45. Tamwar Masood

 

Cameron 11, Hide&Seek 20 = 31 points

 

 

Tamwar Masood, played by Himesh Patel, was one of several Asian characters introduced in 2007 by executive producer, Diederick Santer. He was first seen in October and was the third character in the Masood family to make an appearance on-screen, joining the already established Zainab, and Shabnam (his mother and sister) who both appeared in July. The core family was completed by the introduction of Tamwar's father, Masood Ahmed, a few weeks later. The Masoods were the first Muslim family to join the show since the Karims, who appeared between 1987 and 1990.

 

Himesh Patel has described his character as "a quiet boy who could be described as a geek but he is quite single-minded and will do what he wants".

 

On 12 March 2016, it was announced that Tamwar and his girlfriend, Nancy Carter, would be leaving the show under happy circumstances. Stuart Heritage from The Guardian said that Tamwar and Nancy were his favourite EastEnders couple but said their departure storyline "feels as if it's been chucked together blindfolded at the last minute in a panic". Heritage opined that Tamwar's departure would be a "great loss" and said, "he's always been a character out of step with the rest of the show", adding "the overwhelming memory of Tamwar will be him simply existing; walking around Albert Square in an anorak, not really doing anything, underplaying every line in a way that suggests he's an overlay from a parallel, less histrionic version of EastEnders. He did his best work on the sidelines, an alien observer of the most befuddlingly toxic neighbourhood in the country." Hannah Verdier from The Guardian called Tamwar a "strangely lovable charisma vacuum".

Tamwar was so bland imo

Love a bit of Patrick.

Completely forgot about Sam she should have been in my votes

I never like tamwar either

People items for Tamwar lol

44. Pauline Fowler

 

King Rollo 18, AaronTM 11, Pippa 4 = 33 points

 

 

Pauline Fowler was played by Wendy Richard. She made her debut in the soap's first episode on 19 February 1985, and remained for twenty-one years and ten months, making her the second longest-running original character, surpassed only by her nephew, Ian Beale.

 

Pauline is a member of the Beale family. Her storylines focus on drudgery, money worries and family troubles. The matriarchal stalwart of the fictional London community of Albert Square, she is portrayed as a loving, doting mother who is very family-oriented. In later years however, she becomes a more stoic, opinionated battle-axe who alienates her relatives through overbearing interference. Pauline is married to the downtrodden Arthur Fowler, though she finds out he has had a one-night stand with Christine Hewitt which leads to her hitting him with a frying pan. Their marriage remains rocky until his death in 1996. She is used for comedic purposes in scenes with her launderette colleague, Dot Cotton, and scriptwriters included many feuds in her narrative, most notably with her daughter-in-law, Sonia Fowler, and Den Watts, a family friend who got her daughter, Michelle Fowler, pregnant at 16. A famous episode in 1986, which includes Pauline discovering that Den is the father of Michelle's baby, drew over 30 million viewers, and was listed at number 36 in The Times' 1998 list of "Top 100 cult moments in Film". Richard announced Pauline's retirement from the serial in July 2006, and the character was killed off in a "whodunnit?" murder storyline, with Richard making her final appearance on 25 December 2006.

43. Dennis Rickman

 

Slick 4, Lukuzz 20, HausofGhibli 10 = 34 points

 

 

Dennis Rickman, played by Nigel Harman, entered the show on 14 April 2003 and became one of the show's central protagonists up until his last appearance in the episode broadcast on 30 December 2005, when the character was fatally stabbed at the start of the New Year Fireworks.

 

He first appeared as a member of the Watts family who had a difficult past and rough childhood, though his identity was unknown for almost thirty years. Dennis' story commenced with the character murdering his mob boss Jack Dalton, the crime kingpin of Albert Square whom Dennis discovered is responsible for the apparent death of his infamous father - Den Watts. Following Den's return on 29 September 2003, Dennis established a longstanding conflict with his father up until Den was ultimately killed off on the show's twentieth anniversary episode dated 18 February 2005; Dennis later discovered his father's fate on 29 August 2005, the same day he finally married his adopted sister Sharon after they managed to repair their once-forbidden romance.

