STORYLINES OF EASTENDERS (2000S)

'Storylines of ''EastEnders''' provides a year by year summary of the most notable storylines from the 2000s in the popular BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''.

Contents
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007

2000

Matthew Rose was back in Walford during January 2000, determined to get revenge on Steve Owen for being framed for the murder of Saskia Duncan, even though he was now free from prison after his manslaughter conviction was quashed. He daubed 'DEAD MAN WALKING' around Steve's door, blocked his toilet, strewed his path with broken glass and then captured him - tying him to a chair in the e20.
It wasn't happiness ever after for newly weds Peggy and Frank, as he realised that it was Pat he loved and not Peggy.
Sonia Jackson and Jamie Mitchell were just good friends at the start of the year, but over the summer they fell in love. During October, 15-year-old Sonia was giving birth in the living room - surprised by what was happening, as she did not know that she was pregnant. She gave birth to a girl with the help of Big Mo, and named the girl 'Chloe' but decided to put her up for adoption. The baby was soon revealed to be the product of a one-night stand between Sonia and Martin Fowler at the start of the year.
In July, Ethel Skinner turned up unexpectedly on Pauline's doorstep. She revealed that she was dying from cancer, and could not bear to deteriorate into a "thing in a chair" and pleaded with Dot Cotton (now Branning) to ease her pain, when it came, by giving her morphine tablets. Dot was torn between her strong Christian principles and her love for her friend, who shamelessly played on their long friendship, and, eventually, got her way as Dot committed euthanasia. This left Dot devastated with grief and guilt - she demanded to be punished but the police would not press charges. Around this time, her son Nick and grandson Ashley joined her in the Square. She was then arrested from shoplifting and finally got her desired punishment when she was jailed for 14 days on a shoplifting charge. Dot was freed on Christmas Eve and returned to a packed Vic on Christmas Day.
The Slater family arrived in September and quickly began to dominate storylines. The new family consisted of widower Charlie, his adult daughters Lynne, Kat, Little Mo and 16-year-old Zoe, as well as Charlie's mother-in-law Mo Harris and Lynne's fiance Gary Hobbs.

2001

The main storyline of 2001 was ''Who Shot Phil?''. There were many people that wanted him dead at the time, including: Steve Owen, Mel Owen, Ian Beale, Lisa Fowler and Dan Sullivan. But as Phil lay wounded in the Square he saw the culprit running away, and when he got out of hospital we discovered that it was Lisa. Phil however made a truce and set up Dan instead. However, Dan was found not guilty and upon his release took revenge by kidnapping Mel, demanding £100,000 from Phil and Steve for her return.
Little Mo Slater was the victim of domestic abuse by husband Trevor, who subjected her to cruel mental torment, and at one point attacked her in the bathroom and raped her. Trevor wanted a child but she didn't, and when he found her birth control pills he kicked her violently in the stomach. While Mo was babysitting Louise at the Fowler's household, Trevor cornered her and attempted to attack her. Mo looked for the nearest object - an iron, and ripped it from its socket and struck Trevor with it repeatedly. Little Mo, however, wasn't the only Slater sister with trouble. Zoë was planning to leave London to work with her Uncle Harry in Spain. But Kat was dead against the idea much to Zoë's disgust. It was then revealed that Kat was Zoë's mother and Uncle Harry was the father who had regularly been having sex with a teenage Kat. Viv, Kat's mother knew the whole truth, but Charlie was kept in the dark about who Zoe's real father was - they raised Zoë as their own. The woman Zoë had called her mum was really her nan, her sister was her mum and her uncle was her great uncle and her father! Zoë fled the Square and Kat slashed her wrists.
The ''Who Shot Phil?'' storyline and the abuse suffered by Little Mo were not the only audience-grabbing storylines during 2001. Early in the year, it was revealed that Kat Slater was actually the mother of her "younger sister" Zoe, but at first even Zoe did not know the truth about her parentage. It was only in October of that year, during an argument with Kat, that she found out who her mother was. Kat then revealed the full story - at the age of 13 she had been raped by her uncle Harry and this had left her pregnant with Zoe, who was then brought up as Charlie and Viv's child. Harry fled the Square for Spain when the truth was revealed, while Zoe ran away from home and ended up living with a woman who ran a brothel. Kat and Anthony rescued Zoe on Christmas Day, just as the woman was trying to force Zoe into a client's car. Zoe returned to Walford and sorted her differences with the family.
Just before the end of 2000, Mark Fowler had found his 15-year-old brother Martin fitting on the kitchen floor. Martin revealed that he had taken some drugs given to him by Nick Cotton, and Mark gained revenge on Nick by placing an ecstasy tablet in his drink in The Queen Vic. He then lured Nick onto the arches and he fell to the ground, suffering a serious spinal injury which left him in hospital. Nick tried to claim that he had been pushed from the viaduct by Mark, but the police decided that there wasn't enough evidence to make an arrest, and Mick McFarlane had lied to them by stating that Nick had been alone when he fell. Nick left hospital in a wheelchair just two weeks after the accident, and was determined to gain revenge on Mark. He asked his son Ashley to set Mark's house on fire, but Ashley refused and went back to live with his mother. Nick then went to recover in a spinal units and returned to Albert Square three months later on crutches, determined to continue his feud with Mark Fowler. Two weeks after his return, Nick had an argument with Mark's girlfriend Lisa, only for Mark to spot them and come close to running over Nick, who then threatened to kill Mark. The next day, Nick slashed the brakes on Mark's motorbike and was determined that he would crash the bike and die. On the evening of 14 June, Ashley and Mark had an argument in The Queen Vic and Ashley then stormed out of the pub. Pauline Fowler spotted Ashley in the process of stealing Mark's motorbike, and several of the Square's residents (including Nick and Dot) watched Ashley speeding along the street and ignoring their pleas for him to stop. He suddenly came face to face with a pedestrian, and swerved to avoid them. But the bike ploughed into the kerb and Ashley was thrown head-first into the front of the laundrette. Anthony, Nick, Dot and Pauline were all the scene within seconds, but it was too late - Ashley was already dead. A few days later, Dot overheard Nick confessing to sabotaging the bike during an argument with Mark, and after Ashley's funeral she made him leave the house and told him she never wanted to see him again.

