In 1966, aged 19, while doing his National Service, Leslie killed a taxi driver in Germany, he was sentenced to 11 years in jail. Even though producers knew about this when Leslie was hired for Eastenders, they knew he had paid for what he had done and it was in the past. Managment, cast members and the general public forgave Leslie and were entertained by him playing Den on tv because Den was such a great character (dare say the BEST eastenders ever had) and Leslie was a great actor.

'Dirty' Den Watts

When Eastenders started, Den, along with wife Angie and adopted daughter Sharon were running the local pub 'The Vic'. Den also had a mistress named Jan, whom Angie knew about.

Den and Angie were a classic Eastend couple, always fighting and slapping each other. Angie was very depressed about the way Den treated her and tried finding answers at the bottom of a bottle...oh yes..she took pub stock checking a bit to seriously!! Over two years, Angie would take an overdose to try and kill herself, but doctors managed to save her, or so Den thought. Angie made up she had 6 months to live, and with this she was treated to a second honeymoon in Venice.

While on the honeymoon, Angie got drunk and revealed to the barman that she was playing Den for a fool, she was going to be fine she revealed. She did not reliase Den was sitting right behind her and heard all this. Back in Walford, on Christmas Day 1986, Den served angie with divorce papers. It was the most watched episode of Eastenders in history. Dens speech is legendary. "6 months to live, six tragic little months then poor old Angie is gonna clog off. That, has got to be the sickest joke you've ever played, and Den Watts fell for it, well now the jokes on you Ang, this my sweet, is a letter from my silister, saying your husband has filed for divorce, it also advises you to get yourself a lawyer pretty damn quick! Happy Christmas Ang!'

In 1988 the world was shocked when Sharons best friend Michelle revealed Den was the father of her new born baby. Michelle begged Den to be a family man and claimed she loved him, but Den simply said he wont marry her, but he'll always be around for her. They had this legendary conversation by the canal, the same place Den would die a year later...

In 1989, Den was shot by local gangsters 'The Firm' down by the canal. We never saw his body fall into the canal, so we never really knew wether he was dead or not....

It would be 14 years before Den would show his face in Walford again....

Life after Death....

After leaving Eastenders, Leslie Grantham embarked on other projects.

He had a small role in 'Doctor Who', playing a villan of course!

He also did a lot of theatre, including playing Dracula and other villans.

Playing 'Hook' in Peter Pan, with Joe Psqualue.

Leslie as 'Dracula'!!

He also was able to show off a comedy side to him in the play 'Theft' alongside Roy Hudd.

Also, he tried his hand at presenting. First, he played the evil host of 'Fort Boyard', also starring alongside Melinda Messanger.

Leslie was amazingly evil in this. He claimed he set up the games was cool to watch, and the way he was so horrible to all the contestants. I loved when the players lost the game because Leslie would be so horrible to them!!! And also there is his immortal catchphrase-'Your time starts now!'. Just the way he said it was so evil!

Leslie also landed his own show, 'Granthams Grapes', a wine tasting show. It reached moderate success, but really Leslie is best suited for playing evil.

Den returns to Albert Sqaure, Leslie is at his best

In September 2003, Den was brought back from the dead, he showed up at 'Angies Den' to come face to face with Sharon, and said the immortal words 'Allo Princess'.

After returning, he would meet long lost son-Dennis, see daughter Vicky all grown up, and see Sharon much older and wiser. He saved Phil from being shot again, only to then have him framed for armed robbery. Perhaps the biggest shock was revealing he had married again while he was in Spain, to a dodgy redhead named 'Chrissie'.

Den also had words with Dennis which ended in them fighting, and proved he was still 'Dirty' when he had an affair with Phil Mitchells wife, Kate. It nearly cost him his marraige to Chrissie and, after a heart to heart with Dot Cotton in the laundtrette, spent two months in Spain thinking things over. (In real life Leslie was suspended, which Ill talk about soon.)

Den and Sharon walk down by the Canal

Den and Dennis have words over Sharon

Dennis's girlfriend Zoe confided in Den a lot, even after he made a move on her and were caught by Dennis. It seemed she would always come to him for advice.

After Den returned from Spain, he set his sites on getting back what was his, namely, The Queen Vic. This, he managed to do with the help of Marcus Christie, some dodgy dealings and Sam being to blonde to see that she was being duped. On Christmas Eve 2004, Den become the new owner of the Vic and moved his family in, which meant the Moon family were evicted and homeless for Christmas.

Sparks would fly on Christmas Day, as Sharon and Dennis revealed their love for each other and announced plans to move away together, leaving Zoe out in the cold. Den wouldn't let this happen and straight away was taking control. He told Zoe to say she is pregnant, knowing that Dennis wouldn't abandon her otherwise he'd be just like his Dad, abandoning his family. Zoe told the family she was pregnant, and after Dennis and Sharon talked, it was agreed Dennis would stay and Sharon would leave later on in the night.

It wasn't what Den had in mind, he didn't want his princess leaving and had a heart to heart with her, after Sharon brought up that he still has Vicki, he said 'I dont love her even half as much as I love you', he didn't reliase that Vicky was outside the door and could hear that.

Vicki said she would leave with Sharon aswell. They left in a black cab at the end of the night.

