you not have waited until after dinner?!
0:15:35 > 0:15:39- But wily old fox Den had a cunning plan. - Lie to him.- About what?
0:15:39 > 0:15:41Tell him you're pregnant.
0:15:41 > 0:15:46I think Den was evil insisting that she say to Dennis trap him,
0:15:46 > 0:15:51tell him you're pregnant and forcing Dennis's hand.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53Dennis, we're having a baby.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00- Sharon?- Leave her.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02It's over.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06She's pregnant with your child.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15I'm staying here with you.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21And so Dennis stayed put.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25But for Sharon it was time to make another dramatic taxi departure.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29And it was far from her last, as we'll be finding out later.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33So far in our look through the best exits Eastenders has to offer,
0:16:33 > 0:16:37we've seen an explosive car, an explosive Christmas lunch
0:16:37 > 0:16:40and a little bit of death by rake.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44- And still to come - we've got all of this...- Dennis?!
0:16:47 > 0:16:51And we find out who's made our Top Five Greatest Exits of all time.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00If you want to get out of Albert Square and you're not weighed down
0:17:00 > 0:17:05by too much luggage, maybe just a stolen road sign, why not catch the tube?
0:17:05 > 0:17:09- Stansted please. - 'Just ask the Slaters.'
0:17:09 > 0:17:14Their preferred mode of transport appears to be a London Underground, Walford East.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17Yes, they love making a scene down at the tube station.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20Here's how you exit Slater-style.
0:17:20 > 0:17:221) Make your way to Walford East station.
0:17:22 > 0:17:282) Inform no-one of your departure to make sure your loved ones come running.
0:17:28 > 0:17:29Zoe!
0:17:29 > 0:17:323) Stage a dramatic goodbye scene.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34I forgot to give you this.
0:17:36 > 0:17:37I love you too, Dad.
0:17:37 > 0:17:414) Remember - no begging on the underground.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45- There is a wonderful, beautiful life just waiting for us.- No.
0:17:45 > 0:17:515) And lastly, don't forget to have one final look back, before you make your exit.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58But for our favourite train departure we're going back to 1999
0:17:58 > 0:18:00for the tear-jerking exit that gave a platform
0:18:00 > 0:18:03to one of Britain's favourite soap couples.
0:18:04 > 0:18:10I think Bianca's exit had an enormous effect because people had grown up
0:18:10 > 0:18:14with Bianca and she was a kind of much-loved character.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17- What was that for? - I just love you, that's all.
0:18:17 > 0:18:23And also Sid and Patsy were so spectacularly massive at that point.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25Most famous couple in Britain.
0:18:25 > 0:18:30Them two, you never thought they'd split up, Ricky and Bianca.
0:18:30 > 0:18:35But of course they did, thanks to dirty Dan Sullivan, leaving Ricky distraught.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37I'm second best, I always have been.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40It's just taken her this long to work it out.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42So after a fond farewell from Mum...
0:18:42 > 0:18:44You just make me want to throw up.
0:18:44 > 0:18:49Bianca decided to leave Walford for a new life in Manchester.
0:18:49 > 0:18:54But she only made it as far as Euston Station before love-struck Dan caught up with her.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56Sorry!
0:18:56 > 0:18:58You all right?
0:18:58 > 0:19:00What are you doing here?
0:19:00 > 0:19:04- What type of welcome's that? Coming with you.- You disgust me!
0:19:04 > 0:19:10The stage was now set for our underdog Ricky to make an incredible comeback.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14You take all those romantic cliches, run into the train station, is he going to get there on time?
0:19:14 > 0:19:19They could be happy but he wants to know the truth for the relationship is what the whole story's about.
0:19:20 > 0:19:25Ricky! I can't believe you're here!
0:19:25 > 0:19:27I love you, and no one else comes near.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30- But I just need to know that you feel the same.- Of course I do!
0:19:30 > 0:19:33I ain't second best, I'm enough for you.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35- You are!- Bianca, I mean it.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38Just do me this one thing, be honest with me.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42Am I a compromise, am I really what you want?
0:19:46 > 0:19:48No.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50That's all I needed to know.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55Ricky, don't go, please!
0:19:55 > 0:19:58I think she did what she had to do at that moment.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00That's how normal relationships end.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02Ricky!
0:20:02 > 0:20:06They don't always end with a big row, or someone dying.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10Usually a relationship ends because one person falls out of love with the other.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13Very very simple but very very powerful.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20Our next category features the characters who found themselves
0:20:20 > 0:20:23in a bit of a hole...literally.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27Our first Shallow Grave exit is from 2006,
0:20:27 > 0:20:30and the woodland burial of dangerous Danny Moon.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33Danny was a gangster's henchman with a sensitive side.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35You really hurt my feelings.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38And when he wasn't scrapping with his brother Jake...
0:20:40 > 0:20:43He was doing big bad Johnny Allen's dirty work,
0:20:43 > 0:20:47this time putting the Mitchell brothers into early retirement.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51It ain't dirty work to me. I'm just putting down a couple of dangerous dogs.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53Phil and Grant tried to get Danny to back off,
0:20:53 > 0:20:58even highlighting some of the pitfalls of burying bodies in the woodland.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02You ever dug in woodland before? It's a nightmare.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04- Root systems.- Root systems.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06You've done this before, haven't you, boys?
0:21:06 > 0:21:08Grant! I'm sorry.
0:21:08 > 0:21:13But Danny wasn't budging, and it looked like the end of the road for the dynamic duo.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15GUN FIRES
0:21:18 > 0:21:21You didn't really think they'd kill off Grant Mitchell, did you?
0:21:21 > 0:21:25Nope. It was Danny's brother Jake who saved their bacon.
0:21:25 > 0:21:30So the Mitchells lived to fight another day, but for Danny it was a two-foot under burial.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Next up, it's the demise of Owen Turner
0:21:36 > 0:21:40at the hands of "praise the lord" Lucas Johnson.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43Lucas had got away with murdering ex-wife Trina,
0:21:43 > 0:21:45and Owen wasn't going to take it lying down.
0:21:45 > 0:21:50Now, where were we? Oh, that's right, your murdered wife's bracelet.
0:21:50 > 0:21:55So Lucas did the sensible thing and killed him off by... Now, what's the word?
0:21:55 > 0:21:57Strangulation.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00Yeah, that's it. Using his own unique murder weapon.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06It's a not-very-good excuse, but that's where ties are supposed to be.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08Very poor excuse,
0:22:08 > 0:22:12but not as bad as Lucas's choice of location for Owen's shallow grave.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17Stay tuned to find out what happened to this unfortunate hound.
0:22:17 > 0:22:22For our most memorable Shallow Grave exit, we're going back to 1999
0:22:22 > 0:22:24and Saskia Duncan.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28'Police are investigating the discovery of a young woman's body
0:22:28 > 0:22:30'in a shallow grave in Epping Forest.'
0:22:30 > 0:22:34Saskia's exit has gone down in EastEnders folklore.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36The ashtray to the head.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39It was the big opening night of E20,
0:22:39 > 0:22:43and anybody who was anybody in Walford was there.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45Oh, and Robbie Jackson managed to get in too.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47Fancy dancing?
0:22:47 > 0:22:50Sorry, can't. Hurt me leg.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53- Smooth Steve Owen was playing host. - Come into my office.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57While spinning the tunes was E20's hottest DJ Matthew Rose.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59Steve had a problem, though. His crazy ex, Saskia,
0:22:59 > 0:23:03had turned up in Walford and just wouldn't leave Steve alone.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06You either get out or I'll sling you out.
0:23:06 > 0:23:11But Saskia wasn't going to leave quietly, and plucked up the bottle to take Steve on.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27Steve extinguished Saskia with one strike of an ashtray.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33It wasn't so much Steve set out to kill Saskia.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36It was kind of, I've always thought, self-defence.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39Left with a corpse to get rid of, Steve decided to make sure
0:23:39 > 0:23:43Matthew kept his mouth shut by dragging him into the frame.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47You just helped me wrap up the body. I think for the law, you're going to need an alibi.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51Or maybe he just wanted an extra pair of hands for the digging.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Let's just get on with this and get out of here, eh?
0:23:54 > 0:23:58Even though the character of Saskia wasn't in it for very long,
0:23:58 > 0:24:01the ashtray is obviously huge in people's heads.
0:24:01 > 0:24:06I thought that was one of the best exits I've ever seen on EastEnders.
0:24:06 > 0:24:11Certainly one of the best, Martin, but still not good enough to make our Top 5.
0:24:11 > 0:24:16Next, it's time to take a little detour as we leave the human world
0:24:16 > 0:24:21and take a stroll down Albert Square's pet cemetery.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23Our first dearly departed is Sugar the Dog.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25The dog knew too much.
0:24:25 > 0:24:31Indeed. She sniffed out Lucas's evil deed way before anyone else did.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33So Lucas took her for a...walk.
0:24:33 > 0:24:39And then he returns back to the Trumans' just with the lead and nothing else.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41As if to say, well, he just ran off.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47And we've just seen what happens when you go down the canal with Lucas. Oops.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49That was the end of Sugar.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56And then there was little Tiff's pet caterpillar, Herbert.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00Not the most attractive creature, he holds the record for the most short-lived pet in Walford.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02- Watch out for the... - SPLOSH
0:25:08 > 0:25:10And who could forget Joey the budgie?
0:25:10 > 0:25:12He certainly rued the day Jim cleaned his cage.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14You've got to try this. It's homemade.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17Right, yeah, stick it down there.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20No, wait! Put that under. I've just polished that.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25VACUUM CLEANER WHINES
0:25:25 > 0:25:28- Oh, no!- What's the matter? - It's Joey! I've sucked him up!
0:25:28 > 0:25:30He's gone up the flaming nozzle.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39Now, there have been many much-loved pets in Albert Square,
0:25:39 > 0:25:42but none more so than this loveable hairy mongrel.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45They do say owners have a reflection on their pets.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49Not only did they look alike, this duo was inseparable.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53- He looks well 'ard, doesn't he? - But off screen, Wellard got too big for his boots.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56I know for a fact he started drinking heavily on set and stuff.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00He was rude to a lot of the cast. Just typical old-hand actor stuff, you know?
0:26:03 > 0:26:08He's gone now, God bless him. He's up there somewhere in doggy heaven.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11I know he's doing well. He's gone off to Hollywood to do a few things.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13From Borehamwood to Hollywood.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18I love a happy ending! So long, Wellard.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32Leaving Walford for good is easier said than done.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35Just ask this lot, who can't get enough of saying goodbye.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41Our first EastEnder has had more exits than the M1.
0:26:41 > 0:26:42Hello, Pat.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46Frank had an exit every few years. But they were always good.
0:26:46 > 0:26:51I know why Mike kept coming back. He brought so much vitality and colour to the show.
