Dot Cotton

Dorothy "Dot" Branning (also Cotton) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by June Brown. In a special episode entitled EastEnders: Dot's Story (2003) a young Dot was played by Tallulah Pitt-Brown in flashbacks. A tragicomic character, Dot was known for her devout Christian faith, gossiping, chain smoking, hypochondria, and motherly attitude to those in need.

Dot first appeared in EastEnders in July 1985 as the mother of notorious criminal and original character Nick Cotton (John Altman). The character worked as a launderette assistant for most of that time, along with original character Pauline Fowler (Wendy Richard), and was close friends with original characters Ethel Skinner (Gretchen Franklin) and Lou Beale (Anna Wing). Dot moved away with her son and his family in 1993. In reality, Brown left the show in 1993, unhappy with the development of her character. Brown returned to the role in April 1997, and on 28 April 2017, Dot overtook Pat Butcher (Pam St Clement) as the second-longest-serving character in EastEnders, surpassed only by original character Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt). In April 2012, Brown took a six-month break from the show to write her memoirs. Dot temporarily departed on 18 May 2012. She returned on 14 January 2013. In February 2015, Dot began appearing less frequently due to Brown gradually losing her eyesight; this aspect of her life was written into her character the following year. In February 2020, Brown announced that her appearance in the previous month would be the character's last, as she was dissatisfied with the storylines being given to her. Following Brown's death on 3 April 2022, the character of Dot died off-screen on 1 December 2022. A special episode centring around Dot's funeral was broadcast on 12 December 2022, with past and present characters paying their respects to the character.

A recurring storyline in the serial was Dot's continuous forgiveness of her son's villainous crimes. Initially married at the start of the series to conman Charlie Cotton (Christopher Hancock), Dot married again in 2002 to pensioner Jim Branning (John Bardon) and the union proved to be popular with fans. Brown and Bardon won awards for their on-screen partnership. On 31 January 2008, Dot became the first character ever to appear in a monologue episode of a British soap opera, "Pretty Baby....". The acclaimed episode saw Dot reminiscing about her years of loss and grief into a tape recorder as a message to her ailing husband Jim. Dot was used to explore topical and controversial issues such as euthanasia, cancer, immigration, and homophobia.

Dot was generally well received by critics: she has been referred to as a cultural archetype and Brown won multiple awards for her portrayal. However, aspects of the character, such as her smoking and her religious beliefs, have been criticised, with religious groups suggesting Dot's faith is used in a pejorative manner. The character has also made an impact on popular culture; she has been spoofed, most notably by Alistair McGowan, and has been credited as inspiration for catwalk collections.