2002

After Little Mo hit Trevor, it later turned out he was not dead as first expected, he had in fact gotten up and left when she returned to the house with her sisters. Trevor went to the police claiming Little Mo attempted to murder him. Little Mo kept quiet about the rape and Trevor gave a good account of what had happened on that night. Little Mo took the stand and told the court about the hell she had gone through with her abusive husband. However, the jury was unmoved and Little Mo was sent down for eight years after being convicted of attempted murder.
Kat later managed to track down Donna (Trevor's other woman) and persuaded her to testify against Trevor. Little Mo was soon released after Trevor was caught red handed trying to get to Donna by the police. But Trevor remained in Walford, and on 31 October he kidnapped Little Mo and baby Sean and daubed the Slater house in petrol - Little Mo ended up dropping the match which set the house on fire. Fireman Tom saved Little Mo from the house, and then went back for Trevor - only for the house to go up flames, killing them both instantly.
Phil, Mel, Steve, Lisa and Mark were all beginning to strain. Phil had slept with Mel - Steve's wife - in December 2000. Lisa gave birth to baby Louise in October 2001, and initially pretended that Mark Fowler (her new husband) was the father. But two months later, Lisa revealed that Phil was Louise's father. Lisa was determined to escape from Phil, and when Steve and Mel planned to leave Walford forever, Steve wanted Lisa to come, to get back at Phil who would lose his daughter. But it was all delayed when Mark couldn't go because of his HIV. Steve had baby Louise in his car as he was furiously chased by Phil Mitchell, which resulted in Steve crashing the car. Phil saved baby Louise, but Steve was stuck in the burning wreck of the car which blew up before Phil had time to go back. Steve was already dead when the emergency services arrived; the fierce inferno had given him no chance of survival.
Lisa married Mark during April, but then decided to begin an affair with Phil again. Mel discovered she didn't own the e20 since Steve had sold it to Beppe before he died, and was then arrested for drug dealing. Mel discovered she was carrying Steve's baby. Lisa confessed to her best friend Mel that she actually shot Phil - not her deceased husband Steve as Mel had thought. This resulted in Mel leaving the Square and moving to Portugal. She gave birth to a baby daughter in September.
Sonia and Jamie had an on and off relationship. Ethel had told them before she died that she could feel they were meant to be together and even gave them her wedding ring. They came together again when Jamie was beaten up by Phil, and they decided they would marry. He had pawned the ring Ethel had given them to start up a business, much to the annoyance of Sonia. Just as he got the ring back, he was run over by Martin Fowler and died in hospital on Christmas Day.