0:26:51 > 0:26:52HE LAUGHS
0:26:52 > 0:26:55This was a good one.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57I shouldn't be too long, Pat.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59Turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
0:26:59 > 0:27:04And he just walked into the crowd, and the camera craned up and he just disappeared,
0:27:04 > 0:27:07surrounded by other people, lost, and no one knew where he'd gone.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09Good night, sweetheart.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13Frank seemed to like walking off into the distance, so he did it again.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17This one was a brief affair. He arrived at Ricky and Bianca's wedding,
0:27:17 > 0:27:20and two minutes later he was off again!
0:27:20 > 0:27:26And maybe his most memorable exit was Bonfire Night in the year 2000.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30When he'd had the affair, Peggy finds out, we had the whole facing off in the Vic.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32The slaps.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36And it was time for Frank to leave once more.
0:27:37 > 0:27:42He left alone as a bonfire effigy of himself burned on a fire.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47It was a great moment, and it's one of the images you remember forever.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53Now, compared to the amount of exits accrued by the mighty Frank Butcher,
0:27:53 > 0:27:54this guy is small fry.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57Oh, he looks mad. Do you think he heard me?
0:27:59 > 0:28:00Grant had a few exits.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03He had this one where he threw a Brazilian woman in a bin.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07You lying, scheming, self-obsessed, greedy bitch.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11But this is the one that got everyone talking.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13It was all very dramatic.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15Phil found out Grant had slept with Kathy,
0:28:15 > 0:28:19so we knew it was all going to end in tears.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22Getting out, I crashed my head on the steps of the dock.
0:28:22 > 0:28:27I ended up in casualty and in an East London hospital with a gash in my head.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29- Where's Grant?- Leaving everyone thinking he was a goner,
0:28:29 > 0:28:34Grant resurfaced a few days later at the airport with daughter Courtney.
0:28:34 > 0:28:35Right, here we go. We're off.
0:28:35 > 0:28:39Where he bid us a Stars In Their Eyes-style goodbye.
0:28:39 > 0:28:40Bon voyage, big guy!
0:28:40 > 0:28:45The Exit King crown however, goes to a man who's been coming and going
0:28:45 > 0:28:49and coming and going and coming and going again for the last 26 years.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54So let's look at Nick's very first exit.
0:28:54 > 0:28:56If you watch carefully, you'll see it sets the tone
0:28:56 > 0:29:00for all of his 13 - that's right, 13 - exits.
0:29:02 > 0:29:06I think Nick Cotton's first exit was almost like a caricature of himself.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08It was quite pantomime-y.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11Nasty Nick, a panto villain? Surely not.
0:29:11 > 0:29:15You stinking, rotten bastards!
0:29:15 > 0:29:17Boooo.
0:29:17 > 0:29:19He's behind you!
0:29:19 > 0:29:21I bet you'd like a cup of tea.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24Oh, no, he doesn't!
0:29:24 > 0:29:27And right up to his most recent exit in 2009,
0:29:27 > 0:29:31Nick was still doling out his threats and scaring all the little kiddies.
0:29:32 > 0:29:36But we can all breathe a sigh of relief, as we're pretty sure he's gone.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39I'll be back. Just you wait!
0:29:40 > 0:29:42Well, for the time being.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50If Nick Cotton really wanted to leave Walford for good,
0:29:50 > 0:29:54he could've done worse than take a job at the local boozer.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57# Victoria... #
0:29:57 > 0:30:02To me, the central character, in the whole of EastEnders, is the Vic.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04Punters love sharing a joke...
0:30:04 > 0:30:05Who was it?
0:30:05 > 0:30:07- Roy the Rovers. - LAUGHTER
0:30:07 > 0:30:09..Having a little dance...
0:30:11 > 0:30:15..or the old Walford tradition of the baked bean-eating contest...
0:30:15 > 0:30:17Hang on!
0:30:17 > 0:30:21It's also seen its fair share of exits, some more graceful than others.
0:30:21 > 0:30:22Thank you.
0:30:22 > 0:30:24Take Tom Clements.
0:30:24 > 0:30:26I don't know who Tom Clements is.
0:30:26 > 0:30:30He keeled over in the khazi back in 1988.
0:30:30 > 0:30:34I'm feeling a bit off-colour, I'll pop in to see you tomorrow.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36What's the matter with him now?
0:30:36 > 0:30:37You send him home, Den.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40Chris? Give us a hand.
0:30:40 > 0:30:42Oh, oh, dear. Oh, dear. Oh, dear.
0:30:42 > 0:30:43I think he's dead.
0:30:45 > 0:30:50But being the landlord is definitely a perilous occupation.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52I can't imagine having your name above the door
0:30:52 > 0:30:55is necessarily the safest of career choices.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57They always end up getting hit on the head.
0:30:57 > 0:31:02One landlord who was really asking for it was Archie Mitchell.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05Archie had it coming and there were quite a few suspects.
0:31:07 > 0:31:08Merry Christmas, Janine.
0:31:08 > 0:31:09I'm going to kill him.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12You hurt one hair on her head and I'm coming back.
0:31:15 > 0:31:16If you died right now,
0:31:16 > 0:31:18I'd be glad.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22This public house, I'll sell it for flats.
0:31:22 > 0:31:24No, you couldn't.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27Even Ian Beale issued an unconvincing threat.
0:31:27 > 0:31:30You pick up the phone, you're going to wish you were dead.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34He'd damaged so many people throughout his time in the square,
0:31:34 > 0:31:37really, it could've been anyone.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40So, with almost the whole of Albert Square in the frame,
0:31:40 > 0:31:43down came the Queen Vic bust to call last orders on Archie.
0:31:43 > 0:31:45The fact that it was the Queen Vic bust,
0:31:45 > 0:31:49it was poetic, in a very brutal sense.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54It doesn't get more bizarre and right than that, really.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58Stay tuned to find out who did it,
0:31:58 > 0:32:02and how they made their escape from Walford.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04Our final and most memorable Queen Vic-tim
0:32:04 > 0:32:06is, of course, Dirty Den,
0:32:06 > 0:32:10the only man so bad they had to kill him twice.
0:32:12 > 0:32:14Den's exit was brutal.
0:32:14 > 0:32:15It was violent.
0:32:15 > 0:32:17You can't say he couldn't have seen it coming.
0:32:17 > 0:32:20One of these days, you're going to get struck down.
0:32:20 > 0:32:21No, not me. I'm indestructible.
0:32:25 > 0:32:27The three witches of Macbeth there.
0:32:27 > 0:32:28Finally!
0:32:28 > 0:32:30I stopped off to get these.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33'You've got Zoe, you've got Sam, and you've got Chrissie,'
0:32:33 > 0:32:35all the women he did wrong by.
0:32:35 > 0:32:40So they decided to get their revenge by throwing Den out of the Vic, once and for all.
0:32:40 > 0:32:42This should be really interesting.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44First, the girls listed their grievances.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47You didn't mean to con me out of everything.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49You screwed another woman in our bed. In our bed!
0:32:49 > 0:32:54You used me to split Sharon and Dennis up. You told me to tell him I was pregnant.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56But Den was unmoved.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59There's not one single person round here who I give a toss about.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02Until they played their trump card - Sharon had heard everything...
0:33:02 > 0:33:04Princess.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08..and finally realised what a nasty piece of work her dad really was.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11I don't know who you are but you ain't my dad.
0:33:11 > 0:33:12I'm an orphan.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16And, of course, there was a taxi on hand to take her from the scene.
0:33:16 > 0:33:17'As far as Chrissie was concerned,'
0:33:17 > 0:33:19her work was done, she destroyed him.
0:33:19 > 0:33:25Sharon gone? Now you know what it's like to lose the one thing in the world you love most.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28Now you know what it's like to be me!
0:33:28 > 0:33:31I still get people screaming that to me in the street.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34SCREAMING
0:33:44 > 0:33:47Dirty Den was definitely dead.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50Maybe.
0:33:50 > 0:33:51You'll never get me.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54When he came back to life and grabbed her ankle,
0:33:54 > 0:33:56he'd have quite happily punched her to death,
0:33:56 > 0:33:58so she did what she had to do.
0:34:03 > 0:34:04'To bump off soap's biggest'
0:34:04 > 0:34:08iconic character is an honour.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10Not just an iconic character,
0:34:10 > 0:34:14Den was the first in a long line of Walford bad boys
0:34:14 > 0:34:16to meet a sticky end.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19# All the people down the street Whoever you meet
0:34:19 > 0:34:22# Say I'm a bad boy. #
0:34:22 > 0:34:24'If your character's got a shady background,'
0:34:24 > 0:34:26it will come round and get you.
0:34:26 > 0:34:27Do me a favour, mate?
0:34:29 > 0:34:30Make it quick.
0:34:30 > 0:34:32Trust me.
0:34:32 > 0:34:37I've always seen myself as a bit of a hard man figure.
0:34:38 > 0:34:40Can't quite see it myself, Joe.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45Our first hard nut to crack was Jase Dyer.
0:34:45 > 0:34:47When he wasn't giving Big Mo and company an eyeful...
0:34:47 > 0:34:50Sorry but I'm a bit low on clothes right now.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54..He was getting into a spot of bother with crime boss Terry Bates
0:34:54 > 0:34:56and his heavies.
0:34:56 > 0:35:01- Go! Get out of here! - Come on! You want it?
0:35:01 > 0:35:04It all ended badly for Jase,
0:35:04 > 0:35:07no thanks to Billy Mitchell.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10I don't think it was cowardice, if he'd have come out
0:35:10 > 0:35:12of his hiding place, he'd have gone the same way.
0:35:12 > 0:35:14Police! Open!
0:35:16 > 0:35:18Get on the floor! Get on the floor now!
0:35:18 > 0:35:21'It was a good exit.'
0:35:21 > 0:35:25We had a run of about six or eight episodes
0:35:25 > 0:35:28'that built up to a peak and I think that was why it worked.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30'This was like a little movie.'
0:35:32 > 0:35:35Next up, it's the exit of bug-eyed bad guy Jack Dalton.
0:35:35 > 0:35:39He met his match in pretty boy hard man Dennis Rickman.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42Yeah, smoking doesn't make you look any harder, Dennis.
0:35:42 > 0:35:45After coming off second best in a haggle...
0:35:45 > 0:35:47- Two grand?- Ten grand.- 20.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49- 15.- 20.- Ten grand.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51- Two grand.- 15.- 20.
0:35:51 > 0:35:56..Dalton decided that Dennis had to go and called on Walford's "gun for hire", Phil Mitchell.
0:35:56 > 0:36:01- But Dennis was in luck, because Phil doesn't kill people. - I don't kill people.
0:36:01 > 0:36:02# Hit the road, Jack
0:36:02 > 0:36:05# And don't you come back No more, no more... #
0:36:05 > 0:36:07So Dennis got the chance to take Dalton
0:36:07 > 0:36:10on an impromptu night time ramble in Epping Forest.