 

During his time on the show, Dennis repeatedly clashed with Sharon's ex-boyfriend Phil Mitchell; formed a mutual friendship with Dalton's representative Andy Hunter; bonded with his half-sister Vicki Fowler; embarked on a relationship with his siblings' close friend Zoe Slater; developed a warm compaionship with local gossip Dot Cotton; and temporarily became enemies with Phil's brother Grant, who previously married Sharon, until the pair worked together to help the Mitchell family bring Sharon's stepmother Chrissie to justice for killing Den and framing Phil's sister Sam for his murder. Towards the end of 2005, Dennis got embroiled in a feud with Andy's murderer and gangland successor Johnny Allen - which came to an unfortunate end when Dennis attacked Johnny for threatening Sharon and killing Andy, an act which prompted Johnny to arrange his henchman Danny Moon to kill Dennis in revenge; Dennis was later stabbed on that night and he consequently died in Sharon's arms. Sharon later gave birth to her and Dennis' son,Denny.

Pauline Fowler very low.

42. Cora Cross

 

Cameron 19, Hide&Seek 16 = 35 points

 

 

Cora Cross, played by Ann Mitchell, is the mother of Tanya Branning and Rainie Cross and the grandmother of Lauren and Abi Branning. Cora initially appeared from 11 to 15 April 2011, and returned as a regular character on 28 July. Cora is described as having "a brash, outspoken attitude and does not care who she offends", deemed "an archetypal East End matriarch".

 

In May 2011, when it was confirmed that Cora would be returning to EastEnders, executive producer Bryan Kirkwood said, "We all love Cora here—actress Ann Mitchell could be one of the Walford greats". Kirkwood was keen to find a new matriarch for the show after the loss of Peggy Mitchell, played by Barbara Windsor and explained that Cora is a perfect fit.

 

Mitchell took a break from the show between April and July 2015, returning for various guest stints until 15 December the same year, when she departed. It was announced in March 2017 that Mitchell would reprise the role and Cora returned for two appearances on 18 and 19 May. She made several further appearances until 16 February 2018, followed by two further return stints in July and November.

41. David Wicks

 

Slick 9, Hide&Seek 27 = 36 points

 

 

David Wicks, played by Michael French, originally appeared from 23 December 1993 to 21 November 1996. He returned to the show on 1 January 2012 and departed two weeks later. French returned to the role in September 2013. David has been involved in various storylines, such as his troubled and dysfunctional relationship with his biological children Bianca Jackson and Joe Wicks, his volatile and equally dysfunctional relationship with his mother Pat Butcher, an affair with his half-sister-in-law Cindy Beale, reuniting with Carol Jackson and struggling to cope with her diagnosis of breast cancer. David last appeared on 30 May 2014, after his relationship with Carol broke down.

Whats happening with Cora now, i wonder is she totally finished with the show?

David Wicks is ICONIC. I remember him vaguely when I was very young, so was really pleased when he came back for a couple of short stints.

 

I voted for Dennis Rickman purely because he made such an impact in such a short period of time (and of course, I loved his romance with Sharon who still clearly pines after him and it's tragic to see.) I don't think I fully appreciated his LOOKS as much when I watched it at the time.

His affair with Cindy was gripping and the Bianca been his daughter as well.

I would have given a top 10 position if I voted.

 

Handsome and so memorable !!

40. Karen Taylor

 

King Rollo 7, Scene 12, Cameron 13, JosephStyles 4 = 36 points

 

 

Karen Taylor, played by Lorraine Stanley, first appears on 15 June 2017, along with four of her children, Keanu, Bernadette, Riley and Chatham Taylor. The family also have two pets, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier dog named Bronson and a Bearded lizard named Rooney. Stanley appeared in the 2004 spin off Pat and Mo as a young Mo Harris, and in EastEnders in 2016 as Thelma Bragg, the mother of Linzi Bragg.

