Dot in the dock! EastEnders' favourite OAP dragged

Admittedly Dorothy Branning hasn't had the easiest of lives - a criminal son,  a couple of rogue husbands and terrible boss called Mr Papadopoulos.
But EastEnders bosses have come up with a new twist in the life of chain-smoking character Dot - dragging her through the courts.
Soap fans will be shocked at seeing the red-headed sherry-loving OAP in the dock - scenes reminiscent of Coronation Street's 1998 storyline which saw Dierdre Rachid unfairly jailed for fraud.

 

Dot in the dock: Sherry loving Ms Branning appears in court on EastEnders charged with housing benefit fraud

It isn't quite clear what those cunning BBC 1 bosses have planned for Dot, who has been played by June Brown since 1985.
Viewers will know that Dot trusted her council-owned home to pal Cora Cross as she went away to visit her grandchild Dottie - and then watched in horror as the bouffant-loving character fell behind with her rent.
In a plot which saw Dot bumble through council questioning, Walford Council bosses said she had unauthorised lodgers - sparking a fraud investigation.

 

Frightened: Dot, played by June Brown, is forced to defend herself after being dragged through the courts

EastEnders Spoilers report that Dot gives evidence on her own behalf, telling the court that she doesn’t feel she is being represented correctly.
The website adds: 'Just at the moment that her solicitor is trying to explain how she got herself into arrears. Fatboy and Poppy soon arrive to give Dot some moral support, but Fats is dissatisfied with the impression he makes after saying a few words in court.

 

Free the Weatherfield One: Coronation Street bosses captured the public's imagination by jailing Deirdre Rachid in 1998... will the same happen to Dot Branning?

'Apparently his attempts spur Dot on and she tells the court all about the situation in which she’s found herself.'
In 1998 Free The Weatherfield One became a national phenomenon after Deirdre, played by Anne Kirkbride, was jailed for mortgage and credit card fraud while her lover Jon Lindsay walked free.
Fans jammed the switchboards of programme-makers Granada.
Viewers can see Dot in the dock in the April 4 episode.

 

Everyone's favouirte chain smoker! Dot, played by June Brown, has starred in the soap since 1985