0:36:10 > 0:36:12I can see where this one's going.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15Jack had one last shot at talking Dennis round...
0:36:15 > 0:36:17You're the nearest to a son I ever had.
0:36:17 > 0:36:19And you were the nearest to a dad.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22It was going pretty well until he put his foot in it.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25The Watts are all the same.
0:36:25 > 0:36:26Weak liars.
0:36:26 > 0:36:27Whoops!
0:36:27 > 0:36:30- You want to know something?- Sure.
0:36:30 > 0:36:32Den Watts,
0:36:32 > 0:36:34he was my father.
0:36:34 > 0:36:35GUN SHOT
0:36:35 > 0:36:37# Don't you come back no more. #
0:36:37 > 0:36:42Our final gangland exitee is, of course, Dennis himself.
0:36:42 > 0:36:45He couldn't leave happy, he'd been a bad boy.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47Yeah, we're quite moral about these things.
0:36:47 > 0:36:48You do the crime...
0:36:48 > 0:36:51EastEnders, they like to show that people do the time.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54Dennis was now set on leaving Walford and his life of crime behind,
0:36:54 > 0:36:57to raise a family with newly pregnant missus Sharon.
0:36:57 > 0:36:59That's a baby you're talking about.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03But this being Walford, having a cute wife, a baby on the way
0:37:03 > 0:37:07and film star looks isn't going to stop you getting bumped off.
0:37:07 > 0:37:09'You see, even the gorgeous Dennis Rickman,
0:37:09 > 0:37:12even he died,
0:37:12 > 0:37:13and he was really good looking.
0:37:13 > 0:37:17It was New Year's Eve and Dennis was doing what he does best,
0:37:17 > 0:37:20walking around the square and looking angry.
0:37:20 > 0:37:24Before he could leave, he was on his way over to visit local gang boss Johnny Allen,
0:37:24 > 0:37:27after hearing he got heavy with girlfriend Sharon.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29- Let me go, you're hurting me! - Shut up.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32Luckily, Dennis had a sane voice to calm him down.
0:37:32 > 0:37:36What are you waiting for? He should be in his office.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38I was the little evil voice in his head.
0:37:38 > 0:37:42Just do him, leave, end of story.
0:37:42 > 0:37:47There was a great shot, for the cameramen and the lighting boys, they got it just right
0:37:47 > 0:37:48where I was framed in red,
0:37:48 > 0:37:52'over his shoulder, almost like a spirit.'
0:37:52 > 0:37:57His hand on your wife's throat.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59Ooh, you little stirrer.
0:37:59 > 0:38:03So, some more angry walking later, he paid Johnny Allen a visit.
0:38:03 > 0:38:05Let me get you a drink.
0:38:05 > 0:38:07Not in the mood for small talk,
0:38:07 > 0:38:10Dennis got straight into expressing his grievance.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20How do you like it?
0:38:22 > 0:38:25We're supposed to be out of here by now,
0:38:25 > 0:38:27- seeing the new year in together. - You still will.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31Just in time, Dennis wiped the blood off his knuckles
0:38:31 > 0:38:34and got back to the square to see in the New Year with Sharon.
0:38:34 > 0:38:38I love a happy ending.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41'It was great, really well done, I thought.'
0:38:41 > 0:38:46That slow reveal of the death at the end, it was very, very powerful.
0:38:46 > 0:38:50It was very epic, very Shakespearean in its scope.
0:38:50 > 0:38:55- You're about to achieve happiness and then your past comes back to haunt you.- Dennis!
0:38:55 > 0:38:57He got what he deserved.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00But is Dennis the greatest gangland exit ever?
0:39:00 > 0:39:04Find out later in our countdown of the top five exits of all time.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14Go on then. Bugger off.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16Not everyone comes to a sticky end in Walford.
0:39:16 > 0:39:21Some people just up and leave, in a variety of different ways.
0:39:22 > 0:39:24The car,
0:39:24 > 0:39:25the van,
0:39:25 > 0:39:28the lorry,
0:39:28 > 0:39:29the bus,
0:39:29 > 0:39:33or, if you're having a bit of a meltdown, you might just walk.
0:39:33 > 0:39:37Poor Ashley Cotton even made an unplanned exit on Mark Fowler's motorbike.
0:39:37 > 0:39:39- Is he all right?- I'm sorry.
0:39:40 > 0:39:45Walford sex bomb Mel Owen opted for the coach.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47Pregnant and recently out of prison,
0:39:47 > 0:39:51Mel left the square in disgust at the death of hubbie Steve Owen,
0:39:51 > 0:39:53but not before she settled a few scores.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56You let me think that my husband was a murderer.
0:39:56 > 0:39:58There weren't any thinking involved.
0:39:58 > 0:40:02How do you get by rubbing shoulders with the man you tried to kill?
0:40:02 > 0:40:05So, I was to be left in jail so that you could breed?
0:40:05 > 0:40:07She left everyone in no doubt she didn't want the baby.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10What baby? There won't be one soon.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13But once she reached the coach station,
0:40:13 > 0:40:15one phone call revealed her plans.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18I want to cancel the termination completely.
0:40:18 > 0:40:20'Then she done a bizarre thing'
0:40:20 > 0:40:22about asking the person...
0:40:22 > 0:40:24Pick a number for me, one to 20.
0:40:24 > 0:40:28..to decide at the bus station where she was going to end up.
0:40:28 > 0:40:30Great, thank you.
0:40:30 > 0:40:32A cheap mode of transport,
0:40:32 > 0:40:36but at least it was going in the right direction, out of Walford.
0:40:36 > 0:40:40Not bad, Mel. But for best way to make your exit, you have to look to the skies.
0:40:42 > 0:40:46A plane overlooking the Isle of Dogs is a very honourable way to go.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49'It means the audience loves you and the production team
0:40:49 > 0:40:52are desperate to have you back some time in the future.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54That's right. Is it a bird? Yes!
0:40:54 > 0:40:56Is it plane? Yes!
0:40:56 > 0:40:58Well, then, it's got to be Stacey Slater.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01It's interesting that Stacey left EastEnders
0:41:01 > 0:41:05without getting her comeuppance for the murder of Archie Mitchell.
0:41:05 > 0:41:10But, we felt, when planning her exit, that Stacey had suffered enough
0:41:10 > 0:41:12in her six years or so in Albert Square.
0:41:12 > 0:41:16She'd been through the ringer. She'd been diagnosed as bi-polar.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19I know what you're doing with the drugs.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21'She'd been raped. She'd had abortions.'
0:41:21 > 0:41:23Just relax. We'll take care of you.
0:41:23 > 0:41:29And then she'd made an enemy of Janine, and we kind of felt that was punishment enough.
0:41:29 > 0:41:31And it was a bloody encounter with Janine
0:41:31 > 0:41:33that set the wheels in motion for her exit.
0:41:33 > 0:41:37After telling all to her mum about Archie Mitchell's murder...
0:41:37 > 0:41:41I know what I did to Archie was a terrible thing, I know that,
0:41:41 > 0:41:43but he raped me, Mum.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48..She had a tearful farewell with boyfriend Ryan.
0:41:48 > 0:41:50I love you.
0:41:50 > 0:41:52I don't know if I do...
0:41:52 > 0:41:54love you.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57With the police closing in, it was time for Stacey and baby Lily
0:41:57 > 0:42:01to make their way out of Walford, with the help of former lover Max.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04There was just time for one more tearful farewell...
0:42:04 > 0:42:05I love you, Stace.
0:42:05 > 0:42:06I don't love you,
0:42:06 > 0:42:08not like that.
0:42:08 > 0:42:11..before boarding a plane for a new life away from Walford.
0:42:11 > 0:42:12'We took the decision'
0:42:12 > 0:42:15for the cameras to follow Stacey into the plane,
0:42:15 > 0:42:16'for us to go up in the air.'
0:42:16 > 0:42:19'It was emotional exit'
0:42:19 > 0:42:21but you want to see Stacey go off to a better place,
0:42:21 > 0:42:24the audience want to see her have a happy ending,
0:42:24 > 0:42:25have a life to look forward to,
0:42:25 > 0:42:28'because they sympathise with her all the time
0:42:28 > 0:42:30'and they're on her side.'
0:42:30 > 0:42:33You get that extraordinary, beautiful shot
0:42:33 > 0:42:35of the plane flying over the EastEnders' map.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38'It's just a lovely, lovely thing to do
0:42:38 > 0:42:41'and a special treat for viewers at Christmas.
0:42:41 > 0:42:42'She deserved that.'
0:42:52 > 0:42:56Stacey joins a long history of Walford mums who've packed up
0:42:56 > 0:43:00and left with their kids. Cue the runaway mums.
0:43:00 > 0:43:03The first mum on the run dates back to 1988
0:43:03 > 0:43:07and Walford's resident punk and all-round rebel, Mary Smith.
0:43:07 > 0:43:12'One of the most iconic exits of all time was Mary, the punk.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15Mary's lifestyle wasn't ideal for a young mother.
0:43:15 > 0:43:17I just want to do what I want to do.
0:43:17 > 0:43:19Getting smashed and snorting speed?
0:43:19 > 0:43:22- When her relationship with her mum broke down... - I'm taking Annie.
0:43:22 > 0:43:24No, you are not!
0:43:24 > 0:43:27You go near her and I'll kill you.
0:43:27 > 0:43:28I mean that.
0:43:28 > 0:43:31..She decided she had no future in Walford.
0:43:31 > 0:43:34After giving her dad's office a splash of paint...
0:43:34 > 0:43:35Yes!
0:43:35 > 0:43:37..she gave us an exit to remember
0:43:37 > 0:43:39and jumped on a Routemaster with baby Annie.
0:43:39 > 0:43:40'Buses are underused.'
0:43:40 > 0:43:44There've been a few. Buses are really good, and she gave a notable gesture.
0:43:46 > 0:43:49Punk Mary was quite happy, wasn't she?
0:43:49 > 0:43:50She was sort of like...ta ra.
0:43:54 > 0:43:592008 saw the departure of our next runaway mum, Honey Mitchell.
0:43:59 > 0:44:01Honey had become fed up with Billy's ducking and diving...
0:44:01 > 0:44:04Billy, I really don't want us to argue about this.
0:44:04 > 0:44:06No, I know. It's all right, babe.
0:44:06 > 0:44:08She couldn't live with him kind of lying.
0:44:08 > 0:44:10You promised me, Billy.
0:44:10 > 0:44:12The money wasn't for me.
0:44:12 > 0:44:15..And, kids in tow, made a bee-line for the nearest cab,
0:44:15 > 0:44:17leaving Billy in despair.
0:44:17 > 0:44:19Hon?
0:44:19 > 0:44:22- Where are you going?- We're going away on a little holiday.