2003

Janine began a plot to con Barry, which Paul later was brought in on.
Vicki Fowler returned from America, as did Sharon Watts. They tracked down their long-lost half brother Dennis Rickman, who was a past employee of Jack Dalton.
Vicki became pregnant with Spencer Moon's baby but later aborted it, Dennis set about bedding nearly every women on the square and earned himself a reputation as a love rat. He soon set his sights on his (adopted) 'sister' Sharon, who rebuffed his advances.
Martin was released from jail and came out completely changed, he and Vicki robbed the minute mart, Gus was arrested but Dennis helped him clear his name.
Alfie developed a crush on Kat Slater but she was oblivious.
Laura began to run the cafe. She was pregnant with her first child. She thought Garry Hobbs was the father but in reality Ian was.
Billy stole money from the club and was fired when he confessed.
Phil fell in love with undercover copper Kate and later saved her life when Jack Dalton put out a hit on her. The happy couple became engaged but he now owed Jack a favour.
Phil's nanny Joanne had a crush on him and tried to seduce him much to his horror. Kate later fired the love struck nanny.
Grant was involved in a car crash out in Rio and Peggy and Sam flew out to look after him while he recovered from his injuries.
Jack soon called in that favour. He wanted Phil to kill Dennis Rickman who was trying to extract money from the gangster and had pushed Jack too far. Phil struggled to carry out the task as he couldn't stand to hurt Sharon, but eventually he realised he had no choice and attacked Dennis at Angie's Den. Dennis managed to talk Phil round and convinced Phil to give him the gun so he could kill Dalton instead and end both their troubles with the gangster.
Dennis shot gangster Dalton that same night. Dennis was an emotional wreck as he led Dalton to his death. Dalton took advantage of this; planting doubts in Dennis about Phil and talking about the good times they had shared in the past. It looked like he had won Dennis round but made a mistake when he began to insult Sharon and the Watts Family. Dennis declared that Den Watts was his old man as well as Sharon's. Dalton pleaded for his life and offered some information which he believed would stop Dennis from killing him - Dalton had ordered the death of Den Watts. Dalton admitted that Den actually survived and fled abroad, but this didn't stop Dennis killing him. Dennis began to secretly investigate what had happened to his father and found an address in Spain. He later visited it off screen but didn't have the courage to knock on the door. He returned to Walford and told Sharon that Den was alive. She refused to believe him but Vicki overheard their conversation and disappeared from Walford the following day.
Dennis visited Jan, Den's old mistress. It turned out she had helped Den flee the UK all those years ago. He wanted her to visit Sharon and convince her that Den was alive and living in Spain. Jan doubted that Sharon could handle the truth. She thought that Sharon was still a little girl at heart but agreed to meet with her. She commented that Sharon was lucky to have a brother like Dennis looking after her. Dennis declared that he was not Sharon's brother. When Jan asked him what he was to Sharon, he left unable to answer her.
Dennis returned home to Sharon intent on making her meet Jan, but after another heated argument Dennis saw that Jan had been right about Sharon's state of mind and he declared that there was no truth in what he was saying. Sharon embraced him gratefully and as far as they were both concerned Den was dead and would remain dead.
On the night of 29 September 2003, Sharon was avoiding Dennis, Vicki was still missing and Billy was fired from the club. Dennis sat drinking alone in the flat after suffering abuse from both Sam and Phil. Pauline and Sharon had an argument in the Vic over Den and Sharon stormed over to the flat. Dennis and Sharon were soon both arguing over Phil. As the argument reached fever pitch Dennis admitted how much he desired Sharon. Shocked, she tried to flee. He wouldn't let her and soon drew her into a passionate embrace. Later on in bed he told her he was in love with her. He now assumed they were a couple but it was obvious Sharon was already regretting sleeping with him. Panicking, Sharon fled. Dennis chased her to the club where they were greeted by Vicki who declared she had a 'surprise' for Sharon. Den Watts stepped out of the shadows and said: "Hello princess".
Den discovered Dennis was his son and it was apparent that the two men did not like each other at all but put an act of solidarity on 'for the girls'. Sharon broke Dennis's heart when she made it clear that he had no chance with her. 'Dirty' Den Watts was back in Walford after 14 years, very much alive after everyone had believed him to be dead.
Phil and Den clashed straight away but Den was sly and pretended to respect Phil and his status in the square. In reality he and Dennis eventually set up Phil Mitchell in an armed robbery scam. Phil was arrested but escaped from prison and went on the run while Den and Dennis finally felt a bond.
Alfie Moon fell in love with Kat Slater, and eventually Kat started to reciprocate his feelings and the two got together one night and intended to sleep together. However Alfie did not have a condom and the Vic machine was out of them. What followed was a comic search throughout Walford as Alfie kept on almost getting a condom then losing it. In the end he got a condom off a guy who he had met right at the beginning of the search. Alfie excitedly returned to the Vic only to find Kat had fallen asleep while waiting for him. The next morning, Kat thought Alfie had done a runner the night before, but the misunderstanding was soon sorted and they decided to take the relationship slowly. However the relationship only lasted a couple of days before Alfie's inability to trust Kat caused her to break up with him. With Alfie out of the picture local gangster Andy Hunter began to woo Kat and eventually she agreed to marry him however it was clear she really loved Alfie, and the two grew closer when Nana Moon's life was endangered by water on the brain. Nana recovered and Alfie, in the true style of ''The Graduate'', rushed to interrupt the wedding and declared his love for Kat. Kat left Andy at the alter and the two walked away together. Alfie quickly proposed to Kat and she accepted and the two prepared to wed on Christmas Day. However Alfie decided to check he had divorced his first wife. Visiting her mother, Alfie was told that the two were divorced, however they weren't and when Alfie found out he quickly attempted to get his divorce finalised before the wedding however Christmas Day arrived and his decree absolute still hadn't arrived in the post. Unwilling to tell Kat they couldn't get married, Alfie called a dodgy mate asking him to officiate the wedding, reasoning he could tell Kat after the divorce had arrived, but Spencer recognised the mate and confronted his brother and demanded he tell Kat the truth. Alfie told Kat the full story, and she was furious and ready to call the engagement off, but at the last second Alfie's solicitor turned up with the divorce certificate. Alfie persuaded the registrar to leave his Christmas Dinner to officiate the wedding, and the two were married and Alfie sprung a final surprise on Kat... he had arranged a snow machine to beb brought into the Square covering it with snow.
On New Years Eve, Mickey crashed the mini van that was taking the Walford teens to Scotland and almost killed Zoe.
Meanwhile, Barry asked Janine to marry him but later Dr. Leroy told him he had an enlarged heart. Deciding to look this up on the internet, Barry bungled the search and read a page on the wrong heart condition and thought he only had weeks to live. Barry told Janine then fled to Scotland, unwilling to marry her and leave her a widow. Janine however was delighted to think that Barry only had weeks to live and went to Scotland with Paul to persuade him to marry her immediately. Paul was able to convince him that Janine really wanted to marry him, and the two had a shotgun wedding. However Paul was beginning to have doubts about the plan as not only did he feel bad about conning Barry after seeing he was a genuinely nice man, but he had fallen in love with Janine, however his declaration was ignored by her. That night, Barry called Dr. Leroy to make sure his heart to stand up to the vigours of a wedding night and Dr. Leroy, who had himself been trying to contact Barry to tell him his condition wasn't serious, informed Barry that an enlarged heart wasn't a serious problem and that he would probably live a normal life. Barry was ecstatic about this and told Janine, who was horrifed her plan had backfired.

