In 2005, Ian Beale impulsively buys The Queen Vic from Chrissie Watts at a knockdown price after she kills Den Watts. However, the sale is later deemed invalid because Chrissie forged the signatures on the transfer documents. Consequently, the pub is actually inherited by Sharon Watts, who signs it over to Peggy Mitchell.
In July 2005, In November 2005 Chrissie tries to do a runner out of Walford so sells the Queen Vic to Ian Beale but Chrissie is caught and exposed as Den's murderer, and is arrested.
Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace) will spark opposition when she reveals her plan to use Martin Fowler's (James Bye) life insurance to purchase The Queen Victoria pub in EastEnders. It's actually Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) who decided to use the windfall for this purpose, wanting to invest a chunk of the £100K pay out.
They become engaged but break up when it is revealed that Harry is guilty of sexually abusing his niece Kat Moon. When Phil begins dating Sharon again and becomes joint owner of the Queen Vic, Peggy moves back in. She later becomes sole licensee again, when Sharon sells her half of the pub back to her.
EastEnders - Chrissie refuses to sell the Queen Vic to Peggy - 10-10-2005
Does Ruby leave EastEnders in 2025?
Ruby returned in episode 7015, broadcast 18 November 2024. On 31 March 2025, Lytton confirmed that she had finished filming her stint, and would exit in the coming weeks.
Yes, Chrissie Watts (played by Tracy-Ann Oberman) did make a dramatic return to EastEnders for a special storyline around Christmas 2025, creating havoc in Albert Square, settling scores related to Den Watts's death, and tormenting Zoe Slater with her secret daughter Jasmine, fulfilling her comeback plans for revenge and drama after being released from prison.
Sal is the older sister of Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor) and usually appears at Mitchell family occasions or when she's had an argument with her husband, Harold (David Sterne).
Yes, Ross Kemp's character, Grant Mitchell, did return to EastEnders for his mother Peggy Mitchell's final scenes in 2016, reuniting with his brother Phil for their mother's poignant farewell as she died from cancer. Grant's return was specifically to be part of Peggy's last episodes, a moment the actor felt he couldn't turn down due to his close friendship with Dame Barbara Windsor.
In the episode available early on BBC iPlayer, it's revealed that Martin had taken out a life insurance policy, and Stacey is the main beneficiary. This means Stacey is set to receive a whopping £100,000.
EastEnders uses various made up alcohol brands to avoid Product Placement. The Queen Vic is notorious for serving Jenkins' Lager, both on tap and in a bottle. There have also been other beers and ales shown.
Also, Chrissie, whilst being very hard and tough, has a strong sense of justice, and in her mind, Zoe never really paid for Den's murder, and the part she played in destroying the Watts family.
The 59-year-old left the BBC soap in 2005 when Chrissie was jailed for 20 years for the murder of her husband, Den Watts (Leslie Grantham). Chrissie Watts returned for a brief stint in September 2024, having spent her final week in prison alongside Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean).
Anna Maxwell Martin's husband, acclaimed film director Roger Michell, died suddenly in September 2021 at age 65 from a heart attack, leaving Martin to cope with grief and the resulting "financial terror" for herself and their two daughters, despite their amicable separation a year prior, with her losing one of her best friends and facing significant emotional and practical challenges.
Following a disastrous start, she and her husband, Arthur, soon discover that she is pregnant, resulting in her losing her job and forcing the Butler family to send back the items they cannot afford to pay for.
Laila Morse is her stage name. Her real name is Maureen Oldman. It was Isabella Rossellini who suggested the name 'Laila Morse' as it's an anagram of 'mia sorella' - Italian for 'my sister'. Gary Oldman was dating Rossellini at the time.
Jasmine Fisher is the daughter of Zoe Slater and Anthony Trueman and the the adopted daughter of Anita and Colin Fisher. She made her first appearance on 22 September 2025.
This didn't work, but when Stacey found out she'd be getting £100,000 as the beneficiary of Martin's life insurance policy, she decided to give Kat the money to try and get the pub for her and Alfie.