 

Of her casting, Stanley said "I’m chuffed to be cast in such an iconic show that I’ve grown up watching. Working with my new family is really quite special, and I’m proud to play their mum." Karen is described as a "fierce woman who won't hear a bad word said about her family, but those close to her know that she's also kind-hearted and loyal."

 

 

39. Ben Mitchell

 

Scene 26, HausofGhibli 17 = 43 points

 

 

Ben Mitchell has been played by six different actors since his on-screen birth on 21 March 1996. Matthew Silver appeared as an infant Ben between 1996 and 1998, and Morgan Whittle played him as a toddler between 1999 and 2001. After a five-year absence from the series, Charlie Jones assumed the role of Ben in 2006. In 2010, the character was recast with Joshua Pascoe in the role. He made his first appearance on 13 December 2010. Pascoe quit the role in 2012 and Ben departed on 24 August 2012. Ben's return was announced in May 2014 with actor Harry Reid in the role; Ben returned on 22 September 2014. Reid was written out of the series in 2017 and Ben departed on 12 January 2018. The character was reintroduced in January 2019 with the role recast to Max Bowden who made his first appearance on 1 April 2019.

 

Ben's storylines include: a feud between the show's Mitchell and Beale families for his custody; developing a love of dance and the arts, which is a source of tension between him and his father, Phil Mitchell; being physically and mentally abused by his father's girlfriend Stella Crawford; struggling to come to terms with his homosexuality and then attempting to hide it before coming out; unintentionally killing Heather Trott; having a daughter, Lexi Pearce, with Lola Pearce, finding out his mother was alive, supporting Louise after her bullies caused her burns injury, relationships with Paul Coker and the closeted Callum "Halfway" Highway, coming to terms with Paul's death, being shot by Hunter Owen, blackmailing Martin Fowler, helping his dad figure out who the father of Sharon's baby is and losing his hearing after sustaining an injury during the boat crash.

38. Den Watts

 

King Rollo 11, Slick 18, Feel The Fever 11, Scene 3 = 43 points

 

 

Dennis "Den" Watts was played by Leslie Grantham and became well known for his tabloid nickname, "Dirty Den".

 

Den is the original landlord of The Queen Victoria public house who first appeared when the show debuted on 19 February 1985. From then onwards, the character had a stormy love-hate relationship with his alcoholic first wife Angie. After nearly 19 years of marriage, Den discovered that Angie lied to him about having six months to live and got revenge by giving divorce papers to her in the 1986 Christmas Day episode that was watched by more than half of the UK population at the time. While his marriage with Angie was finished beyond repair, Den continued to develop a close interaction with their adopted daughter Sharon – whom he grew fondly devoted towards throughout his time on the programme. Den soon became involved in storylines that mostly contributed to the character's magnanimous and "bad boy" persona. This involved Den getting Sharon's best friend, Michelle Fowler, pregnant which started a feud with Michelle's mother Pauline in the process; teaming up with longtime friend Pete Beale to force their enemy Nick Cotton out of Walford for causing trouble around the square; romancing with his mistress Jan Hammond; and getting revenge on business rival James Willmott-Brown for raping Pete's wife Kathy.