2004

2004 began with a murder. Barry Evans felt at one with the world, and felt at peace after learning he would lead a normal life. Janine and Paul were desperate to find a way out of the marriage, and saw a chance when a woman int he hotel bar confessed to Paul she fancied Barry. Realising Barry sleeping with another woman could lead to a quickie divorce, Paul desperately tried to get Barry to sleep with the woman but to no avail. During a walk through the countryside, Barry showed Janine a love heart he ad carved into a tree with their initials, and Janine, sick of her new husband's overpowering love confessed to him that she loathed rather than loved him, as well as her affair with Paul and the fact she'd done it for the money. A devastated Barry begged her to stay with him anyway and as he attempted to hug her she pushed him over a cliff and she approached him and despite his pleas for help happily watched him die. While she initially feigned ignorance, she confessed the truth to Paul, and had the body cremated before returning to Walford. A disgusted and horrified Paul finished with Janine, but was forced to keep her dastardly deed a secret, for fear he would implicate himself as an accomplice. Back in Walford Barry's ex-wife, Natalie Evans, suspected that Janine had something to do with his death. She began to investigate, which led to her growing close to Paul, the only other person who knew the truth about Barry's death. The truth finally came out, but with no evidence, Janine was in the clear and appeared to have got away with it. Later in the year Janine reignited a feud with her old nemesis Laura Beale and shopped her to the DSS for benefit fraud. Laura subsequently tripped on the stairs and fell to her death and everyone assumed Janine had pushed her. Pat Evans was the only one who could give her an alibi, but she wanted payback for Barry, and so Janine was sent down for murder.
After being raped by Graham Foster, Little Mo Mitchell was shocked to learn that she was pregnant with his child. She decided to keep the baby, but her husband Billy couldn't handle it and they decided to go their separate ways, leaving them both devastated. Mo's father, Charlie Slater couldn't handle it either and he viciously attacked Graham, putting him in hospital with severe injuries. Graham threatened to sue and so it was left to Kat Moon to pay him off and she had to borrow the money from her malicious ex-fiancee, Andy Hunter, to do it. Kat struggled to meet the loan repayments, so she agreed to sleep with Andy in order to absolve her debt and save her husband, Alfie Moon, from Andy's heavies. Andy taped their sordid romp and then gave it to Alfie. Alfie's world fell apart and he was unable to forgive Kat. After much arguing and yet more infidelity, Kat packed her bags and left Walford.
Tariq Larousi admitted to Mickey Miller that he was, in fact, the Ferreira siblings’ half brother! Later on, Ronny Ferreira and Tariq got caught in a fight. Ronny was stabbed and rushed to hospital where the staff quickly discovered he needed a kidney transplant or he would die. Tariq turned out to be the one whose kidney matched, forcing him to divulge to the family that he was their brother all along. Everyone was in shock and disbelief, but after much drama, Tariq agreed to be the donor and prepared for surgery.
February 2004 saw the revival of the controversial storyline "Shannis". Dennis Rickman and his adoptive sister Sharon Watts reignited their romance on Valentines Day. However their relationship was promptly nipped in the bud when their father, Den, found out they were sleeping together. After threatening to disown his son, Dennis had no choice but to end things with Sharon. He then started dating Zoe Slater. Later on Den's wife Chrissie arrived in the Square and agreed to stay in Walford with her newfound family. However Den was far from faithful, and after Chrissie discovered he was having an affair with Kate Mitchell, she found a suitable way to get her revenge.
Despite being in a relationship with Zoe Slater Dennis continued to pursue Sharon. Sharon no longer trusted him and refused to take him back.
Mark Fowler died off-screen of an AIDS related illness, a year after leaving Walford. His family gave him the biggest send-off Walford had ever seen. Happier times for the Fowlers came just weeks later when Martin married Sonia Jackson in a secret wedding in Southend. Later in the year Martin became the target of a psychopathic stalker, Sarah Cairns. She became obsessed with him and hell bent on splitting his marriage up. After a violent showdown she was sectioned and Sonia and Martin's marriage remained intact.
Sam Mitchell waged war against the Watts and instructed Billy Mitchell to blow up Angie's Den. Vicki was trapped inside but was rescued from the fire by Billy.
Nana Moon returned from a holiday with a new man on her arm. She was really taken with Wilfred Atkins and revealed to her shocked family that they were engaged to be married. Alfie was stunned and tried to get Nana to change her mind. Eventually, after he ran off with Nana's medals and Pat Evans's money, the family realised he was a fraud. Nana was heart-broken.
Garry Hobbs had a bad year. Firstly the son he thought was his, turned out to be Ian Beale's. Secondly his pregnant wife, Lynne, was involved in an accident when a fairground ride collapsed on top of her. Garry was forced to consent to an emergency cesarean. Unfortunately the baby died and as a result Lynne was never able to have children again. The marriage collapsed and Lynne left.
Dot Cotton discovered she had cancer. The strong willed woman decided to go against surgery, reasoning that it was God's decision. Eventually, Jim Branning persuaded his companion that surgery was the answer and Dot had the operation.