0:44:22 > 0:44:24We'll see Daddy really soon.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27Billy was absolutely devastated when Honey left.
0:44:27 > 0:44:29Please don't leave me.
0:44:29 > 0:44:32'It was genuinely hard for me, as an actor, as well,
0:44:32 > 0:44:35'because we worked so well together'
0:44:35 > 0:44:40and the kids, we literally did bring them up from babies.
0:44:40 > 0:44:41Daddy!
0:44:41 > 0:44:43Give us a kiss?
0:44:43 > 0:44:46She shouted, "Daddy!"
0:44:46 > 0:44:48I looked across and there was all the wardrobe
0:44:48 > 0:44:50'and make-up department girls'
0:44:50 > 0:44:51all in tears.
0:44:54 > 0:44:57And then the car went off and I'm screaming after it.
0:45:00 > 0:45:04Director says "cut", and says, "I'm never getting that again, am I?"
0:45:04 > 0:45:06You're everything.
0:45:08 > 0:45:10Our final and favourite runaway mum
0:45:10 > 0:45:14is from 1996 and tragic Albert Square harlot Cindy Beale.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17Cindy had two men in her life. Husband Ian Beale...
0:45:17 > 0:45:21- You're having an affair with David Wicks.- I'm not sleeping with David.
0:45:21 > 0:45:24..and lover David Wicks.
0:45:24 > 0:45:26Cindy decided Ian had to go, but instead of calling a
0:45:26 > 0:45:30lawyer to file for divorce, she called a hitman to kill him...
0:45:30 > 0:45:32I'll trust it's all there, shall I?
0:45:32 > 0:45:33And the photo?
0:45:33 > 0:45:35...but lost her nerve at the last minute.
0:45:35 > 0:45:39So she decided to try and clear the air with Ian.
0:45:39 > 0:45:41You know, can we just try and be friends, Ian?
0:45:41 > 0:45:44But the wheels were already in motion and despite her warning...
0:45:44 > 0:45:45Watch out.
0:45:45 > 0:45:49..Ian was struck down in Walford's first ever drive-by shooting.
0:45:49 > 0:45:54And so the race was on for Cindy to get her and her kids out of the country.
0:45:54 > 0:45:55- Where's the car?- That one there.
0:45:55 > 0:45:57We've got to get to Paris.
0:45:59 > 0:46:01Ian wasn't taking this lying down.
0:46:01 > 0:46:02- She's got Steven.- I knew it.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05And with the help of his trusty personal organiser...
0:46:05 > 0:46:07Where's me Filofax?
0:46:07 > 0:46:08..he was hot on her heels.
0:46:08 > 0:46:10After picking up her two boys...
0:46:10 > 0:46:13Hold onto the blanket and we'll surprise Lucy when she gets back.
0:46:13 > 0:46:16..Cindy was too late for daughter Lucy.
0:46:16 > 0:46:19'It was a real race against time.'
0:46:19 > 0:46:21'I remember my heart being in my mouth.'
0:46:21 > 0:46:25She had to make Sophie's Choice as to which of her children she was going to leave behind.
0:46:25 > 0:46:27'He got there.'
0:46:27 > 0:46:29- He got there before me. - We've got to go.
0:46:29 > 0:46:33Ian wasn't having much luck persuading the police to stop Cindy.
0:46:33 > 0:46:35I have been shot. My wife has run off with two of my kids.
0:46:35 > 0:46:38I have lost everything.
0:46:38 > 0:46:40You almost feel sorry for him.
0:46:40 > 0:46:44But help was at hand for Ian in the unlikely form of Walford's answer to
0:46:44 > 0:46:46Starsky and Hutch, the Mitchell brothers.
0:46:46 > 0:46:48- Got it.- What?
0:46:48 > 0:46:51Eurostar timetable. Let's go.
0:46:51 > 0:46:56After arriving at Waterloo, Cindy had one last try at changing David's mind.
0:46:56 > 0:46:58Please, David, please come with me.
0:46:58 > 0:46:59I'll make you happy.
0:46:59 > 0:47:07She got there just in time, only to find that David, the man she loved, as ever was going to let her down.
0:47:12 > 0:47:15'And it's hard to remember now just how massive that story was.'
0:47:15 > 0:47:19The day Ian was shot, it was the whole of the front page of the Daily Mirror.
0:47:19 > 0:47:21It was awesomely big.
0:47:21 > 0:47:27Missing the train by moments, Phil and Grant were openly devastated for their old pal Ian.
0:47:27 > 0:47:29- So what are we going to do now? - Let her go.
0:47:29 > 0:47:33So Cindy got away with it and even got a Julia's Theme.
0:47:33 > 0:47:37Not bad for someone who'd just kidnapped her children and tried to kill her husband.
0:47:37 > 0:47:40'Did Cindy deserve that? Yeah, because I think'
0:47:40 > 0:47:42she didn't get what she wanted, which was David.
0:47:42 > 0:47:46And that meant she'd failed.
0:47:51 > 0:47:56So far on EastEnders Greatest Exits, we've seen a variety of ways of leaving the square.
0:47:56 > 0:47:58Pick a number for me, one to 20.
0:47:58 > 0:48:00And we've still got all these to come.
0:48:00 > 0:48:02And we reveal our greatest exit of all time.
0:48:02 > 0:48:06But first, ladies, if you want to spend a while in Walford, you'd best
0:48:06 > 0:48:08avoid getting involved with this man.
0:48:08 > 0:48:09What are you waiting for, eh?
0:48:12 > 0:48:16Philip James Mitchell, Walford love king.
0:48:16 > 0:48:21Phil Mitchell's character's like the soap world's version of Henry VIII.
0:48:21 > 0:48:23Where's my skirt?
0:48:23 > 0:48:26Don't know. Last time I saw it, it was heading over my shoulder.
0:48:26 > 0:48:30He's gone through quite a few women, and a few of them, he's punching above his weight anyway.
0:48:30 > 0:48:33If you get romantically involved with Phil Mitchell, you're almost
0:48:33 > 0:48:37certainly going to meet a sticky, messy or horrible end.
0:48:37 > 0:48:39First on the block
0:48:39 > 0:48:42was passport-seeking Nadia.
0:48:42 > 0:48:45I know I've been stupid, but you don't have to hate me for it.
0:48:45 > 0:48:48I don't hate you for being stupid, Nadia. I just hate you.
0:48:48 > 0:48:51She was this crazy
0:48:51 > 0:48:56Russian woman that Phil married for humanitarian reasons.
0:48:56 > 0:49:01But it didn't work out and Phil ended the relationship Mitchell-style.
0:49:01 > 0:49:06- I won't let you down, Phil. - If you do, I'll come and find you and break your legs.
0:49:06 > 0:49:08Consider that a divorce, then.
0:49:08 > 0:49:10Phil's next victim, Kathy Beale,
0:49:10 > 0:49:13came with a dangerous reputation of her own.
0:49:13 > 0:49:16Everyone that goes with her ends up leaving the show.
0:49:16 > 0:49:18I call her the Black Widow.
0:49:18 > 0:49:21In all the time we were together,
0:49:21 > 0:49:24when were we ever truly happy?
0:49:24 > 0:49:27We had the odd day here and there, didn't we?
0:49:27 > 0:49:32I think I managed to turn the tables on Gillian on that occasion.
0:49:32 > 0:49:35There she goes, Phil.
0:49:38 > 0:49:41Leaving in a fashion befitting Walford royalty.
0:49:41 > 0:49:45It wasn't long before another of Walford's wenches
0:49:45 > 0:49:48was falling at Phil's feet and swiftly making her exit.
0:49:48 > 0:49:51I want to make a go of things with you,
0:49:51 > 0:49:54if you'll still have me.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57Yeah. Course I will.
0:49:57 > 0:50:01I remember shouting and screaming and getting a lot of drama out of
0:50:01 > 0:50:04her running around with a baby and me chasing after her.
0:50:04 > 0:50:07Phil saw the last of Lisa after taking back their baby Louise
0:50:07 > 0:50:10in a dramatic cliff-top showdown in Portugal.
0:50:10 > 0:50:16- Take good care of yourself.- No, no!
0:50:16 > 0:50:18Next up, Phil fell for Kate,
0:50:18 > 0:50:20an unlikely bedfellow.
0:50:20 > 0:50:21I'm a policewoman.
0:50:21 > 0:50:23It was a bit unbelievable...
0:50:23 > 0:50:24Go on, get out.
0:50:24 > 0:50:27..them two getting together in the first place.
0:50:27 > 0:50:29- Please, Phil.- Don't make me look at you any more.
0:50:29 > 0:50:31Another one to end in tears.
0:50:31 > 0:50:34SOBBING
0:50:34 > 0:50:36Number five was Mrs Branning,
0:50:36 > 0:50:37otherwise known as...
0:50:37 > 0:50:40Suzy! Suzy!
0:50:40 > 0:50:44She did a runner after seducing Phil and trying to do him out of 10 grand.
0:50:44 > 0:50:46What a tart.
0:50:48 > 0:50:49Goodbye.
0:50:52 > 0:50:55Good riddance, basically.
0:50:55 > 0:50:57But there was one fair maiden
0:50:57 > 0:51:00who resisted Phil's regal charms.
0:51:00 > 0:51:05Sharon was the person who Phil always wanted and therefore he can't have her.
0:51:05 > 0:51:07Are you saying you don't want to be with me?
0:51:07 > 0:51:10I've just had a little peep into the future, that's all.
0:51:10 > 0:51:12I didn't like what I saw.
0:51:12 > 0:51:16Sharon was smart enough to walk away and say "no".
0:51:16 > 0:51:20Give me a chance. Just one chance to prove to you how much I love you.
0:51:20 > 0:51:22Let me go.
0:51:22 > 0:51:24Taxi!
0:51:30 > 0:51:32As for the next victim of Phil's affections,
0:51:32 > 0:51:36she was the first in our category of departures to take the plunge.
0:51:39 > 0:51:43Stella Crawford was Phil's new lady with a novel approach to parenting.
0:51:43 > 0:51:46- Ow!- Just a joke, silly.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49Unsurprisingly, little Ben Mitchell didn't take to her too well.
0:51:49 > 0:51:52In true EastEnders fashion, everything came to a head on the
0:51:52 > 0:51:57day of their wedding when the penny finally dropped.
0:51:57 > 0:51:58It's you, innit?
0:51:58 > 0:52:04The minute that Phil found out what was going on, it all fell together like a Rubik Cube and
0:52:04 > 0:52:07he just went berserk and chased her down.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13With Stella running up to a rooftop two minutes before the "duff-duff",
0:52:13 > 0:52:16her chances of survival seemed limited.
0:52:16 > 0:52:18Although Phil wasn't too happy up there either.
0:52:18 > 0:52:23I've got to say, standing up on that roof was a little bit nerve-racking.
0:52:23 > 0:52:27And as expected, after a bit of Mitchell sweet talk...
