My Top 5 EastEnders Characters of all time

After 25 years on television EastEnders has created some of the most memorable characters on screen, from iconic matriarchs to East End hard men. But which five have stood out for me over EastEnders 25 year history?

1. Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden)

One half of the legendary Mitchell brothers, Phil Mitchell has got on the wrong side of most of the Square at least once, so much so that he drove ex-partner Lisa Fowler to shot him outside his house in 2001. He is an unlikely ladies man with a fiery temper but he does have a softer family side, making him the ultimate East End character.

Picture from BBC

2. Dot Branning (June Brown)

Gossip and regular confidant for the troubled residents of Walford, stalwart Dot Branning, formerly Cotton is never shy of an opinion or a verse from the Bible. EastEnders would not be the same without her and it helps that the character is played by the finest actress in soapland.

Picture from The Sun

3. Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor)

Whilst the laundrette wouldn't seem right without Dot at the helm, the same could be said for the Queen Victoria pub and its finest landlady Peggy Mitchell. The pint-sized matriarch has been involved in some of EastEnders most famous storylines, from the her emotional battle with breast cancer to her marriage to villainous Archie Mitchell.

Picture from Virgin Media

4. Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks)

The ultimate soap bitch, Janine has few redeeming qualities and has been involved in numerous deaths of local residents, from the murderous push she gave Barry down the cliff-top to the unfortunate hit and run of Danielle Jones last year. The perfect soap baddie because Janine would do anything to get what she wants.

Picture from The Sun

5. Den Watts (Leslie Grantham)

Another EastEnders villain but this time the original, Den Watts. Den's passion for the ladies led to a fiery relationship with first wife Angie, an affair and pregnancy with teenager Michelle Fowler and then a fatal marriage to hairdresser Chrissie. After falling into the canal supposedly dead, Den made a shock return in 2003 before being bashed in the head with Pauline Fowler's doggy doorstep only two years later.

Picture from BBC

Ok so it may seem like some of the most iconic characters from EastEnders history are missing. Ian Beale, Sharon Watts, Grant Mitchell...But EastEnders has simply created some of the most loved, loathed and talked-about characters on British television. There was simply too many to choose from!