40 of EastEnders biggest storylines as BBC soap turns 40 – from Sharongate to Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell’s shock death
TODAY is a big day in soapland as EastEnders celebrates its 40th anniversary.
The BBC One soap made its debut on Tuesday, February 19, 1985 and since then, it has firmly established itself as a British institution.
Over the years, the goings on in Walford have had viewers gripped, from shock affairs to devastating deaths.
In honour of EastEnders' milestone, here's a look back on a major story line from each of the 40 years it has been on air.
1985 - Dirty Den revealed as father of Michelle Fowler’s baby
EastEnders first year saw Dirty Den Watts get his adoptive daughter Sharon's best friend, Michelle Fowler pregnant when she was just 16.
Despite the age-gap, the pair had a one-night stand which lead to the birth of Michelle's daughter Vicki.
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1986 - Dirty Den serves wife Angie divorce papers
Truly one of the show's most iconic moments, the Christmas Day episode saw Den serve alcoholic wife Angie with divorce papers after he learned she was lying about having cancer.
1987 - First same-sex kiss
EastEnders has never been afraid to push the boundaries and in 1987 it aired the first UK soap same-sex kiss when Colin gave boyfriend Barry a light peck on the forehead.
1988 - Kathy Beale is raped
Kathy was at the centre of a harrowing storyline which saw her raped by James Willmott-Brown, who would later go to prison after being found guilty of his crime.
1989 - Dirty Den is shot by the canal
Den had always had a connection with criminal organisation The Firm and it lead to him being shot by the canal, with the character falling into the water.
1990 - Nick Cotton tries to poison mum Dot
Nick Cotton was always a nasty piece of work but in 1990 he stooped to a new low when he tried to poison his long-suffering mum Dot to steal her money.
1991 - Mark Fowler reveals HIV diagnosis
In another groundbreaking storyline, Mark Fowler became the first major soap character in Britain to be diagnosed with HIV.
It played a big part in changing the public perceptions of HIV and AIDS.
1992 - Pat Butcher is arrested
Pat Butcher - who was running a taxi firm at the time - accidentally knocked a girl down while drunk driving.
She was found guilty and imprisoned for a few months for manslaughter before being released and returning to Albert Square.
1993 - Grant Mitchell released from prison
Grant was always a hard man alongside brother Phil and he was sent to prison after assaulting Sharon and Michelle.
But in 1993 he was released, and it marked the start of another big storyline....
1994 - Sharongate
Sharon Mitchell confessed on tape to having sex with her brother-in-law Phil.
The truth was revealed when the tape was played in front of the entire Queen Vic pub, before her husband Grant attacked Phil.
1995 - Arthur Fowler wrongly imprisoned
Arthur was a beloved character and there was outrage when he was wrongly imprisoned for embezzling campaign funds.
It lead to a national campaign to free Arthur and eventually, he was released after the truth came out.
1996 - Ian Beale shot by a hitman
Ian and Cindy Beale's relationship imploded spectacularly and Cindy was so desperate to prevent him from gaining custody of their children, she hired a hitman.
Luckily for Ian, the bullet on grazed him.
1997 - Cindy Beale returns
After Ian survived the hit, Cindy fled to Italy with her sons, before the Mitchell brothers found her and abducted the kids to bring them back to Ian in Walford.
But on Christmas Day, she turned up demanding to see her kids and fought Ian for custody, but before she could triumph she was arrested for conspiracy to murder and sent to prison.
1998 - Tiffany Mitchell dies
Tiffany and Grant had a rollercoaster relationship which reached a climax on New Year's Eve when she made plans to flee with their daughter Courtney.
But after Grant grabbed their daughter, a hysterical Tiffany raced into the road after him and was hit by Frank Butcher in his car, before dying in front of a helpless crowd.
1999 - Mel Owen ditches Ian Beale
Ian has never been very lucky in love and he stooped to new lows when he lied about his daughter Lucy dying of cancer to get Mel to marry him.
But on New Year's Eve for the Millenium, Mel discovered the truth and ditched him at the altar, before declaring she had never loved him.
2000 - Sonia Fowler's unexpected labour
Sonia Fowler was just as shocked as viewers when she went into labour, as the teen didn't even know she was pregnant.
She gave birth on Dot Cotton's sofa and the dad turned out to be Martin Fowler.
2001 - 'You ain't my mother' and Who Shot Phil?
We couldn't pick just one moment for 2001 as it featured the big Who Shot Phil? storyline - which turned out to be his ex-girlfriend Lisa Shaw - and an iconic moment for the Slater family.
Zoe had grown up believing Kat was her older sister, but in an iconic confrontation she yelled 'You ain't my mother' and was stopped in her tracks when Kat shouted back 'Yes I am!'
2002 - Steve Owen and Jamie Mitchell deaths
Another double whammy came the following year when villain Steve Owen crashed into two petrol tanks after a high speed chase with Phil Mitchell and his car blew up, killing him instantly.
Meanwhile Jamie Mitchell died in tragic Christmas Day scenes after being hit by a car, with sobbing girlfriend Sonia by his side.
2003 - Dirty Den returns
For years fans thought Dirty Den had died after being shot by the canal, but it turned out he had survived and fled to Spain.
He stunned daughter Sharon as he stepped out of the shadows and said 'Hello Princess'.
2004 - Janine Butcher pushes Barry Evans over a cliff
Bad girl Janine married hapless Barry on New Year's Eve 2003 but the honeymoon period didn't last.
While out for a walk in the Scottish hill the newlyweds clashed before Janine pushed Barry, who lost his balance and then fell to his death over the side of the cliff.