0:52:27 > 0:52:29I chose you because you were easy. I chose you because you were safe.
0:52:29 > 0:52:34I thought you'd look after Ben, iron me shirts and keep your mouth shut for the next 30 years.
0:52:34 > 0:52:38Phil's latest failed relationship came to a pretty conclusive end.
0:52:38 > 0:52:40Watch me, Daddy.
0:52:41 > 0:52:42CRASH
0:52:42 > 0:52:46It was a bit like time stood still a bit. She just went off the edge.
0:52:49 > 0:52:51Yeah, I'd like to see a few more bullets.
0:52:51 > 0:52:52Some people are never happy.
0:52:52 > 0:52:56Well, it may not have been the most explosive exit, but it looked nice.
0:52:56 > 0:52:58Right, June?
0:52:58 > 0:53:02'She was like a flower at the bottom with her white wedding dress and splayed out.'
0:53:02 > 0:53:05It all looked rather beautiful.
0:53:08 > 0:53:10Our next plunging exitee
0:53:10 > 0:53:13is Walford's very own smooth criminal Andy Hunter.
0:53:15 > 0:53:16There was something very endearing about him.
0:53:18 > 0:53:20Fish and chips on a park bench.
0:53:20 > 0:53:22- All right.- Ta. Come on.
0:53:22 > 0:53:25But something very dangerous.
0:53:25 > 0:53:29I wanted to kill you. I wanted to rip you into little bloody pieces for what you did to me.
0:53:29 > 0:53:35And he got his comeuppance after ripping off fellow gangster Johnny Allen for quite a tidy sum.
0:53:35 > 0:53:36Three-quarters of a million.
0:53:38 > 0:53:41Our first sign we were heading for an exit came when Mr Hunter decided
0:53:41 > 0:53:44to take the opportunity to listen to some opera.
0:53:44 > 0:53:47OPERA MUSIC
0:53:51 > 0:53:52'Ah, right. Very clever.'
0:53:52 > 0:53:55It's not over till the fat lady sings.
0:53:55 > 0:53:56See what EastEnders did there?
0:53:57 > 0:54:00Yeah, you won't be laughing in a minute, Andy.
0:54:00 > 0:54:01All right, mate?
0:54:01 > 0:54:05Things got worse when his old mate Johnny popped in for a chat.
0:54:05 > 0:54:08Let's you and me have a conversation.
0:54:08 > 0:54:12On a motorway bridge? Ooh, this definitely isn't looking good.
0:54:12 > 0:54:15Can I give you one final tip?
0:54:15 > 0:54:16Enjoy your flight.
0:54:16 > 0:54:21Yes, Andy's inevitable exit was confirmed as he came face to face with the M11.
0:54:21 > 0:54:26But what I want to see happen is the people on the motorway underneath complaining.
0:54:26 > 0:54:28'"Yeah, we've been here for four hours.
0:54:28 > 0:54:30'"Some bloke's lying by the side of the road."'
0:54:30 > 0:54:33"I don't know. Yeah, it's a bloke off EastEnders.
0:54:33 > 0:54:34"Yeah, he's dead."
0:54:42 > 0:54:47I think one of my favourite exits of all time has to be Barry's,
0:54:47 > 0:54:51falling off the cliff with just a little bit of help from Janine.
0:54:51 > 0:54:53Ta-da!
0:54:54 > 0:55:00Barry was the perennial loser in love who thought he'd finally hit the back of the net when he got
0:55:00 > 0:55:03his sweaty hands on Walford's queen bitch Janine Butcher.
0:55:03 > 0:55:06That was incredible. Come back to bed.
0:55:06 > 0:55:13Poor old Barry. Fat, ugly, disgusting human being.
0:55:13 > 0:55:19Harsh but true. Unsurprisingly, Janine only saw Barry as a business opportunity.
0:55:19 > 0:55:22I want his money and that is it.
0:55:22 > 0:55:25Soon after, Janine got lucky when Barry was diagnosed with cardiomegaly...
0:55:25 > 0:55:29- Cardio what?- Cardiomegaly.
0:55:29 > 0:55:33..and looked to be heading in the same direction as his late father Roy.
0:55:33 > 0:55:36Janine decided now was the ideal time to tie the knot
0:55:36 > 0:55:41with the soon-to-be-dead Barry and get her hands on his cash.
0:55:41 > 0:55:44When I'm in the ground dead,
0:55:44 > 0:55:47it's with love I know I'll be surround-ed.
0:55:49 > 0:55:52On their honeymoon, Janine got some unexpected bad news.
0:55:52 > 0:55:54I'm not going to die.
0:55:54 > 0:55:58Yeah, that was a bad moment in Janine's life.
0:55:58 > 0:56:01Time for our newly-weds to take a cliff-top stroll
0:56:01 > 0:56:05and play a quick round of Barry Evans Home Truths.
0:56:05 > 0:56:07I'm a tart.
0:56:07 > 0:56:10I've been sleeping with Paul.
0:56:10 > 0:56:12It's been going on for months.
0:56:12 > 0:56:13SOUNDTRACK SPEEDS UP
0:56:13 > 0:56:15Yeah, this goes on for a bit.
0:56:15 > 0:56:18And you know what was hardest of all?
0:56:18 > 0:56:20I pretended to love you.
0:56:20 > 0:56:22APPLAUSE
0:56:24 > 0:56:27I know that there is love in you.
0:56:29 > 0:56:33- We'll find it together.- Get off me.
0:56:34 > 0:56:36Argh!
0:56:39 > 0:56:42'You'd more or less just roll down a hill, wouldn't you?'
0:56:42 > 0:56:46We used to do it for fun in the park when we were children.
0:56:46 > 0:56:48Not quite the same thing, June.
0:56:48 > 0:56:50Janine was in no rush to call for assistance.
0:56:50 > 0:56:55She is guilty of leaving him to die.
0:56:55 > 0:57:00But she certainly, I don't think, went up there with the intention of killing him.
0:57:00 > 0:57:04Finally Barry understood Janine was in fact a complete bitch.
0:57:04 > 0:57:06Now do you believe me?
0:57:06 > 0:57:10I think Barry's exit was probably one of my favourites.
0:57:10 > 0:57:16How absolutely absurd to go up to Scotland and push somebody off a crag.
0:57:16 > 0:57:18Yes, absolutely bonkers.
0:57:18 > 0:57:21Barry's not made our top five exits of all time,
0:57:21 > 0:57:24but maybe there's another death plunge to enjoy.
0:57:24 > 0:57:25Stay tuned to find out.
0:57:31 > 0:57:36Like Barry and Janine, we've had a few Walford couples destined for disaster over the years.
0:57:36 > 0:57:39This, my sweet,
0:57:39 > 0:57:40is a letter from my solicitor
0:57:40 > 0:57:44telling you that your husband has filed a petition for divorce.
0:57:45 > 0:57:46I hate you.
0:57:46 > 0:57:49I hate you more than you will ever know.
0:57:49 > 0:57:53But which couples got to ride off into the sunset happily ever after?
0:57:55 > 0:58:00Sonia Jackson and Martin Fowler from 2007 are our first happy couple.
0:58:00 > 0:58:05Sonia and Martin's exit was one of the very rare happy ones.
0:58:05 > 0:58:08Well, it wasn't always that way.
0:58:08 > 0:58:10First there were wedding bells.
0:58:10 > 0:58:12Then they argued.
0:58:12 > 0:58:14Go! Go on. Get out of here. Don't come back.
0:58:14 > 0:58:17- You think I don't want to? - Do what you want to do, then.
0:58:17 > 0:58:19You pathetic cow.
0:58:19 > 0:58:20Then they argued some more.
0:58:20 > 0:58:24You're a selfish bitch that don't care about anyone but yourself.
0:58:24 > 0:58:28It seemed Sonia was destined for a plain old black-cab exit
0:58:28 > 0:58:30when, moments before leaving Walford forever,
0:58:30 > 0:58:34she was stopped in her tracks by Martin and daughter Rebecca.
0:58:34 > 0:58:38Martin leapt into the cab, pausing only to shout at her one more time.
0:58:38 > 0:58:40Why don't you just shut up for once and do as you're told?
0:58:40 > 0:58:43Before their old, reliable, black taxi of dreams
0:58:43 > 0:58:46whisked them away to sunnier climes.
0:58:46 > 0:58:47Well, Manchester.
0:58:47 > 0:58:51# This is not a puppy love. #
0:58:54 > 0:58:59Our next exit begins with another disastrous EastEnders wedding.
0:58:59 > 0:59:01I gave you everything I had.
0:59:01 > 0:59:04It still wasn't enough for you, was it?
0:59:04 > 0:59:08After finding out Phil Mitchell had been sticking his oar in his wife-to-be Dawn,
0:59:08 > 0:59:10Garry was understandably upset.
0:59:10 > 0:59:12Whatever's happened, we can sort it out, can't we?
0:59:12 > 0:59:18Deciding it was time to leave Walford, he took off in the smallest boat he could find.
0:59:18 > 0:59:21Did you see the size of the boat? The boat was tiny!
0:59:21 > 0:59:22Dawn made after Garry...
0:59:22 > 0:59:24Garry!
0:59:24 > 0:59:29..and tried to win him back with some chat-up lines designed to give hope to middle-aged men everywhere.
0:59:29 > 0:59:34You're good for a lot of things. So what if you've got a paunch and you're losing your hair?
0:59:34 > 0:59:36Not to mention his tiny boat.
0:59:36 > 0:59:41When I think of what my life would be without you in it,
0:59:41 > 0:59:43it's not a life worth having.
0:59:43 > 0:59:48Eventually, Garry took Dawn's comments on board and they sailed off into the sunset.
0:59:51 > 0:59:56It was a funny exit. It was really funny to see them sailing away on this tiny, tiny little boat.
0:59:56 > 0:59:58The boat...
0:59:58 > 1:00:01It felt very Garry, you know, and it made...
1:00:01 > 1:00:04It made us all laugh.
1:00:04 > 1:00:06It was one of the hardest days of my life,
1:00:06 > 1:00:12having to kiss FHM's number 22 Top 100 Female five or six times.
1:00:15 > 1:00:21Our top romantic exit is 2005's two-part Christmas cracker.
1:00:21 > 1:00:25I think Kat and Alfie's is probably...the best exit.
1:00:25 > 1:00:27I think, cos it had everything.
1:00:27 > 1:00:30A bold claim indeed, so let's see if he's right.
1:00:30 > 1:00:31Whoa!
1:00:31 > 1:00:34We've got fast cars...
1:00:34 > 1:00:36a Prince Charming... and one unhappy lady.
1:00:36 > 1:00:41- Why don't you get the fairytale? - I'm Kat Slater. That ain't the way things work for me.
1:00:41 > 1:00:42No, you're Kat Moon.
