However, this isn't always the case and EastEnders has on a number of occasions been guilty of deciding to put a permanent end to a character before coming to regret that decision later down the line.
This time on TopTenders, I'm counting down the Top Ten characters that shouldn't have been killed off...
10) Heather Trott
Heather was killed in 2012 by Ben Mitchell after the character was axed by Bryan Kirkwood. Heather was a popular character and while her exit was very good and very moving, making Ben a killer was a mistake. EastEnders had moved on from Heather and I didn't have an issue with her leaving but it would've been great for her to reconnect with Minty and find happiness away from the Square, then creating the possibility of occasional fleeting appearances in the future, like we used to see from people like Jean and Elaine. We'd have also then seen George from time to time, which would've been nice. This was a character that provided genuine comedy, something which the show misses. It wasn't until her voiceover appearance in 2016 that I realised how sad it was that she could never return. Since her exit, Shirley's material has been much heavier and darker and it would've been nice to have some light relief in their alongside the emotional stuff. A shame that a well-known and much-loved character was unnecessarily killed off.
9) Fatboy Chubb
Fats was a Christmas death in 2015, courtesy of a misjudged Ronnie Mitchell plan to dispose of Vincent Hubbard. Fatboy was never a wonderful character but Ricky Norwood was a decent performer and his relationship with Dot was just adorable - making it even more weird that Dot has never really questioned the lack of contact from him. Like Heather, Fatboy was a character that had probably run his course, especially after the breakdown of his relationship with Poppy, but that's not to say that he wouldn't have suited a return later down the line. Killing him off also effectively ended any hope of a return for Poppy, who was wonderful. Easily the most upsetting thing about Fatboy's death though was the manner of it - crushed to death after being trapped alone in a car boot - just a few months after the character expressed a fear of enclosed spaces. This was one of the darkest and most disturbing deaths in EastEnders history and should never have been given the green light. As well as that, it damaged Ronnie and Vincent completely. Ricky Norwood seemed like such a lovely guy on Big Brother, too.
8) Cindy Beale
The most historic of all my selections, Cindy should absolutely not have been killed off. I firmly believe that Ian has only ever loved two women - Cindy and Jane. Having the possibility of bringing Cindy back in the future would've been absolutely massive for the show and would've always left doors to explosive storylines open. Michelle Collins was clearly open to a return to the genre at some point, as proved by her spell as Leanne Battersby's mother Stella on Coronation Street. As well as this, her brief role in the 2014 EastEnders Children in Need special was wonderful and showed us just what we could've had if Cindy hadn't been needlessly killed off. Cindy could've been a brilliant parent to both Cindy junior and Steven, and here's a thought: she's got two granddaughters now in the shape of Beth and Abi. The Beale canvas would be a better one with Cindy still waiting in the wings for a return one day.
7) Emma Summerhayes
She was only a short-term character but Emma Summerhayes was absolute gold. A spectacularly fiery woman with excellent compassion, Emma may have been presented to us as an incompetent fool, but in the end she proved to be anything but as the cop was the first one to crack the Lucy Beale case. Her death came on New Years' Day 2015, one of the best EastEnders episodes of modern times. I absolutely loved her romance with Max Branning and I think she is one of only two women the car salesman has ever loved (Tanya being the other). Emma could've become a brilliant long-term EastEnders character, such was her warmth and likeability. I remember seeing a clip after Kathy's surprise return (which I now frustratingly can't find anywhere online) of some of the rehearsals for her return scene. In order to keep Gillian Taylforth out of the limelight to keep it a secret, Anna Acton was a stand-in for her during rehearsals. I can honestly say that as controversial as this is, I'd have much rather Emma had stepped out of the car than Kathy.
6) Paul Trueman
Technically, we never saw Paul die. However, we have seen Patrick identify the corpse of his son in 2004. Paul's death was dark and deeply upsetting - asking a hitman to 'make it quick' after a long-running row with Andy Hunter led to Andy hiring a killer to end Paul's life in a taxi. Gary Beadle was a terrific performer and really understood the character, as evidenced with his comments after the character's exit. Such a complex and exciting character, it really would've been good to have Paul able to visit Patrick now and again, because as brilliant as Rudolph Walker is, material for him has been dry for a very long time now. What I will say though is that Paul's death being implied rather than shown added to just how haunting it was - this was EastEnders at its very best.
