The Year Was… 2005

If things couldn’t get any grosser, Zoe actually caved in with his request – all sense had gone out the window by this point – and Dennis caught them in bed together. That was enough for him and he caught the nearest flight to America, his intention being to reunite with Sharon. Zoe was distraught and, in a not-seen-at-all twist, discovered she was carrying Den’s baby. Chrissie, appalled at what Den had done, went one further and twisted the vulnerable Zoe into terminating the pregnancy. She did, but her conscience drove her to the depths of despair, whilst Chrissie found a new ally.

Stepping out from the shadows, Chrissie’s final pawn: Sharon, Den’s Princess herself, had heard his boastful retort. Fleeing into the Square and getting back in the taxi to take her to the US, she declared that Den had died in 1989, the man in front of her was not her father and left.

Den was enraged. When he returned to the Vic he launched himself at Chrissie and began to throttle her, and only stopped when Zoe picked up the nearest heavy object (Pauline’s doggy-shaped door stop, no less!) and hit Den across the head. Den went down, seemingly dead. Zoe went into hysterics and Chrissie took charge: she sent Zoe to check upstairs and Sam to check the back. Gloating over Den’s corpse that she would be the last woman in his life, he suddenly awoke and grabbed her. Chrissie reacted, grabbed the doorstop and brought it down on Den’s skull, finishing him off, unaware that a stunned Sam had just witnessed the murder from the Vic door.

In February, within a month of being on the Square, Johnny took care of Andy Hunter, taking him aside for a chat and then throwing him off a flyover into heavy traffic. Andy, having the last laugh at Sam’s expense, left the bookies and his house to Pat, who suddenly was on the up!

Johnny was kind to some (he helped Dot and Jim buy their house and was genuinely respectful), possessive (Ruby’s boyfriend Juley Smith had a heck of a time!), deceptive (his mistress Tina moved secretly into the Square) and intimidating (he crushed Peggy’s hand in a door) to most others. When Ruby began to ask questions about his abundant criminal past, she went straight to Peggy, who would regret telling Ruby any grizzly stories from her dad’s past.

Peggy was back in town to get Sam out of prison for the crime of killing Den. But she had indeed pushed Johnny Allen too far, and he sent one of his goons after Ma Mitchell…

The Boys Are Back in Town!
As Peggy nervously crossed the Square, the goon lay in wait. Finally, in the centre of the Square gardens, he grabbed her, threw her against the railings and prepared to ‘scare the old lady’. Suddenly, a car pulled up and Billy got out, telling the goon he had better leave her alone or else. The goon was not bothered by this until he met the ‘else’ as first Phil and then Grant got out of the car and dragged the goon away.

The Mitchell Brothers and their mother back in Walford together for the first time in years, they wasted no time in getting to the truth. Sharon and Grant shared a sneaky peck, spotted by her new husband Dennis who Grant and Phil wound up deliberately just to rile Mr. Rickman. Grant got a bit too close to Jane, but had other plans, for now.

Chrissie, by now, with Mitchells swarming the Square, was very nervous, flinching at every single movement. She tried to ask Johnny for help, but he was aware of her part in Den’s death since he had recorded her confession to boyfriend Jake. Phil and Grant managed to get their hands on the tape, but Chrissie had already messed up: Sam had told Sharon Chrissie’s last vow to Den: I’ll be the last woman in your life. When Chrissie repeated it, Sharon clicked: you killed my father.

Chrissie tried to escape but, after a punch from Sharon at the airport, she was arrested and broke things off with Jake. She decided to face justice and resigned herself to a life sentence in prison for murder. Sam, released but still facing a lengthy sentence for perverting the course of justice, went on the run to Brazil…

Sharon and Dennis moved on quite happily, discovering they were expecting a miracle baby on Christmas Day, and Grant returned to Rio, with Sam in tow. Phil made himself known to Johnny Allen, but there was one final battle to come. Johnny strangled Sharon, which left her petrified and the decision was made to leave Walford. On New Year’s Eve, as Sharon and Dennis prepared to leave Walford for a new life in America with their baby, Phil informed Dennis of Johnny’s threats against Sharon and Dennis, not exactly one with a long fuse, beat Johnny to a pulp. One of Johnny’s goons stabbed Dennis dead on the Square in revenge, with Sharon’s screams replacing the tolling of the midnight bells.

Janine’s Murder Trial
By December, Pat had been called to court as the key witness for the prosecution against Janine, on trial for the murder of Laura Beale. Pat knew she hadn’t killed Laura, but she had killed Barry and that was enough for Pat. But her conscience weighed on her, first when Laura’s mum arrived and begged Pat for the truth and secondly when Pat exited the place on the first day and came face to face with Frank!

Called down from Somerset to help his daughter, Frank, naturally, lured Pat to a bar and successfully chatted her up: these two would always be together. She spent the night with him in a hotel room and immediately realised what he was up to – he knew she had lied and wanted Janine out. Pat tried to explain how Janine had changed, but Frank weren’t ‘avin any of it. Pat told the truth, Janine went free and never even bothered to wait for Frank, who was left alone at the court. He would never see Pat again.

Stacey and Jean Slater
Stacey Slater had only been in Walford five minutes and she was already labelled as a teen tearaway. But a visit home to her mother Jean brought to light a great deal of information about the extended Slater family and arguably became the moment audiences took Stacey into their hearts.

We already knew there were things troubling Stacey – she was hiding from something. But when she went to visit Jean in September, it became clear that her mother Jean was not well. The house was a mess, the neighbours were complaining and the reputation that Jean had with the locals was horrendous. No one gave her the time of day, or asked if she needed help, and Jean, misunderstood, would lose it in public, not endearing herself to anyone.

Stacey had been the primary carer to Jean, who had bipolar disorder. Now, in a manic episode due to not taking her medication, Jean had crumbled, living in her world where nothing made sense to anyone but her. Stacey struggled to get her mother to take her meds, but it was to no avail. Their relationship crumbling, young Stacey phoned the right people to help Jean and had her admitted to hospital, returning to Walford with Charlie. Eventually, Jean would join her, but for now we could understand Stacey Slater so much more…

“I’ve gone to look for America“
Before Alfie could set his radio to Simon and Garfunkel, there was a mess to sort out. A big one. Since Christmas, him and Little Mo had been getting closer. While this carried on for a while, eventually Kat returned, determined to reunite with her husband. Of course, while nothing really serious had developed between Alfie and Little Mo, Kat flipped her lid when she found out and a sisterly slanging match was guaranteed.

Alfie had other concerns. Nana was deteriorating fast with dementia. She had a bucket list to complete (getting arrested was one of them!) and Kat helped Alfie complete it by taking her to Madame Tussauds’ for tea with the Queen. As Christmas approached, Nana passed away peacefully watching a dancing Santa, and Alfie was devastated.

The Square rallied around him, but he decided to leave, a road trip to America beckoning. He left Christmas Day with 80 quid and half a tank of petrol. Kat was bereft, but soon delighted when Alfie returned and offered her a ride to wherever he was going. Kat gladly accepted, and the pair left the Square blissfully happy…

The Other Stuff
The Ferreira family are threatened by Johnny Allen and flee the Square instantaneously. Kate leaves unnoticed. Spencer goes to stay with relatives in New Zealand. Demi goes missing with Leo, Aleesha’s father. By the time they are found, teen Leo is dead of an overdose. Derek reunites with his estranged family and moves out of Walford. Honey arrives and begins dating Billy. Mickey reunites with his sister Dawn in France and, to Rosie’s delight, brings her home…