1:00:42 > 1:00:44There was heartbreak...
1:00:45 > 1:00:47..tears...
1:00:47 > 1:00:50Please don't go without me.
1:00:50 > 1:00:51Please.
1:00:51 > 1:00:53..and more tears.
1:00:53 > 1:00:55Please!
1:00:55 > 1:01:01The end of the first episode that day was almost like a typical, downbeat,
1:01:01 > 1:01:04"someone's left, someone's left broken-hearted" episode.
1:01:04 > 1:01:08It was very brave of them to say, "Hold on. We're going to turn this round in the second episode."
1:01:10 > 1:01:14Just when she thought all was lost, tart-with-a-heart Kat got her happy ending
1:01:14 > 1:01:17in EastEnders' most romantic exit ever.
1:01:20 > 1:01:23- I forgot something. - It must have been important.
1:01:23 > 1:01:26The most important thing in the whole wide world.
1:01:26 > 1:01:29Please don't, Alfie.
1:01:29 > 1:01:32Please don't say it if you don't mean it.
1:01:32 > 1:01:34Not any more.
1:01:34 > 1:01:37When we did "Kat and Alfie leaving on Christmas Day", it was great to film.
1:01:37 > 1:01:39And we were really sad to go.
1:01:39 > 1:01:43It was time for Alfie to make Kat an offer she couldn't refuse.
1:01:43 > 1:01:48I've got a half tank of petrol, I've got furry dice,
1:01:48 > 1:01:52I've got about 83 quid in my pocket and I'm off to see the world.
1:01:52 > 1:01:54You fancy it?
1:01:55 > 1:01:57- JOHN YORKE:- It's a fairytale happy ending.
1:01:57 > 1:01:59We are known for depressing people,
1:01:59 > 1:02:02but actually if that's all we did no-one would watch us.
1:02:02 > 1:02:04Those happy endings are important.
1:02:04 > 1:02:07They just have to be earned.
1:02:07 > 1:02:09Yes, please.
1:02:15 > 1:02:17Let's go, Mrs Moon.
1:02:19 > 1:02:22- PAM ST CLEMENT:- When Kat and Alfie left,
1:02:22 > 1:02:24that was happy. That was beautiful.
1:02:26 > 1:02:30When an episode like that finishes on a happy note,
1:02:30 > 1:02:32that's kind of how you want to leave.
1:02:42 > 1:02:45Now it's time to look at the Walford residents
1:02:45 > 1:02:49who have made a dramatic exit in motoring accidents - the Car-tastrophes.
1:02:49 > 1:02:51Yeah. Like it? Yeah.
1:02:51 > 1:02:55I think all these car-tastrophes that happen, there's usually been
1:02:55 > 1:02:58some big revelation and then it ends with a tragedy.
1:02:59 > 1:03:01I think we need to put a zebra crossing in.
1:03:01 > 1:03:03I think that's the answer.
1:03:05 > 1:03:07And first on our list is this man...
1:03:09 > 1:03:14On New Year's Eve 2007, when Kevin uttered these fateful words...
1:03:14 > 1:03:19Oi. I want you back here at midnight for my kiss, Mr Wicks.
1:03:19 > 1:03:21You'll get it...Mrs Wicks.
1:03:21 > 1:03:23..we knew what we were in for.
1:03:26 > 1:03:28He went out for a spin that got out of hand...
1:03:31 > 1:03:34..and ended up as EastEnders history.
1:03:34 > 1:03:38So after just two years on Albert Square, Kevin was killed off.
1:03:38 > 1:03:41But true to EastEnders form, he exited in style.
1:03:43 > 1:03:45Probably the most tragic car-tastrophe
1:03:45 > 1:03:47was also the most recent.
1:03:47 > 1:03:53Back in 2008, Danielle Jones came to the Square looking to find her long-lost mother.
1:03:53 > 1:03:56Danielle was the secret Mitchell,
1:03:56 > 1:04:02cos she was Ronnie Mitchell's long-lost daughter that she'd put up for adoption at 14.
1:04:03 > 1:04:06- SIMON ASHDOWN:- The defining thing in Ronnie's life
1:04:06 > 1:04:09was the fact that she'd given her daughter away.
1:04:09 > 1:04:11And then Danielle tells her...
1:04:11 > 1:04:13You're my mother!
1:04:13 > 1:04:18Ronnie doesn't believe her, because by this point she thinks she's mad.
1:04:18 > 1:04:21Throws her out the Vic, which felt quite heartbreaking stuff.
1:04:21 > 1:04:26- Get out!- Please! Please, you're my mum!- Out!
1:04:26 > 1:04:30She finds the locket and realises what a monster he is
1:04:30 > 1:04:32and that he's lying.
1:04:34 > 1:04:36Ronnie?
1:04:36 > 1:04:37You told me she was dead.
1:04:39 > 1:04:41'Ronnie runs after her.'
1:04:41 > 1:04:43Danielle!
1:04:44 > 1:04:45Danielle!
1:04:45 > 1:04:48'And they have the baby moment.'
1:04:48 > 1:04:49Baby.
1:04:49 > 1:04:52It just felt much more powerful
1:04:52 > 1:04:55for her to finally find out who her daughter is and want to
1:04:55 > 1:05:00hold her baby again after all those years, and at that very last moment it's snatched away from her.
1:05:08 > 1:05:12'Even though Danielle did die, Ronnie and Danielle still had...'
1:05:12 > 1:05:16a moment, and she got to say what she'd waited 20 years to say to her.'
1:05:16 > 1:05:21My whole life I've been dreaming of this, been dreaming of you.
1:05:22 > 1:05:27Even though it was brief, they got to sort of show each other they loved each other.
1:05:29 > 1:05:30Mum.
1:05:33 > 1:05:35She's dead!
1:05:35 > 1:05:38People didn't really know what was going to happen.
1:05:38 > 1:05:41It made it such a massive shock when it did happen.
1:05:46 > 1:05:48So far on EastEnders' Greatest Exits,
1:05:48 > 1:05:51we've seen plane exits, train exits.
1:05:51 > 1:05:55We've even had a cigarette break, and still had time to show you this.
1:05:55 > 1:05:57It's gone up the flaming nozzle.
1:05:57 > 1:05:59So as we're moments away
1:05:59 > 1:06:02from revealing the greatest EastEnders exit of all time,
1:06:02 > 1:06:04how about seeing some happy exits?
1:06:11 > 1:06:15Now, contrary to popular belief, life in Walford isn't all doom and gloom.
1:06:15 > 1:06:19They do let their hair down from time to time.
1:06:19 > 1:06:22I think it's nice to have the more cheery exits for the viewer.
1:06:22 > 1:06:24Deep down, everyone loves a good ending.
1:06:26 > 1:06:30Someone who had a fond farewell was hairdresser's dream Nigel Bates.
1:06:30 > 1:06:31Morning, girls.
1:06:33 > 1:06:36After getting it on with daughter Clare's school teacher,
1:06:36 > 1:06:40Nigel decided to up sticks and move to Scotland to start a new life with her,
1:06:40 > 1:06:44but not before the residents of Albert Square threw him a big leaving do.
1:06:47 > 1:06:49What's a fitting exit for good old, reliable Nige?
1:06:49 > 1:06:52A good old, reliable, black cab.
1:06:53 > 1:06:54Bye.
1:06:54 > 1:06:57See you, Nige.
1:07:00 > 1:07:04Perhaps the most bittersweet exit was Mark Fowler's.
1:07:04 > 1:07:07Mark had been diagnosed with HIV and,
1:07:07 > 1:07:10realising his health was starting to deteriorate,
1:07:10 > 1:07:14he decided to leave Walford, sparing his family the pain of watching him become ill.
1:07:14 > 1:07:18- PAM ST CLEMENT:- I like the idea that the character actually said,
1:07:18 > 1:07:23"I'm going to seize my life while I have it, because I know it's going to be short."
1:07:23 > 1:07:28It was also a mother finding out that her son is...
1:07:28 > 1:07:30going to die and having to say goodbye to him.
1:07:30 > 1:07:35Pauline felt Mark was abandoning her and refused to give her blessing.
1:07:35 > 1:07:38You won't change your mind?
1:07:38 > 1:07:42But lucky for Mark, he had some good friends to spend his last night in Walford with -
1:07:42 > 1:07:44and not just this orange.
1:07:44 > 1:07:46CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
1:07:49 > 1:07:53And just as Mark was about to ride off into the night, Sharon popped out for a game of chicken.
1:07:53 > 1:07:55Mark!
1:07:56 > 1:07:57Get out of my way.
1:07:57 > 1:07:59ENGINE STOPS
1:07:59 > 1:08:03- All you've got to do is go over and say goodbye.- No.
1:08:03 > 1:08:05She's never going to see you again.
1:08:05 > 1:08:07I've had my life, Mum.
1:08:07 > 1:08:09- This is it.- Don't go. Not yet.
1:08:09 > 1:08:11I want you to remember me like this,
1:08:11 > 1:08:14not something barely alive and not even knowing who you are.
1:08:15 > 1:08:19I went through that with Jill. I don't want the same for you.
1:08:19 > 1:08:23I didn't have the chance to say goodbye to Dad.
1:08:23 > 1:08:24But we do.
1:08:29 > 1:08:31CHEERING
1:08:35 > 1:08:37Thanks, Sharon.
1:08:44 > 1:08:48You're my brave little boy.
1:08:49 > 1:08:54Mark got on his bike and, surrounded by his friends and family, was wished a poignant farewell.
1:08:54 > 1:08:57- HANNAH WATERMAN:- Everyone loved Mark Fowler.
1:08:57 > 1:09:00He always treated people really well, so it was really nice
1:09:00 > 1:09:03that he went off in a positive fashion.
1:09:11 > 1:09:13Now, zimmer frames at the ready,
1:09:13 > 1:09:17as we prepare to shuffle slowly towards EastEnders' top OAP exits.
1:09:19 > 1:09:22One of the more recent elderly exits was that of Nana Moon.
1:09:22 > 1:09:26Nana Moon's exit was very much in the style of Ethel,
1:09:26 > 1:09:30which is the things you have to do before you die.
1:09:30 > 1:09:34So Nana wrote a list and you wouldn't believe what was on it. Getting arrested...
1:09:34 > 1:09:39- OK, you've given me no choice. You'll have to come down the station.- How lovely.
1:09:39 > 1:09:41..playing poker..
1:09:41 > 1:09:42You naughty boy!
1:09:42 > 1:09:45Even having tea with the Queen.
1:09:45 > 1:09:47Let's take a picture.
1:09:50 > 1:09:53After all that excitement, it was no surprise Nana became tired
1:09:53 > 1:09:56and the week before Christmas 2005,
1:09:56 > 1:09:58we said goodbye to a much-loved Moon.
1:09:58 > 1:10:00We were filming it, I remember saying to Hilda,
1:10:00 > 1:10:03"Don't forget, sadly this is where your character passes away."