Sam Mitchell and Andy Hunter married in 2004 and so did Patrick Trueman and Yolande. The Millers all moved into the Square and Demi Miller, who was only 13, gave birth to a little girl. Vicki Fowler also upset her family after getting involved with a man who was old enough to be her father. The Watts were not impressed and set about trying to split them up. Stacey Slater also arrived in Walford and began causing trouble straight away.
Little Mo returned to Walford for the trial against Graham. She brought her new baby Freddie with her. She and Billy were finding it hard to talk and get along, but they both decided that they wanted to make a go of their marriage. Despite revealing that Graham was Freddie’s father, the jury found Graham guilty and he was sentenced to 8 years imprisonment. Little Mo returned to work at the Queen Vic and, as she and Alfie grew closer by the day, Billy couldn't accept Freddie as his own and so he and Mo split again.
Sharon Watts fell for a man called James at her club and began a relationship with him. Dennis was consumed with jealousy and attacked James. Sharon was furious - why was Dennis allowed to have a relationship with Zoe whilst any man that showed an interest in Sharon was scared off by Dennis?
Dennis forced Sharon to confront her feelings. He told her he was still in love with her and asked her if she felt the same. She told him she loved him too but she would never allow herself to be with him as she knew she couldn't give him the family she knew he craved. Dennis was shocked to discover that Sharon was infertile, but at the same time he refused to let the issue come between them. He insisted that they should be together and that it didn't matter if they couldn't have any children. Sharon knew he was blinded by his love and unable to see the whole picture. She told him to think seriously about it and Dennis left the square in turmoil.
Dennis returned to the square a few weeks later and decided to be with Zoe so they moved in together. Heartbroken at being rejected, Sharon began a shameless campaign to win back Dennis, she and Zoe fought.
In the club, Zoe, Dennis and Sharon were alone. Zoe told Dennis to tell Sharon that he didn't love her anymore. Dennis turned to Sharon but was unable to say the words. Furious, Zoe fled and asked Dennis why he didn't think of her at all. A look of dawning crossed his face and he left Zoe with no answer. When Sharon returned to her house late that night, Dennis stepped out of from the shadows and embraced her tearfully.
Dennis still desperately loved Sharon and they started a relationship behind Zoe's back. Dennis wanted to go public as soon as possible but Sharon was reluctant as she was scared of what Den would do to Dennis.
Stacey Slater discovered the affair and informed Zoe, who refused to believe her. Den was growing more suspicious of the pair and Dennis convinced Sharon to elope with him to America. They planned to leave on Boxing Day.
Den Watts was up to his dirty tricks again and managed to con Sam Mitchell into selling him the Vic and he was reinstated as landlord (16 years after selling it to Frank Butcher) and made his first act to immediately sack Alfie and throw the Moon family onto the streets.
Dennis was upset as he believed Sharon would be tempted to stay with Den and run the Vic rather than leave with him. Sharon told Den that she couldn't have children and he should stop hinting at her giving him any grandchildren.
On Christmas Eve Den caught Dennis and Sharon kissing behind the bar of Angies Den. They didn't notice him and he didn't confront them. On Christmas Day, Sharon and Dennis revealed that they were in love and leaving for New York the following day.
Den told Zoe Slater to fake a pregnancy with Dennis's child to stop him leaving with his adoptive daughter. Dennis refused to leave Sharon but later suggested that they stay in Walford as a couple and that way he could see the child and still be with her. Zoe was unable to convince Dennis to give up Sharon, so she talked to Sharon making her feel guilty for stealing her baby's dad. She lied and told Sharon that Dennis had told her about Sharon being infertile. Sharon was unable to cope with this and she called off her relationship with a stunned Dennis and decided to leave Walford without him. Den couldn't believe his plan had backfired so badly. He told Sharon to stay and let Dennis leave, but she had made up her mind. Desperate To keep her, Den admitted that he couldn't cope without her and that he didn't love his real daughter, Vicki, nearly as much as he loved Sharon. Vicki heard him and began to pack her bags, she was going with Sharon, both of his daughters left to go to America.
Dennis was left heartbroken in the street. He gave Sharon a ring and told her he would love her forever. Zoe watched and attempted to tell the truth, but Den silenced her. Den was left without his precious daughters and with the son he didn't want. He quietly swore under his breath that Dennis would pay for what he'd done.
As for the Moon's, Alfie was left devastated by his sudden reversal in circumstances, and while they arranged for Nana to stay with the Slaters, Alfie and Spencer were forced to spend Christmas Eve night sleeping in Ian's fish van. Alfie decided to leave the Square immediately. However when confronted by the angry residents of Albert Square (who had all turned up at the Vic expecting their Christmas Lunches only to be turned away by Den), he agreed to help out. Alfie's taxi had arrived and the driver waited impatiently throughout the festivities, and eventually threatened to take Alfie's belongings as the meter had been running throughout the party. All the residents helped Alfie pay off the debt, and he was persuaded to stay. The evening ended with an unexpected kiss between him and Little Mo, kicking off the unpopular Molfie storyline.

