The Soap Years

Eastenders veteran Letitia Dean looks back at the best bits from her character’s turbulent time in the Square this week, including the climax to Sharongate...

The storylines time will never forget

When Eastenders repeats its classic Sharongate episode this week, soap legend Letitia Dean may break the habit of a lifetime and actually watch herself.

While Letitia admits she can’t stand to see herself on TV, she might make an exception for this. ‘It was pure joy to shoot so it will be interesting to watch it again after all these years,’ says the 52year-old, who was part of the original Eastenders cast when the show launched in 1985.

The run of classics and accompanying behind-the-scenes Secrets From The Square shows are being broadcast because the coronavirus lockdown has left the BBC without new episodes. This week Letitia reveals her secrets while looking back on the plot that saw her character Sharon in a love triangle with her husband Grant Mitchell and his brother Phil.

Sharongate ran for several years in the 90s, becoming one of the most popular storylines. The climax, first broadcast Sharon back in 1994 in October 1994, with Phil and Grant saw Phil and Kathy’s engagement party end in tears when Grant played a tape of his wife admitting to her affair with Phil to a packed Queen Vic. It drew an incredible audience of more than 25 million, as Grant beat his brother unconscious and Sharon fled.

‘It’s one of my favourite storylines,’ says Letitia. ‘It developed over a long time, which I think is when Eastenders is at its best, and then... pow! It was frightening because it was a lot of responsibility, and I was a lot younger then, but I enjoyed every second. It got such great feedback.’

Letitia’s other highlights as Sharon include the return of her ‘dead’

THAILAND OR TENERIFE? Thailand is my favourite holiday destination because you can completely switch off and the people are beautiful. It’s a really relaxing place to be.

EATING IN OR OUT? My favourite food is my mum’s cheese cobbler, which is a lovely stew with cheese scones. It’s very nice.

WINE OR FIZZ? Laurent Perrier’s rosé Champagne is just delicious.

TELEVISION OR MOVIES? The Netflix psychological thriller series You,