 

On 23 February 1989, Den was apparently killed off after getting involved with The Firm – a criminal organisation who ended up trying to have him murdered in light of the character's imprisonment for having one of its members help him get revenge against Willmott-Brown. However, the character resurfaced 14 years later on 29 September 2003 when Sharon discovers that Den had survived the assassination and moved on to Spain afterwards. The development of Den's return to the show coincided with the introductions of his and Michelle's daughter Vicki, as well as Den's biological son Dennis Rickman and later the character's manipulative second wife Chrissie. During his second stint on the programme, Den repeatedly clashed with Dennis over his romantic feelings for Sharon – which sparked a longstanding father-son conflict between them that escalated after Den discovered that Dennis killed his mob boss Jack Dalton, and later destroyed his relationship with local resident Zoe Slater, by getting her to lie to Dennis that she was pregnant with their baby. Additionally, Den established a rivalry with Sharon's ex-boyfriend Phil Mitchell that ended with him framing the latter for armed robbery; became publicly humiliated after losing a high-stakes poker game to the square's crime kingpin Andy Hunter; and conned Phil's sister Sam into relinquishing her ownership of The Queen Vic back to him by blackmailing her lawyer Marcus Christie.

 

Den was ultimately killed-off for good on 18 February 2005, the show's 20th anniversary episode that also featured Andy being murdered by his gangland successor Johnny Allen – who would later have Dennis killed on New Year's Eve 2005. During the show's 20th anniversary episode, Chrissie conspired with Sam and Zoe to get revenge on Den for victimising them. They did so by destroying his relationship with Sharon, an act which prompted Den to attack Chrissie, that resulted in Zoe hitting him with Pauline's dog doorstop; this seemingly killed Den until he regained conciousness and was fatally bludgeoned to death by Chrissie. The character's death was watched by 17 million viewers – nearly 1/3 of the British population – and would later serve to conclude the Mitchell and Watts family friction; wherein Sharon teamed up with Phil, along with his brother Grant and their mother Peggy, to exonerate Sam after Chrissie framed her for Den's murder.

Karen being so high is ridiculous. I thought we were voting for our 30 all time favourites, not our 30 favourites from the current cast :lol:

 

Den is a legend! Ben has probably finished in the right area for him.

37. Mo Harris

 

King Rollo 3, Lukuzz 15, JosephStyles 11, HausofGhibli 16 = 45 points

 

 

Maureen "Mo" Harris (also known as "Big Mo") made her first appearance on 18 September 2000 and is played by Laila Morse. Mo is a highly comical character and her tendency for dodgy deals brings much of the show’s light entertainment. Morse's contract was not renewed in July 2012, but she was not immediately written out of the series and continued to make occasional appearances until 21 January 2016.

 

On 20 December 2017, it was announced that Morse would reprise the role in early 2018. Mo's reintroduction was announced alongside that of Kat Slater and Jean Slater. Morse expressed her joy at returning and stated that fans would regularly ask about Mo. She commented, "I can’t wait to see everyone and get stuck back into life in Walford." John Yorke, who returned as the show's executive consultant in 2017, called the Slater family "one of the all-time great families in EastEnders" and opined that the show is very different without them. On their reintroduction, Yorke commented, "It has been a real joy to find a way to bring them back together and we're incredibly excited about where we are taking them next."

Can’t stand Mo !!

36. Trevor Morgan

 

Feel The Fever 15, Pippa 9, Hide&Seek 22 = 46 points

 

 

Trevor Morgan, played by Alex Ferns, first made an appearance on 21 December 2000 before returning as a regular cast member and gradually the show's main antagonist from 17 April 2001 to his last appearance on 1 November 2002.

 

The character was introduced as the estranged husband of Little Mo Slater, whom he had domestically abused and mistreated throughout most of their marriage. This escalates up to the point where he rapes Little Mo and, after attempting to do so again on New Year's Eve 2001, ends up having her wrongfully imprisoned for attacking him with an iron in self-defense that night. During that time, Trevor frequently clashes with Little Mo's family and proceeds to spark a feud with both her sister Kat and love interest Billy Mitchell. After Trevor is set-up into having Little Mo released from prison, his story arc concludes with the character attempting to kill his wife and son Sean by setting fire to their house on Halloween Night 2002; however, they are rescued by their neighbour Tom Banks and Trevor is consequently killed alongside Tom when the building explodes just before the pair could escape as well.