2005

Dennis didn't want anyone to know about the baby and Zoe agreed to keep quiet. Zoe needed to get pregnant and Dennis couldn't bring himself to sleep with her, he was focused on the baby and was struggling without Sharon.
Andy Hunter encouraged Dennis to fly out to America and get Sharon but he knew he couldn't abandon his child. Andy also was very vocal in raising doubts over Zoe's convenient timing with her pregnacy, he confronted Zoe. Zoe began to panic and threw herself at the men around the square in a bid to get pregnant. Dennis wondered about baby scans and why Zoe was leaving it so late to have one. Den offered to make her pregnant, repulsed she turned him down flat.
Zoe failed to find anyone to sleep with and after sleeping with Den (37 years her senior) she became pregnant to keep up with the pretence of their child. Dennis caught them in bed, Den tried to make Dennis stay for the sake of the 'baby'. Dennis refused and Den compard Dennis's actions to his own. Dennis stated that he was nothing like his father, Den disagreed - spitefully he spat out that the only reason Sharon had been interested in Dennis was because he reminded her of Den.
Zoe confessed to Dot that she loved Dennis and would do anything to keep him. Dot pointed out that it isn't really love if the person you love doesn't love you back, Dot told Zoe that until Dennis met Sharon and Vicki his life was empty of love, and felt sorry for Dennis, now that Sharon and Vicki are gone, his life was missing the loved ones he finally found. Zoe realised her selfishness, Den tried to stop her but she refused to be bullied by him anymore. She confessed to Dennis that she was not and has never been pregnant, confessing that she had played along with Den's scam. Dennis remained expressionless as she told him the truth and why she did it. Dennis was devastated and got up to leave, but Zoe still believed that they could be together. He insults Sharon and Dennis hits her.
Dennis stormed out of the square, saw Den and told him some home truths. Den remained smug and unrepentant. Dennis runs into Chrissie, sensing something is wrong she asks him if he's OK. He stares at her suddenly and with a sardonic smile informs her of everything. She kept the information to herself. Dennis leaves to track down Sharon.
Den had conspired with Marcus Christie conned Sam out of the Mitchell fortune, and Johnny Allen killed Sam's husband, Andy Hunter.
Phil Mitchell foolishly returned to Walford in search of money and was promptly caught by the police.
Zoe aborted Den's child, and she, Chrissie and Sam Hunter all confronted Den in The Vic. Den confessed to everything, only for Sharon to appear from the shadows. Chrissie had summoned her from America by saying that Den was ill, only for her to hear her father confessing to his scam to buy the Vic and leave Sam with nothing, as well as his plan to split her from Dennis. Sharon fled the Square and told Den that she was an orphan; her father had died a long time ago. Den walked back into the pub and turned violent towards Chrissie, knowing that she had organised his humiliation. Zoe hit Den over the head with an iron doorstop to protect Chrissie. They were all convinced that Den was dead. She and Sam left the room and Den grabbed Chrissie's leg. She picked up the doorstop and delivered a fatal blow (secretly watched by Sam), but allowed Zoe to believe that she killed him. Sam wanted The Vic back or she would blow Chrissie's cover, and after a few months, she told Zoe that Chrissie murdered Den.
Zoe decided to start a new life with Kelly in Spain. At Zoe's farewell party in the Vic, Sharon and Dennis turned up from America looking for Den. Zoe's family and all of the other residents who were unaware of Den's scam were convinced that Dennis had abandoned Zoe and the baby for Sharon and the couple were made very unwelcome in the square. Sharon pressured Zoe to tell the truth about the baby and Dennis, and in a crowded Vic she revealed that Den and not Dennis had been the father of her baby.
The Slaters were in turmoil and Kat demanded the truth from Zoe, eventually Zoe revealed what had really happened to Den, Kat was stunned and Zoe left for Spain leaving Kat to deal with Chrissie. Dennis proposed to Sharon and she accepted, they both began to search for Den, Chrissie did all she could to stop Sharon finding out the truth about her father, it looked like Chrissie had succeeded when Sharon gave up looking. and decided that Dennis was more important to her, Chrissie planned to sell the vic to a mystery buyer (who later turned out to be Ian Beale) and flee the country with her new boyfriend Jake Moon, Dennis and Sharon's wedding day was to be the date of Chrissies departure but her plans changed when Sam found out that Chrissie had lied to her about owning all of the Vic (she had in fact forged Den's signature on the deeds and didn't really own it all).
Sam was hell bent on revenge and on the day that Sharon and Dennis got married Sam got drunk smashed up the Vic, destroyed chrissies aeroplane tickets and passport and smashed the concrete cellar floor, with the intention of bringing Chrissie to justice. The police soon arrived and found a body beneath the cellar, quickly identifying it as Den's. Sam's plan backfired, and Chrissie framed Sam, who ended up being remanded in prison on a murder charge. Grant returned from Rio to help his brother and sister out of prison. Phil was released after the witness withdrew their statement after Grant pulled some strings. Johnny Allen taped Chrissie in his club admitting to murder, the Mitchell brothers took the tape by force and showed it to the police. Sharon discovered that Chrissie had killed Den and the Rickmans and the Mitchells teamed up to bring down Chrissie. Chrissie was caught by Sharon at the airport fleeing and Sam was released on bail, escaping to Rio to avoid being sent to prison for being an accessory. Dennis and Sharon now owned the Vic and decided to sell it to Phil (much to Ian's disgust), while Phil Mitchell started paying Juley Smith to date Ruby Allen (and eventually move in with Ruby), to make Johnny angry.
Demi Miller and the father of her baby, Leo Taylor ran away together, but after Demi took heroin to numb her pain of being homeless, Leo discovered her lifeless body and committed suicide. Demi later woke up and survived. Danny Moon also burnt Johnny's house down, and Johnny nearly murdered him, letting him leave the country on the condition that he wouldn't return.
Nana Moon died of an aortic aneurysm just before Christmas and Alfie decided to leave the Square and fulfil his dream of travelling the USA on a motorbike. Alfie left on Christmas day, with Kat watching his car disappearing into the distance. He later came back and told Kat he had "forgotten the most important thing in his life", and the two drove off together. Sharon believed that she had food poisning, Dennis took her to the hospital and accused her of being a drama queen — until she collapsed in hospital. The worried couple were later amazed to discover that she was pregnant, despite the fact that a doctor had declared her infertile several years before.
Sharon and Dennis had "interfered" too much with Ruby's life, and Johnny threatened Sharon that if they weren't gone by midnight on New Years Eve, he would kill Dennis. Sharon confided in Phil, who told Dennis about it, in the hope that Dennis would attack Johnny. Phil got what he wanted - Dennis headed straight to the nightclub and battered Johnny in his office. Phil went to see Johnny in hospital the next day, and took the CCTV tape from Johnny's camera. Dennis was walking in the Square as the clock struck midnight, but as he was walking towards Sharon, a hooded man brushed into him and stabbed him. He fell to the ground and died seconds into 2006, while Sharon lay screaming next to him.