1:10:03 > 1:10:06As I leant forward, she put her hand up. We went, "Oh!" and jumped -
1:10:06 > 1:10:09"No, you're supposed to be dead, love!"
1:10:10 > 1:10:12Nana, not yet.
1:10:12 > 1:10:13Not yet, Nan.
1:10:13 > 1:10:17I remember watching it, and the reaction was phenomenal.
1:10:17 > 1:10:20All my family and friends said it was really sad.
1:10:21 > 1:10:24Please, just a bit longer...
1:10:24 > 1:10:26'It was an incredibly moving story.'
1:10:26 > 1:10:29Again, it's EastEnders at its very best.
1:10:29 > 1:10:34Next, it is moaning matriarch and head of the family, Lou Beale -
1:10:34 > 1:10:36the Godmother.
1:10:37 > 1:10:39It was very, very simple.
1:10:39 > 1:10:42Give her a classic, Godfather-like exit.
1:10:42 > 1:10:46Yes, Lou Beale was renowned for her mafia-style approach to life.
1:10:46 > 1:10:48I've got a message for you,
1:10:48 > 1:10:52it won't do you any harm to know you're being watched.
1:10:52 > 1:10:55She can also arrange for a horse's head to be put in your bed.
1:10:57 > 1:11:00And when her time was up, Lou gathered the Beale-Fowler clan
1:11:00 > 1:11:04around the dinner table and gave each one of them a personal message.
1:11:04 > 1:11:08She put her affairs in order and made sure that her wishes were known.
1:11:08 > 1:11:13Chelle, in the old days, your behaviour would have brought shame on this family.
1:11:14 > 1:11:19I want you to be the man of the house, the head of the family,
1:11:19 > 1:11:21you're old and ugly enough to do it.
1:11:23 > 1:11:27Ian, I think you're a bit of a fool, if you really want my opinion.
1:11:27 > 1:11:29Cooking - not very manly, is it?
1:11:29 > 1:11:32You could try smartening yourself up a bit.
1:11:32 > 1:11:35A smile now and again wouldn't come amiss.
1:11:35 > 1:11:38You've got to get let yourself go occasionally...
1:11:39 > 1:11:41It seems right, somehow,
1:11:41 > 1:11:45that today of all days you should lose your job again.
1:11:45 > 1:11:48- Now listen, Mum.- Sit down, Arthur.
1:11:48 > 1:11:51No-one interrupts Lou Beale in midstream.
1:11:51 > 1:11:54Feeling she'd successfully passed on the Beale baton,
1:11:54 > 1:11:58Lou died peacefully - she's sleeping with the fishes now.
1:12:05 > 1:12:08There have been a few of those sitting next to the bed,
1:12:08 > 1:12:10looking at the heart monitor.
1:12:10 > 1:12:12Usually they don't survive.
1:12:12 > 1:12:16Our first bedside vigil exit features Roy Evans,
1:12:16 > 1:12:20a man in hospital so long he came over a bit Frankenstein's monster.
1:12:20 > 1:12:23Poor Roy suffered a heart attack after a Barney with Pat
1:12:23 > 1:12:25over her affair with Frank.
1:12:25 > 1:12:26This is all your fault!
1:12:26 > 1:12:30I'll never forgive you, I'll never...
1:12:30 > 1:12:32Roy!
1:12:32 > 1:12:34Roy!
1:12:34 > 1:12:37It was very understandable that he would get himself
1:12:37 > 1:12:41so het up over the whole Pat and Frank affair.
1:12:41 > 1:12:43Urgh!
1:12:43 > 1:12:45What have you done to him!?
1:12:45 > 1:12:47I think I'm having a heart attack.
1:12:47 > 1:12:49First thing to do in an emergency,
1:12:49 > 1:12:52jump over a wall, '70s cop show style, and find Dr Truman...
1:12:52 > 1:12:55You just ran past him, Barry!
1:12:55 > 1:12:58Now, Anthony hasn't got a great track record...
1:12:58 > 1:13:01- What do you think, Doc? - I'm afraid he's gone.
1:13:01 > 1:13:05..but he does know the best way to handle a crisis -
1:13:05 > 1:13:07press-ups.
1:13:07 > 1:13:12Anyway, Roy was on his deathbed long enough to make amends with Pat,
1:13:12 > 1:13:15sort out all his business affairs, and have a touching moment with Barry.
1:13:15 > 1:13:19I think the time has come to hand over the reins.
1:13:20 > 1:13:25But, alas, it was time for Roy to shuffle off this mortal coil.
1:13:25 > 1:13:28I was just very sorry that Tony was leaving the show,
1:13:28 > 1:13:32but I think that was a good exit, the dramatic one.
1:13:32 > 1:13:34Urgh...
1:13:35 > 1:13:39Our final bedside vigil was probably the most tragic.
1:13:39 > 1:13:43To see a young man losing his life was one of those tragic moments
1:13:43 > 1:13:46that this show pulls off really well.
1:13:46 > 1:13:49I think that was heartbreaking for the nation.
1:13:49 > 1:13:51Jamie Mitchell had it all going for him.
1:13:51 > 1:13:55He was young, part of one of the most respected families in Walford,
1:13:55 > 1:13:58- and he'd met the woman of his dreams...- I love you.
1:13:58 > 1:14:01Oh, and he wasn't too bad on the eye, either.
1:14:01 > 1:14:04He was like a mini David Beckham, we used to call him.
1:14:04 > 1:14:06Anyway, in true EastEnders tradition,
1:14:06 > 1:14:10you can't stay happy for long, and the night Jamie was all set
1:14:10 > 1:14:13to propose to Sonia, he was mowed down by Martin Fowler.
1:14:19 > 1:14:23Jamie then spent days fighting for his life in hospital,
1:14:23 > 1:14:27with Sonia by his side and the family keeping vigil close by.
1:14:27 > 1:14:28A very sad episode.
1:14:28 > 1:14:31You had the camera shots cutting from Billy and Little Mo
1:14:31 > 1:14:34coming out of the church, all the confetti,
1:14:34 > 1:14:36and Jamie in hospital with Sonia.
1:14:39 > 1:14:41No, no!
1:14:41 > 1:14:43No, Jamie, no!
1:14:43 > 1:14:45No!
1:14:48 > 1:14:52Sadly, moments later, Jamie died, leaving not only Sonia
1:14:52 > 1:14:55and the Mitchells in shock, but a nation, too.
1:14:55 > 1:14:59EastEnders is really good at bringing you back down to earth with a bump,
1:14:59 > 1:15:02celebrate one thing and mourn and poor old Jamie's death.
1:15:02 > 1:15:05Not only that, there was probably about 25 million girls out there
1:15:05 > 1:15:09breaking their hearts cos they all loved Jack Ryder.
1:15:09 > 1:15:13Over 16 million people tuned in to watch Jamie's death,
1:15:13 > 1:15:17making it one of the most watched exits in EastEnders history.
1:15:22 > 1:15:24- Ricky! - I think you'll agree, so far tonight
1:15:24 > 1:15:28we've seen some incredible exits from lots of familiar faces.
1:15:28 > 1:15:30Some have left in peace...
1:15:30 > 1:15:31You forgot something.
1:15:31 > 1:15:33And some in pieces.
1:15:33 > 1:15:36But, if your appetite is still not satisfied, fear not,
1:15:36 > 1:15:42it's time for the big finale... the top five EastEnders exits ever!
1:15:44 > 1:15:47In at number five, with quite a considerable bang,
1:15:47 > 1:15:49it's the exit of Tiffany Mitchell.
1:15:51 > 1:15:55Grant and Tiffany had a kind of tortuous relationship.
1:15:55 > 1:15:59And their relationship went from bad to worse after Grant was banged up
1:15:59 > 1:16:02for supposedly pushing Tiffany down the stairs.
1:16:02 > 1:16:05On New year's Eve night, 1998,
1:16:05 > 1:16:08Tiffany paid grant a visit with some unwelcome news.
1:16:08 > 1:16:10Me and Courtney, we're moving on.
1:16:10 > 1:16:12- What are you talking about? - I'm leaving, Grant.
1:16:12 > 1:16:13Don't do this.
1:16:13 > 1:16:14Tiffany!
1:16:16 > 1:16:18And Frank was out on one of his drives...
1:16:18 > 1:16:20# I think we're alone now... #
1:16:20 > 1:16:22You know, those drives he always goes on.
1:16:22 > 1:16:26Unfortunately, Tiff had left Courtney alone upstairs,
1:16:26 > 1:16:28and you know who got to her first.
1:16:28 > 1:16:31Hello, Tiffany.
1:16:31 > 1:16:34So, as the clock struck midnight,
1:16:34 > 1:16:38Grant made a dash out of the Vic with Courtney.
1:16:40 > 1:16:41TYRES SCREECHING
1:16:41 > 1:16:43SCREAM
1:16:46 > 1:16:48- Oh, no!- Tiff!
1:16:48 > 1:16:49Tiff!
1:16:49 > 1:16:51I just thought it was a brilliant,
1:16:51 > 1:16:54high-octane and heartbreaking exit,
1:16:54 > 1:16:58and I particularly remember seeing the lights go out in Martine McCutcheon's eyes.
1:17:02 > 1:17:05Tiffany's exit pulled in over 13 million viewers
1:17:05 > 1:17:07and made a huge impact on EastEnders fans.
1:17:07 > 1:17:11She was one of those characters that you fell in love with,
1:17:11 > 1:17:15and so the trauma of her death, I think,
1:17:15 > 1:17:17left a little scar on all of us EastEnders fans.
1:17:17 > 1:17:19I was absolutely heartbroken.
1:17:24 > 1:17:27At number of four, it's simple, it's iconic,
1:17:27 > 1:17:29it's Dirty Den's first exit.
1:17:32 > 1:17:34I think we begin to understand each other.
1:17:34 > 1:17:36Now, we want you out of this territory for good.
1:17:36 > 1:17:42For me, he was EastEnders, and to lose him was devastating.
1:17:42 > 1:17:47Den had got mixed up with mysterious local crime organisation The Firm.
1:17:47 > 1:17:50Our first mistake was to put Dennis Watts on the payroll,
1:17:50 > 1:17:54but, all things considered, I'd say that situation has been handled admirably.
1:17:54 > 1:17:57He was on the run after they accused him of being a grass,
1:17:57 > 1:18:00and his days seemed numbered.
1:18:00 > 1:18:04He wanted his one last meeting with the mother of his child,
1:18:04 > 1:18:06and also his daughter's best friend.
1:18:06 > 1:18:08Be lucky.
1:18:08 > 1:18:11And then there's a guy behind him,
1:18:11 > 1:18:14you think he's the one who is going to kill him,
1:18:14 > 1:18:17and you've got a couple there with a bunch of daffodils.