5) Steven Beale
Steven was killed off in late 2017 after a head injury in a fire, both of which caused by Max. Steven ended up embroiled in Max's revenge plan when he began an affair with Abi, while in a relationship with Lauren. I wasn't a massive fan of Steven as a character, but Aaron Sidwell was a very good actor and played some of Steven's big mental breakdown scenes to perfection. My main issue with this killing is that it was SO unnecessary - what has it really achieved? There was absolutely no aftermath of his death - barely any reaction from Ian - and killing off a second Beale legacy child in the space of three years, when Peter and Bobby are both elsewhere, is appalling. Making Max a killer has had absolutely no impact at all, and the fact that Ian will even converse with him is preposterous. Steven with Abi raising the baby right now would be brilliant. This truly is one of the worst decisions in recent times on EastEnders, which makes it even more worrying that he has only ranked fifth, and the following three placings are also very recent...
Perhaps one that will get forgotten, but Nick Cotton was an iconic EastEnders character and his 2015 death didn't really do the character justice. Using Nick as a recurring character could've continued for a long while yet as the character didn't feel tired at all. In fact, in his last stint, John Altman gave his best performances to date. With the addition of Charlie Cotton, Nick would've had family on the Square to come back to as and when. I also think Nick dying before Dot was a very bad mistake - seeing Nick at Dot's funeral is something that needed to happen. I still feel really disappointed that EastEnders' original villain won't ever grace our screens again, because of a decision that felt completely unnecessary.
3) Abi Branning
Another recent calamity, the decision to kill off Abi was a very poor one. I was furious that they chose to call time on this character, a warm and familiar face played by a committed actress who had improved greatly. My main complaint over her death though is the lack of aftermath to it - what has killing off Abi achieved? We haven't seen Max grieve over Abi at all, and the lack of reaction to her death from the show in general has been disappointing. I just feel that Abi could've been a great legacy character to stick around the show as a connection for both the Brannings and the Beales. they honestly should've killed off Lauren - now there's a character that was going nowhere. Seeing what kind of a person Abi became in her 20s and 30s would've been great viewing - how would her constant poor treatment from her family affect the adult she became? I'd loved to have seen her vow to be a better parent to her child than Max and Tanya were to her. The show misses Abi Branning. Preposterous decision.
Ah, Ronnie. There's no way on earth that EastEnders don't regret this decision. Yes, Ronnie had become a little bit of a tired character. Yes, she could've done with a little bit of time away. But this was the case in 2014 and 2015! Jack's return in 2016 gave Ronnie a new lease of life and she had one of her best years on the show, which made the timing of her exit even more painful. Her actual death episode was very good and the Mitchell sisters were given very haunting exits after a tremendous final episode which celebrated everything that was great about them. Ronnie is the closest the show has come to a new icon in the last ten years and the decision to kill her off is stupendously short-sighted, and one of the biggest errors the show has ever made. Samantha Womack was up and down as an actress, but when she gave it her all she put in some unbelievable performances and really understood her character and clearly didn't want to leave. The show misses her so much, there's just something that has very clearly changed since the exit of the Mitchell sisters. It felt like a real changing of the guard and whilst I'm not a huge Roxy fan, the presence of Ronnie and Roxy as a duo was crucial to some of the best moments of recent times. A diabolical decision, EE.
1) Pat Butcher
It's just all so wrong isn't it? Pam St Clement wanted some time away from the show but made it clear she didn't want Pat to die, and it's absolutely heartbreaking that her wish wasn't granted. After the 26 years of service Pam had given to the show, she deserved to be listened to on that one. Pat is perhaps the most iconic character EastEnders has ever produced, and the idea of still having her around to lend a word of advice to people and be the Square's matriarchal figure is a brilliant one. And consider this; how good would it have been to have her around for some of the big stories in the last few years? Imagine her reaction to Dean's downfall. Imagine her providing Carol with a shoulder to cry on through her cancer. Imagine her reacting to Janine and Michael, to Lucy's death, to Kathy coming back and everything else that she should've been here for. And most of all, imagine Pat actually being around for Peggy's death. How powerful would that have been? The show changed for good the day Pat died. This is the matriarchal legend we should have today. Not Dot. Despite the fact that they've been there a while, I still can't buy into Stacey and Martin living in Pat's house. That is her house. And the fact that I don't think I'll ever shake that feelings confirms to me that there is no doubt that Pat Butcher is the number one character that shouldn't have been killed off.