2006

The year began with Sharon not speaking, mourning the loss of her husband.
While Dennis Rickman lay in a mortuary, Johnny was in a critical condition in hospital, but survived. While Johnny was in hospital Phil (who was guilt-stricken over the fact he had been involved in Dennis's death) manipulated Juley into dumping Ruby. Johnny discharged himself and went to talk to Juley. Gus and Juley told Johnny about Phil's bribery.
Sharon and Phil headed off to America to see Michelle and Vicki, but Phil saved Ruby from death by alcohol poisoning before leaving. Johnny took Ruby on holiday when she was given the all clear, and put his house on the market.
Mickey and Dawn's real dad, Mike Swann, appeared in Walford. He was in London visiting his sick mother, Nora, and stayed with the Millers. He and Rosie enjoyed a brief kiss and decided to run away together. Rosie changed her mind at the last minute, and Mike left without her. Dawn and Mickey knew about it and Dawn accidentally told Keith Miller, who moved out of the family home.
Joe Macer proposed to Pauline Fowler, only to be turned down. Pat Evans' ex-great nephew, Deano Wicks arrived in the Square, as did Jim Branning's grandson Bradley. Deano spiked Stacey's drink to cheer her up, and Bradley got arrested for it, but Deano eventually owned up to the crime and got away with a caution. Billy Mitchell's girlfriend, Honey Edwards, also revealed that she was pregnant and Billy proposed, later in the show Honey gave birth to Janet but Billy and Honey soon dicoverd that baby Janet had Downs Syndrome. Joe was offered a job in Dubai, and asked Pauline to marry him before leaving. She said yes, and he stayed. They were then married but at the wedding reception Stacey told Yolande in the Queen Vic that her husband Patrick had been having an affair with Pat. Yolande slapped both of them but Pat then slapped her back which then started an almighty brawl at the reception. Joe's daughter Megan asked Joe if he had told Pauline his secret yet.
Deano's dad and sister, Kevin and Carly, arrived in Walford. Carly had marriage problems with her husband Nico, and after a series of meetings with his father Yanis, they reconciled, only to break up again because Nico wanted to move back to Cyprus.
Mike Swann reappeared in Walford when his mother died, and used Dawn to steal money that Rosie had inherited from Nora. Rosie, Mickey and Dawn discovered his plan and Rosie gave him the money on the condition that he wouldn't return. Keith proposed to Rosie and she accepted.
News reached Ian Beale that his mother, Kathy, had died in a car crash. Ian went to South Africa for her funeral and brought back his 10-year-old half brother Ben. Joe's old friend Bert Atkinson arrived in Walford, and blackmailed Joe to let him stay, or he'd tell Pauline Joe's secret; that he was convicted of a crime in the past.
Honey's dad Jack also arrived in Walford and took an instant dislike to Billy. Upon learning that his daughter was pregnant he told her "You can't have this baby!" Honey went for a scan, and found out that she did not have the same heart condition as her mother, and would not be endangered during labour. Jack and Peggy showed an interest in each other, and went out on a date, but Jack had to leave Walford to do a job in the north. Dot discovered that Joe and Bert were ex-convicts, and threatened to tell Pauline. When Pauline found out she threw Joe out when he refused to choose between her and Bert.
Danny Moon returned to the square and told his brother Jake that he was working for Johnny Allen. Phil Mitchell returned to Walford to learn that Ben had been living there for two weeks. Phil's brother Grant and niece Courtney also returned to the Square, and Phil and Grant went on a golfing trip to Essex. While in Essex, Phil and Grant caught up with Johnny Allen, who had suffered a relapse in his battle against alcoholism, having gone years without consuming any alcohol. Grant talked to Ruby while Phil spoke to Johnny, but Johnny, aided by Danny Moon, captured the brothers and took them to some woodland. Just as Danny was about to shoot Grant, Jake arrived and shot his brother. Jake, Phil and Grant buried Danny's corpse in the woods and left, as Ruby persuaded to Johnny to give himself over to the police for the murders of Dennis and Andy. Jake was distraught when he returned to Walford, so the Mitchell brothers drove their car at him to test if he wanted to die.
A new family, the Foxes, arrived. First, 19 year old Chelsea who started working at the video shop and going out with Grant. Then Chelsea's mum Denise and little sister Squiggle (Libby).
Little Mo was terrified when Freddie was taken to hospital and everyone blamed her. Ben Mitchell admitted to hitting him, but Little Mo left the Square and moved to Barnstapleand ex boyfriend Oliver went to Leeds.
Grant and Jane slept together but it wasn't until her birthday that Jane realised that she loved Ian the most. Phil told Ian four months later, leaving him devastated but he stayed with jane and they got engaged.
After finding out that his wife Carla was scamming him, Grant and Courtney left to go to Portugal.
Martin got sole guardianship of Rebecca after Margaret found out that Sonia was in a same-sex relationship. In October they shared a night of Passion.
Denise Fox's ex-husband Owen Turner turned up in the Square and caused lots of trouble. He took Denise hostage and ended up getting arrested. In September, Owen kidnapped Libby and tried to drown her in a stream, but luckily denise rescued her just in time.
Rosie and Keith Miller got engaged, and despite Keith's hope for a long engagement, the two made it up the aisle. However when the time came to say 'I Do', Rosie realised that she can't be with Keith and went for a job in the Cotswolds, taking Demi and Aleesha with her.
The Branning clan doubled it's numbers when Bradley's dad Max turned up with his wife, Tanya and two daughters, Lauren and Abi.
Ian joined the WCCT pretending that Dawn was his wife. Jane discovered when she decided to join him at a hotel and was furious.
Whilst returning money to the club, Ruby was mugged by Juley, who then left Walford. Following that Stacey and Ruby went on holiday, on their return Stacey discovered she was pregnant, and bumped into her older brother, Sean Slater. She later terminated her baby, but claimed she'd had a miscarrige. Sean started dating Ruby in order to get her money.
Honey got food poisning two days before her wedding. She was determined to go ahead but she collapsed on the way to the church and the wedding was postponed. Her second wedding was equally as bad when Billy woke up in a furniture warehouse and didn't make it the church on time. Their third wedding was a surprise wedding, Honey went into labour and gave birth to a girl named Janet(later re-named Petal) who had Down's syndrome. Honey refused to accept Petal and has begun the process to get her adopted.
Jake was worried about Ruby so he slipped a note to Johnny. Jake tricked Sean into going to see Johnny. Sean angered Johnny, and when Sean left Johnny went into his cell and suffered a fatal heart attack. Sean proposed to Ruby, but was annoyed when they were told that she couldn't get her money until she was 21. Sean then dumped Ruby who took revenge by telling Jean that Sean was back, leading to a fight and Ruby leaving for good.
Dawn dated WCCT member Rob Minter, but was devestaed when she discovered that he was married to Dr. May Wright.
Ian's plan to ruin his wedding to Jane backfired when Phil found out and told Jane. Ian and Jane ended up fighting in the mud and got back together, angering Pauline.
Pauline wanted to keep Sonia and Martin apart so she faked a brain tumour, but when her family found out they were furious. Pauline decided to leave and go to live with daughter Michelle on Christmas Day. However, an emotional showdown with former daughter-in-law Sonia took place on Christmas night. A fierce argument broke out, culminating in Sonia giving Pauline an infamous slap across the face. Sonia apologised and issued a desperate plea for Pauline to stay. This led to Pauline changing her mind and deciding to stay in Walford to mend her broken relationship with Martin and to be a grandmother to little Rebecca. She tried to find him to make amends for ruining his and Sonia's relationship, but in a heartbreaking conclusion to the storyline, Pauline died beside the bench of her beloved Arthur before she could apologise and rebuild her relationship with her son.

