Following the return of Call The Midwife, we feel it’s important to let you know of actor Daniel Laurie’s incredible connection to an EastEnders legend.
The actor, who portrays beloved Reggie Jackson in the BBC One period drama, is the son of Leslie Grantham, who played Den Watts in EastEnders.
What a connection!
Daniel’s first scenes as Reggie aired back in 2017. Following the death of his mum, Reggie travelled to Poplar and now lives with his uncle Fred Buckle (played by EastEnders legend Cliff Parisi).
Daniel’s dad Leslie, of course, is considered soap royalty, having portrayed Dirty Den for two memorable stints in EastEnders.
Den and wife Angie (Anita Dobson) were the original landlords of The Queen Vic, running the iconic boozer from the soap’s inception in 1985.
The character was ‘killed off’ just shy of the soap’s 4th anniversary in February 1989, but made a shocking return in 2003, taking Walford by storm once more.
Leslie was written out of EastEnders in 2005, with Den’s latest wife Chrissie (Tracy Ann Oberman) killing him, for real this time.
The actor died in 2018 at the age of 71.
Last night (January 7), the returning episode of Call the Midwife saw a guest appearance from comedian and actress Rosie Jones.
Rosie played Doreen, a pregnant woman with cerebral palsy. The performance was heavily praised by fans, with the storyline focusing on how Doreen is treated by doctors and others as a pregnant disabled woman.