The Omissions
Perhaps the most glaring omission from my list is Roxy Mitchell. Why didn't I include her? Well, I always thought Ronnie was a much better character - a much more iconic EastEnders figure and central to bigger storylines than Roxy was. Furthermore, I feel Samantha Womack was a better actress in her time on EastEnders than Rita Simons was - though it's close. I did like Roxy for the most part, but after so many self-destruct routines and so many "she's/you're my sistah" arguments with Ronnie, I'm not sure where they could've really taken Roxy going forward. In her last few episodes there seemed to be a hint of romance with Max; suffice to say this would have been an awful idea. I think Roxy had had her time, to be honest. Roxy was at her best without Ronnie, funnily enough. Her relationship with Sean was the best thing that happened to the character, and I loved her during Ronnie's time in prison when she was with Alfie. Since Ronnie returned though, the duo had become a toxic cycle. Too much damage had been done with the Charlie love triangle story and after the Dean storyline, it seemed like the writers had stopped caring about Roxy and as such, she was given terrible material in the run up to her exit. That's 100% a fault of the writers rather than Rita Simons, but it's telling that despite many damaging storylines including being responsible for two deaths, Ronnie somehow managed to remain compelling viewing. I don't really miss Roxy now, but I do miss Ronnie. That's the difference. And while I admire her clear commitment to her character, some of Rita's comments since leaving have come across as really bitter and have tainted my view on the character. So those are the reasons why Roxy doesn't make my list.
The other controversial omission is Lucy Beale. This was a really tough one for me and I had to balance out my opinions by asking the question of whether in the long run, killing off Lucy had paid dividends. Ultimately, it gave us an incredible storyline. The show was in the doldrums from 2011-13 and Who Killed Lucy? got the show back on its feet again and regained public interest in EastEnders. I would actually make the case that a story of this magnitude and length is what the programme needs right now to have a similar impact in terms of engagement and getting people talking about EastEnders again. The story gave the show a focus and direction and was beautifully crafted and timed, right up until the reveal of the killer, when things started to unravel. Whether Bobby being the killer or not was the right decision is irrelevant to this debate, so I'll save that for another day. Who'd have thought that the aftermath of Lucy's death would still be going on at Christmas and would've culminated with the return of James Wilmott-Brown? Frustratingly though, as good as some parts of the aftermath were, the overriding feeling is that many characters have been irreparably damaged as a result of the story - Max, Ian and Sharon to name a few, and the story has also seen the regrettable departures of Jane, Peter, Bobby, Steven, Cindy and Lauren. However, it's important to distinguish the aftermath from the decision to kill Lucy off. Making the decision to kill Lucy off got EastEnders back to the forefront of television again. What happened afterwards was messy, but that doesn't take away from the fact that killing Lucy off was a good decision and the show doesn't really miss her at all. For those reasons, Lucy didn't make the list.
Let me make this clear: I am not against killing characters off. On many occasions, it is the right thing to do. Even some great characters have a shelf life - Jamie Mitchell, Michael Moon, Tiffany Mitchell, Den Watts (the second time), Steve Owen, Archie Mitchell, May Wright, Johnny Allen - all off these were superb characters but had reached a point where being killed off was necessary, and crucially in each case the exits and aftermaths were good enough to justify the decisions. In other examples, death is the natural step due to the age of the character or an actor ruling out a return. Again, in examples where the exit story has been good, I have no issue. I can't sit here and say the likes of Peggy Mitchell, Lou Beale, Angie Watts, Stan Carter, Mark Fowler and Charlie Slater shouldn't have been killed off - because clearly that was the only choice and the emotional pull of their exits made it worthwhile. Even if the exit is poor, such as Pauline Fowler's, if killing off a character really is the logical way to write them out I don't have a problem. To quickly go through a few others, I would rather have seen Dennis Rickman, Bradley Branning and Kevin Wicks not killed off, but all of them were given superb exit episodes, so I can forgive the show for choosing to call a day on those characters for good.
So there you are, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed reading my Top Ten characters that shouldn't have been killed off.
Daniel
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