Inside late EastEnders icon Leslie Grantham’s life including Call the Midwife star son
Leslie Grantham's EastEnders character, Dirty Den, remains one of the most iconic residents to appear on the BBC soap
Leslie Grantham is best known for his role as ‘Dirty’ Den Watts on EastEnders(Image: BBC)
EastEnders’ legendary late star Leslie Grantham is the father is remembered for playing Dirty Den, but he is also father to a beloved Call the Midwife star.
In February 1985, EastEnders debuted on BBC One, and the first Queen Vic landlords were introduced as Den Watts and his long-suffering wife Angie (Anita Dobson), plus their adoptive daughter Sharon (Letitia Dean).
Although Den wasn’t a gangster, he was a tough guy with a broken moral compass, but that didn’t stop the ladies from showing plenty of romantic interest.
Den had an unforgettable sneer, cockney charm, and superbly controlled spite, along with feeling pleasure from inflicting pain – all of which made him both unforgettable and unbearable.
At Christmas in 1986, more than 30 million viewers sat down to watch the pub landlord serve divorce papers to his wife, with his iconic words: “Happy Christmas, Ange.”
Den and Angie Watts are still one of EastEnders’ most iconic couples (Image: BBC )
In February 1989, it appeared Den’s time was up as he was shot dead by a gangland henchman at a canal lock. However, he survived the assault, and in a jaw-dropping twist, Den returned in September 2003 before being killed off again in February 2005.
Den’s exit came as he was bludgeoned with a doorstop in The Vic by his second wife, Chrissie Watts (Tracy-Ann Oberman), and his body was buried in the cellar before being discovered by police.
Leslie’s life after EastEnders
Dirty Den was killed off by his wife Chrissie Watts in 2005(Image: BBC)
During his break from the soap, Leslie hosted the game show Fort Boyard between 1998 and 2001.
Dirty Den’s fame meant Leslie was guaranteed to land starring roles in other shows, including fight promoter Eddie Burt in Winners and Losers (1989) and Danny Kane in The Paradise Club (1989-90).
Other parts included Bob Grove in a 1991 one-off revival of the 1950s soap opera The Grove Family, as well as stints in The Uninvited (1997) and Cluedo (1993). He also made various appearances in The Bill, starred in one episode of Heartbeat, and went on to appear in the Bulgarian television series The English Neighbour in 2010.
Life after his final EastEnders exit was always busy for the iconic actor, as he enjoyed stints in pantomimes and wrote his autobiography, Life and Other Times, in which he admitted his personal weaknesses, reports BBC News.
“I could have gone out and written how marvellous I am, like everyone else does, but I’m not a marvellous person,” he said. “I’ve got a huge amount of frailties, a huge amount of complexes and a huge amount of problems.”
He also wrote a children’s book, Jack Bates and the Wizard’s Spell (2016).
Leslie’s family life
Leslie Grantham’s son, Dan Laurie, is famed for playing Reggie in Call the Midwife (Image: BBC)
Following his 2013 divorce from the actor Jane Laurie, whom he married in 1981, Grantham lived in Bulgaria for several years.
Leslie died on June 15, 2018, aged 71, following a battle with lung cancer, after returning to the United Kingdom from Bulgaria for medical treatment. He is survived by their three children.
Jane and Leslie’s son, Daniel Laurie, followed in his parents’ footsteps by becoming an actor and has been playing Reggie in the BBC period drama Call the Midwife since 2017.
In a heartfelt 2006 Daily Mail interview, Daniel’s mother Jane reflected on Leslie’s role as a father, recalling: “When he was just a few days old, Leslie looked down at the baby and said, ‘You know, there are some hard things in life, but this isn’t one of them.'”
Daniel’s major breakthrough came in 2016 when he secured the role of Jamie in Sky One’s comedy-drama Stella, sharing the screen with Gavin and Stacey’s Ruth Jones,
His career took off further with a role as Adam Beecher in an episode of ITV’s Vera in 2020 and his portrayal of Sheemie in The Dark Tower. In 2021, Daniel took on the character of Zach in ITV’s drama Finding Alice, starring alongside TV favourites Keeley Hawes, Nigel Havers, and Joanna Lumley.
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One and iPlayer