2005 - Dirty Den dies again
There aren't many soap characters who die twice, but it was second time unlucky for Dirty Den, when his manipulation and evil deeds finally caught up with him.
His wife Chrissie hit him over the head with a doorstop before teaming up with Sam Mitchell and Zoe Slater to cover up the crime as they buried his body in the pub cellar.
2006 - Pauline Fowler dies
Pauline Fowler was a soap matriarch who had her fair share of drama over the years.
But on Christmas Day 2006 her time on the Square came to an end when she died of a brain haemorrhage, collapsing in the snow next to husband Arthur's bench.
2007 - Max Branning and Stacey Slater affair revealed
In another iconic Christmas episode, the Branning family sat around to watch her wedding DVD to husband Bradley, Max's son.
But instead of the happy nuptials, Bradley witnessed his dad kissing his bride-to-be, revealing their months long affair, after Lauren had secretly recorded them.
2008 - Max Branning is buried alive
Max's wife Tanya got her revenge on her cheating husband in the most cruel way as she drugged him and buried him alive in a coffin with the help of Sean Slater.
2009 - Stacey Slater's bipolar
Stacey's behaviour spiralled for months, with her stealing money, drinking heavily and sleeping around.
She also smashed up her family's living room in heartbreaking scenes before she was finally diagnosed.
2010 - Queen Vic on fire
It's only been 15 years since the Queen Vic pub was last ablaze, this time by Phil Mitchell after his mum Peggy made him go cold turkey from his crack cocaine addiction.
The fire played out across four episodes and prompted Peggy's departure from Walford.
2011 - Baby swap
In one of the show's most controversial storylines, Ronnie Mitchell swapped her dead baby son James for Kat Slater's baby, Tommy.
Ronnie had been left devastated when James died of sudden infant death syndrome,and when she heard Tommy crying in the Vic, she sneaked in and swapped the babies over.
2012 - Ben Mitchell kills Heather Trott
Heather was a fan favourite but in 2012 she got into an argument with troubled Ben Mitchell, who then hit her over the head with a picture frame.
The blow caused Heather to fall back and hit her head on the kitchen counter, killing her, before Ben's dad Phil and friend Jay Brown helped him cover it up.
2013 - Lauren’s drinking problem
Lauren Branning had already dealt with a lot from a young age, especially with her dad Max's affair with Stacey Slater.
In 2013 she started drinking heavily, to the point it caused her to develop a serious liver problem.
2014 - Who Killed Lucy Beale?
Lucy Beale's death triggered a year-long Whodunnit? storyline featuring members of her family.
It turned out younger brother Bobby Beale had killed her during a confrontation, before his adoptive mother Jane covered for him.
2015 - Kathy Beale returns from the dead and Nick Cotton dies
Another year where we couldn't pick between two major stories, as Kathy Beale returned from the dead after allegedly dying in a car accident in South Africa.
That year also saw Nasty Nick finally get his comeuppance of sorts as he died after a fatal reaction to heroin, with his mother Dot choosing to let him die rather than seek medical help after finally realising her son was rotten to the core.
2016 - Peggy Mitchell dies - Pat Butcher returns
A true soap icon left the soap in 2016 when Peggy Mitchell returned to Walford to end her life after her cancer returned.
As she prepared to take an overdose, her best friend and rival Pat Butcher appeared alongside her, in an iconic moment soap fans were left sobbing over.
2017 - Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell die
EastEnders fans will never forgive bosses for killing off popular Mitchell sisters Ronnie and Roxy on New Year's Day.
After Ronnie's wedding to Jack Branning, sister Roxy fell into the swimming pool drunk, with her sister leaping in to save her, only to drown alongside her in her wedding dress.
2018 - Shakil Kazemi stabbed to death
EastEnders tackled the serious issue of knife crime in 2018, with Shakil Kazemi being stabbed to death in the Square by a gang.
2019 - Hunter Owen shooting and death
Hunter went on the rampage in 2019, taking a number of residents hostage in the Vic after becoming hellbent on getting revenge on Jack Branning.
He was eventually surrounded by a SWAT team in the middle of the Square and shot dead.
2020 - Boat Crash
To mark the show's 35th anniversary, the residents of Albert Square headed out on a boat party on the Thames, but it ended in disaster.
It lead to the death of Sharon's son Dennis after Ian Beale had locked him below deck. His death came as his mother gave birth to son Albie.
2021 - Gray Atkins kills again
Every soap needs a serial killer and Gray Atkins was a particularly sinister one, having caused the death of his wife Chantelle, who he abused.
He subsequently killed Tina Carter and then pushed Kush Kazemi in front of a tube train.
2022 - Mick Carter lost at sea
Mick had just married Janine Butcher but discovered her lies on Christmas Day.
He then reunited with ex and true love Linda, only for the trio to end up in peril after a car accident, with Mick ending up lost at sea as he tried to save Linda.
2023 - The Six and flashforward
In a show first, EastEnders flashed forward months ahead to Christmas Day to reveal a dead body and The Six, involving some of the Square's biggest matriarchs.
The storyline dominated much of 2023 before it was revealed that Keanu Taylor was the victim, and Linda Carter the accidental murderer.
2024 - Sonia Fowler falsely sent to prison
The last year of EastEnders saw a show legend - Sonia - falsely sent to prison for the death of partner Reiss' wife Debbie.
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To top it all off, Sonia was pregnant with his baby, and their story is set to reach a climax this week during the anniversary episodes.
EastEnders airs on BBC One and iPlayer.