Now he had to deal with Zoe, she wasn't pregnant yet Dennis and everyone else in the square believed she was. Den came up with the solution, he'd do it himself. Zoe was disgusted by him and said 'no way', but she knew she would have to get pregnant somehow. She tried with Jake Moon, but he wouldn't, and in the end she had no choice, she slept with Den. They would keep doing it until she was pregnant. Dens actions prooved why they call him 'Dirty'! On there third attempt, they were caught by Dennis. As they were in bed, Dennis opened the door and all Den could say was 'Hello son'.

Dennis left the square later that night, but not before bumping into Chrissie and telling her what had happened. Chrissie was shocked, and planned to get revenge once and for all. She used her lawyer, Amanda, to draw up a contract for Den to hand over the pub to her. She got Zoe and Sam on her side, and they would confront him in the pub and take there revenge. On 20th Anniversary of Eastenders, they were ready to take there revenge. Only they hadn't counted on Den being so confident and knowing what to do, Chrissie threatned to tell everyone what he did with Zoe, but Den didnt care, he wouldnt hand over his pub. He said 'the only way you'll get me outta here is in a pine box'. After it looked like Den had won, Sharon emerged from the shadows and was shocked at her Dads actions and the lengths he went to to keep her. She ran out of the Vic, but Den chased after her, she claimed Den died a long time ago, and the man before her is just a pathetic excuse for a man. She jumped into a cab, leaving Den devasted.

Den walked back to the Vic, he didnt say a word, Chrissie shouted at him, saying now he knew what its like to be hurt, all Den could do was run at her and try to strangle her....

But Zoe, trieing to save Chrissie, took Paulines doorstop that she left in the Vic and hit Den in the head. He fell to the ground, and after a few seconds of shock and silence, Sam checked him and revealed.....hes dead!! Chrissie sent Zoe and Sam to lock up the pub and turn all the lights off, she was alone, and told Den's body, that she may not be the first woman he loved, but she was definitly the last. Den grabbed Chrissie by the foot and said 'Youll never get me outta the Vic', he was still alive!!! But Chrissie took the doorstop and hit him over the head a second time, this time it seems he's dead for good....

Chrissie put his body into a black bag, and then buried him under the cellar, where hell haunt the square forever....or maybe hes not in that bag? Maybe Chrissie didnt kill him? He could have crawled out of the hole when she wasn't looking, ran off, cleaned himself up and gone to live in Spain again, waiting and plotting for his revenge.....

The Internet scandals

In May 2004, allegations were made against Leslie that he had been using the computer in his dressing room for internet sex and doing 'dirty' antics on his webcam. He was sending these messages to a girl named 'Amanda'.

He also told her what he thinks of fellow cast members, branding half of them as 'wankers', and giving top insults to Shane Ritchie (Alfie Moon) by calling him big headed, Jessie Wallace (Kat Moon) calling her a vile dog, and Kim Medcalf (Sam Mitchell) calling her a thick block of wood (that one about Kim is true though!). He also let on that some of the cast take drugs.

Leslie called a meeting and said everyone was 'a pleasure to work with' and 'Lets all be proffessional', and claimed the person at the other end of the webcam made it up.

After discussion among managment, Leslie was suspended for two months, without pay. When a new producer of Eastenders was appointed, he lost his job altogether and was killed off for a second time.

The internet sex alligations turned out to be true, and he aplogised for his actions and made a donation to charity. He also had no complaints about his suspension or firing.

To read a press release from the BBC on this matter, click here

Why Leslie Grantham is my idol

After all those actions, how can a man like that be my idol and an inspiration to me? Its simple really, even after everything he has done, he still has the guts to carry on his career....

He killed a german taxi driver and served eleven years in jail, he paid for what he had done!! Hes square with the world again, and while most people would try to keep the fact they are a murderer concealed, Leslie entered showbusiness, the worst business of all, and managed to keep his career going and give us one of the best loved soap characters EVER in Den. That shows courage.

He even had the courage to try and move on to bigger things and so left Eastenders. While all his none-eastenders projects reached moderate success, he never gave up. Thats INSPIRATIONAL!

When he was caught on the webcam, he was man enough to admit what he did was wrong and apologised for all his actions. I know he didn't say any bad things about fellow cast members, because if he did he would have owned up to it when he owned up to the webcam antics. He took his punishments like a man and there were no complaints. Fellow cast members even gave him a leaving present, a model of the Queen Vic pub, and there is no truth to roumers that he received a laptop and webcam.

Now, life after death again...he is currently doing interviews on chat shows, and bringing together a new tv show which he will direct and star in. Had it been anyone else caught on cam, they may never want to be seen again and call there career a day, but Leslie has the passion and the desire and the guts to carry on, hes that GREAT!

Some people say its not Leslie that is my idol, but rather his biggest success-'Den'. I love evil and want to be like Den, not Leslie. While I do admire Den a lot, and miss him being in Eastenders, it has to be said that if it were not for Leslie, we wouldn't have Den. They may almost be one in the same person, but no, Leslie is definitly my number one idol, an inspiration, and one of the finest human beings I have come across!!!!!

Leslie also does a lot of charity work, particularly for down syndrome kids, another great point about him!!

He is also a family man, a good husband and Dad, and although he and his wife have had problems, they are still together.

And of course, he's just like all of us, he has a favourite football team, his is West Ham utd, as evidenced here in a break from filming.

In his own words....

Leslie is currently writing his autobiography, it will explain the other side of Dirty Den and contain details on what really happened on the internet. I personally, cannot wait to read it! And, I would love to meet the man himself and get him to sign it for me. Now that would really make me happy.