1:18:17 > 1:18:19Being shot with flowers is a bit weird.
1:18:19 > 1:18:22I don't know what the daffodils were all about, to be honest.
1:18:24 > 1:18:25SPLASH
1:18:25 > 1:18:27I think it was very clever.
1:18:27 > 1:18:30You didn't even see his body hit the water, but that's nice,
1:18:30 > 1:18:35because then it's all in here, in the audience's imagination.
1:18:35 > 1:18:39We all know Den returned almost 15 years later,
1:18:39 > 1:18:43but things could have been so much more final for our canal-plunging bad boy.
1:18:43 > 1:18:46We did actually shoot another scene in a tank at Ealing,
1:18:46 > 1:18:50where the canal was retreated with supermarket trolleys
1:18:50 > 1:18:51and everything in there,
1:18:51 > 1:18:54and you see me floating with blood coming out of my mouth,
1:18:54 > 1:19:00but the BBC thought that there was a possibility at one point that I'd come back.
1:19:02 > 1:19:05Looking forward to when he comes back in another five years
1:19:05 > 1:19:07and see how they're going to kill him next.
1:19:07 > 1:19:10Maybe it might be with, I don't know, a scatter cushion. You never know.
1:19:12 > 1:19:15At number three, it's one of EastEnders's most moving exits ever,
1:19:15 > 1:19:17the death of Ethel Skinner.
1:19:17 > 1:19:21The thing you're looking for a character making an exit
1:19:21 > 1:19:25is just the most emotional, intense and moving experience.
1:19:25 > 1:19:31The stuff people remember tends to be the stuff that gets you there.
1:19:31 > 1:19:3285 candles...
1:19:32 > 1:19:36After a party in the Vic, we saw two old friends share a special moment.
1:19:36 > 1:19:38I've never said it...
1:19:39 > 1:19:43..but I'm very fond of you.
1:19:43 > 1:19:47Yeah, I am of you.
1:19:47 > 1:19:50Later that evening, the time came for Ethel to reveal her final wish.
1:19:50 > 1:19:54I'd give anything to help you, but I can't.
1:19:54 > 1:19:56You can.
1:19:56 > 1:19:58How?
1:19:59 > 1:20:01Them pills.
1:20:01 > 1:20:03No.
1:20:03 > 1:20:04No.
1:20:04 > 1:20:07'She kept saying, "It's wrong."'
1:20:07 > 1:20:11And in the end, she did it because she was weakened by Ethel's persuasive powers.
1:20:11 > 1:20:13It's my life...
1:20:15 > 1:20:18..and I want to choose.
1:20:18 > 1:20:20After much soul-searching,
1:20:20 > 1:20:24Dot put aside her religious beliefs and helped Ethel die in the way she wanted.
1:20:24 > 1:20:26Is this what you really want?
1:20:28 > 1:20:29Yes!
1:20:29 > 1:20:33'In the end, she sees that Ethel really needs that,
1:20:33 > 1:20:35and she does that for her,
1:20:35 > 1:20:39and so there's a real kind of intimacy between those two.
1:20:39 > 1:20:41I only want you to be happy.
1:20:43 > 1:20:44I am.
1:20:44 > 1:20:45'It was very moving.'
1:20:45 > 1:20:47Don't cry.
1:20:47 > 1:20:48'I loved acting with her.'
1:20:48 > 1:20:50Oh, silly.
1:20:50 > 1:20:51It was beautifully shot, too.
1:20:51 > 1:20:53Never mind.
1:20:53 > 1:20:56Together, the two of them did the beautiful story,
1:20:56 > 1:21:00which is just a real story of, "what does love mean?"
1:21:00 > 1:21:05Does love mean, "are you able to help your friend against your own religious beliefs?"
1:21:05 > 1:21:08You're the best friend...
1:21:08 > 1:21:10I ever had.
1:21:10 > 1:21:11There.
1:21:13 > 1:21:16Ethel's exit was watched by over 16 million people.
1:21:16 > 1:21:20A fitting tribute to a much-loved character.
1:21:22 > 1:21:25In at two, Bradley Branning.
1:21:25 > 1:21:27His exit live on TV was a unique moment,
1:21:27 > 1:21:30as thrilling as it was groundbreaking.
1:21:30 > 1:21:33Another one falling to his death.
1:21:33 > 1:21:35Bradley!
1:21:35 > 1:21:39I didn't want to kill Charlie, cos he's lovely, but also Bradley is a fantastic character,
1:21:39 > 1:21:44and you'd want him to come back in 15 years, but it was just too good an opportunity to miss.
1:21:44 > 1:21:48After a tough year, Bradley was welcoming Stacey back into his life.
1:21:48 > 1:21:49Just tell me.
1:21:51 > 1:21:52Archie Mitchell.
1:21:55 > 1:21:56Blimey, that hurt!
1:21:56 > 1:21:58If you look at Stacey again, I'll kill you.
1:21:58 > 1:22:01And don't think I can't because I can.
1:22:01 > 1:22:04That same night, Archie was left for dead in the Vic.
1:22:04 > 1:22:06His death was welcomed by most of Walford,
1:22:06 > 1:22:10and it triggered a massive whodunnit storyline that would span the following months.
1:22:10 > 1:22:15So on the 19th of February 2010, the night they should have been toasting their marriage,
1:22:15 > 1:22:18Bradley and Stacey found themselves on the run.
1:22:18 > 1:22:20Now, I've never been part of a movie-style getaway,
1:22:20 > 1:22:24but I'm pretty sure heading for a rooftop isn't the best idea.
1:22:25 > 1:22:26Stace, run!
1:22:30 > 1:22:31Argh!
1:22:31 > 1:22:32Bradley!
1:22:32 > 1:22:36And so Bradley made his exit on the greatest stage of all.
1:22:36 > 1:22:40'The live episode of EastEnders, when Bradley took his plunge from the roof of the Queen Vic,'
1:22:40 > 1:22:44was one of the most spectacular moments
1:22:44 > 1:22:47in TV history for quite some time.
1:22:47 > 1:22:48It was epic.
1:22:48 > 1:22:52Though Bradley's death left Stacey and the Square devastated,
1:22:52 > 1:22:55his exit certainly made its mark in EastEnders history.
1:22:55 > 1:22:58- Get away from him. Just get away from him.- Stacey, come away.
1:22:58 > 1:23:02So we've finally reached our number one Eastenders exit.
1:23:02 > 1:23:04Who could it be?
1:23:04 > 1:23:06I feel it was a great exit.
1:23:06 > 1:23:08- My number one. - Ooh! That's a big one.
1:23:08 > 1:23:10She just walked off down the Square.
1:23:10 > 1:23:13It's like watching the heart of it walking away.
1:23:13 > 1:23:15That's right, it's the 2010 departure
1:23:15 > 1:23:19of soap's most famous landlady, Peggy Mitchell.
1:23:19 > 1:23:23I don't think you know who you're dealing with here.
1:23:23 > 1:23:26I'm not some cuddly little old lady.
1:23:26 > 1:23:28I'm Peggy Mitchell.
1:23:30 > 1:23:33Peggy Mitchell had always had so much drama in her life.
1:23:33 > 1:23:35Ooh, I'd like to rip her face off.
1:23:35 > 1:23:38She's been tough. She's been vulnerable.
1:23:38 > 1:23:41- I want him out of here. - Darlin', let me explain.
1:23:41 > 1:23:42She's been a wife.
1:23:42 > 1:23:44Now, clear off!
1:23:44 > 1:23:46She's been a mother, most importantly.
1:23:46 > 1:23:47This is Grant's fault.
1:23:47 > 1:23:49For years I've stood by him.
1:23:49 > 1:23:52No matter what he's done, I forgave him.
1:23:52 > 1:23:57And so we kind of wanted her exit to represent her history on the show.
1:23:57 > 1:24:02Her relationship with Phil and her relationship with the Vic were the two most important strands.
1:24:02 > 1:24:07And it was Phil who set the wheels in motion for Peggy's departure.
1:24:07 > 1:24:12You know, the truth is...you love this place more than you love me.
1:24:12 > 1:24:14Go on, admit it!
1:24:14 > 1:24:17You're right! I do!
1:24:17 > 1:24:22He sets fire to the Vic as part of his hatred of her at that point.
1:24:22 > 1:24:25Phil! You bloody maniac! What are you doing?!
1:24:30 > 1:24:34Barbara got blasted off her feet, she landed straight on my chest.
1:24:34 > 1:24:35She totally winded me.
1:24:35 > 1:24:36SCREAMS
1:24:36 > 1:24:39Peggy could only stand back and watch
1:24:39 > 1:24:43as her beloved Vic burned to the ground after 15 years in charge.
1:24:45 > 1:24:48And the following day, after surveying the wreck that had been her home,
1:24:48 > 1:24:51Peggy decided it was time to say goodbye.
1:24:52 > 1:24:58Peggy came to realise Phil's unravelling and his crack addiction
1:24:58 > 1:25:01was partly her responsibility.
1:25:01 > 1:25:03Mum? Mum, what are you doing?
1:25:03 > 1:25:05'And so she decided to leave.'
1:25:06 > 1:25:10I'm going to go now. And I'm going on my own.
1:25:10 > 1:25:13When she leaves at the end, it's quite a touching scene.
1:25:13 > 1:25:19Now, I'm going to go... and I'm going to do it for you.
1:25:19 > 1:25:22You know, she's actually very tender with him.
1:25:22 > 1:25:24You're my darling.
1:25:24 > 1:25:26You're my son.
1:25:26 > 1:25:29You are my best boy.
1:25:29 > 1:25:31'That's, to me, what EastEnders should be.'
1:25:31 > 1:25:37Cos you've got carnage and yet you've got these two people who love each other.
1:25:43 > 1:25:49We just had the image of this little old lady walking out past the burnt Vic.
1:25:49 > 1:25:53# Time to say goodbye... #
1:25:53 > 1:25:56The evocative scene of her just taking one glance around and saying,
1:25:56 > 1:25:59you know, "I'm going to miss this place."
1:26:02 > 1:26:05Just to see her walk out of the Square on her own
1:26:05 > 1:26:10in that understated manner was... quite poignant for the show, yeah.
1:26:10 > 1:26:14'And it was the end of an era, it was the end of a soap era.'
1:26:14 > 1:26:18It was the end of Barbara's reign as the Queen of EastEnders.
1:26:20 > 1:26:25Every time I see that epic shot of Walford at dusk and the burnt-out Queen Vic,
1:26:25 > 1:26:28it brings a tear to my eye.
1:26:28 > 1:26:31So, as we say farewell to Peggy, our queen of departures,
1:26:31 > 1:26:33there's only one exit left to make. Mine.
1:26:33 > 1:26:35Taxi! Oh.
1:26:35 > 1:26:37Where's a taxi when you need one?
1:26:59 > 1:27:02Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
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