Farewell Dot..

Sonia leads the mourners as residents past and present gather to pay their last respects

- SARAH WATERFALL

Sonia is still in bits about Dot’s death and, as the funeral looms, she just can’t find the words to write a eulogy for the woman she and her grandad Jim Branning – Dot’s husband – adored.

Seeking inspiration, she sneaks into the launderette, where Dot spent so many years working and putting the world to rights – fuelled by a diet of tea and cigarettes. When Martin finds her in floods, he urges his ex to speak from the heart.

‘Sonia wants to make sure she says the right things and includes everybody, and it’s a very, very difficult job to do because she wants Dot’s funeral to be the best and to do her proud,’ says Natalie Cassidy, who plays the nurse.