2007

The year started with Pauline Fowler's funeral and the second appearance of Shirley Carter. Carly Wicks saw her dad and the women whom she met in Dorset having a fight, and realised that she must be her mum.
Rebecca Miller told Dot Branning that it was Sonia Fowler who killed Pauline. Dot called the police who interrupted the funeral. Martin Fowler accused Joe Macer of murder until Sonia revealed that it was her. Sonia and Martin had an argument and Sonia was arrested on suspicion of murder. Sonia was later released due to lack of evidence but, when the post mortem results came back, the police wanted to arrest her so she went on the run with her daughter. However, when Joe Macer turned out to be Pauline's killer after all, Sonia's name was cleared. She subsequently left Walford with Martin and Rebecca to start a new life in Manchester.
After Deano Wicks went to visit his mum Shirley Carter, he became crazed and depressed. Chelsea Fox was worried when she spotted him getting angry in a car, so she got in as well. Deano wasn't concentrating and knocked over Abi Branning whose father Max had forgotten to pick her up because he was too busy having an affair with Stacey Slater. Their affair continues but Tanya recently became suspicious. However, her suspicions were curbed in an emotional showdown which saw Max confess to having been abused as a child.
Another major storyline of 2007 was Dot and Jim Branning's attempts to look after the baby of an illegal immigrant under the pretence that the child was Dot's grandson.
In May 2007 a storyline about a missing baby in ''EastEnders'' was scrapped because of similarities with the Madeleine McCann case in Portugal. The plot was due to revolve around pregnant character Dawn Swann, and then GP, May Wright who Dawn had promised to sell baby Summer to May and her husband Rob. Dawn broke off the deal, and was then abducted by May and Rob, who had promised Dawn a weekend in the country. May then handcuffed Dawn to the bed, and was planning to perform a Caesarean section on Dawn. Dawn managed to break free of the handcuffs, break a vase over Rob's head, stab May, and escape in Rob's car. She did not tell the police, as she wanted to take care of Rob and May herself. Dawn went into labour whilst on the London Underground, during a train delay. She was on her way to stay with her mother and sister. Dawn gave birth to Summer, and decided to stay in Walford after May tried to kidnap Summer from the hospital. May left Rob, and went on the run. She turned up days later, at the Miller house, wanting to give Summer all the toys and clothes she had bought her. May asked to see Summer, and Dawn cunningly phoned the police when she went to get her. The police took May away, and arrested her for kidnap. This was the last time she was seen.
Phil Mitchell met lawyer, Stella Crawford and after some time, the pair became engaged. Stella psychologically bullied Phil's son, Ben, and after months of bullying going on behind Phil's back, Ben spoke out on their wedding day. Ben refused to walk down the aisle with Stella, and Stella grabbed him, stuck her nails into his chest, above his heart, and made him bleed. She threated him, saying she would kill him in his sleep, and let Phil find him dead. He was then forced to walk down the aisle, but then with the help of the "courage stone", which Abi Branning had given him, he stood up asking for help, showing Phil and the guests at the wedding, what Stella had done. Phil quizzed Stella, blaming it all on Ian Beale, saying he had been hurting Ben. Phil knew that Ian wouldn't hurt Ben and saw past her act, and followed her out of the church. Stella got away, but she phoned Phil to try and reason with him. He said he wouldn't hurt her, but tryed to run her over when he found her. It all ended with a showdown on the roof, with Stella threatening to jump. The camera then moves off-screen, and we hear her say "Just watch me Daddy!", Stella is then seen on the bonnet of the wedding car, dead, with a picture of Ben fallen out of her hand. Phil later falsley admitted (to supposedly protect Ben) that he had pushed Stella, but CCTV footage used by the police showed she had jumped. While the rest of the family attempted to recover from the revelation, Phil went into emotional meltdown at his failure to protect his son, spending all night awake sitting in the garage and attempting to goad two men into giving him a beating. At one point he poured himself a glass of whisky, however he claimed to have poured it down the sink. Phil, Peggy and Ben are currently (as of 8 August 2007), visiting Grant Mitchell in Portugal, to get away from the Square however as he was leaving, Phil hid a bottle of Vodka in his suitcase but not before taking a deep drink, showing that he had succumbed to his alcoholism.
The non-wedding also saw two newcomers to the Square in the shape of Ronnie Mitchell and her sister Roxy, who were cousins of Phil (and in the grand tradition of Eastenders, they were relatives who had never been seen or mentioned before). Having arrived from their bar in Ibiza in time for the reception, the two stayed for longer than expected as they attempted to help the family recover from the news that Stella had been abusing Ben. When the others left for Brzil to visit Grant, the two were placed in charge of the Vic, putting barmaid Shirley Carter's nose out of joint. Also, the two reignited the Mitchell/Beale feud when Ian, while upstairs, accidentally saw Ronnie in her bra. This led to further events such as a bag of rubbish getting dumped outside Ian's, Ian stealing the Queen Vic bust and Ronnie and Roxy also starting to serve food in the Vic, causing a loss of business in the cafe.
Another case was the attacking of Patrick Trueman in the Minute Mart. One suspect was thought to be Sean after Chelsea and Deano turned him in after they saw Sean having a violent row with him. They didn't know for certain it was him they did it as an act of revenge. Carly later found Sean's blood stained shirt which is a vital piece of evidence. Deano was attacked out the Vic and Sean admitted to Carly he was the reason he was attacked, ending their relationship.
Kevin Wicks found the CCTV tape and thought it was a film and while Carly was out getting popcorn he saw Craig Dixon attacking Patrick with a baton.