Lord Michael Cashman has disclosed that his former EastEnders co-star June Brown, best known for playing Dot Cotton, implored him to assist her in obtaining an assisted death. The revelation came during a debate in the House of Lords on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which appeared likely to be defeated on Friday afternoon.
Lord Cashman's Emotional Testimony
Speaking in the Lords, Lord Cashman recalled how Ms Brown, who died in 2022, had begged him to help her travel to a country where she could end her life with dignity. He said: “I also remember my dear friend June Brown, who implored me to get her to a country where she could die with dignity and the death that she wanted.”
The peer, who played Colin Russell in the BBC soap in the late 1980s, had previously spoken about a friend who sought his help for an assisted death but had not named her. He had said he was prepared to break the law by contacting clinics in the Netherlands and Switzerland, but the plan ultimately fell through.
EastEnders Euthanasia Storyline
Ms Brown's character Dot Cotton was central to one of British television's most famous euthanasia storylines. In 2000, she helped her friend Ethel Skinner die after Ethel was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Lord Cashman himself made TV history when his character shared the first on-screen gay kiss on British television in 1989.
Lord Cashman also recalled how Ms Brown had supported him by allowing time off from EastEnders rehearsals to attend protests against Section 28 in the late 1980s.
Personal Loss and Regret
In his speech, Lord Cashman also spoke of his husband's death more than a decade ago, describing it as a “slow and agonising death.” He expressed deep regret that Parliament had not passed the assisted dying Bill, saying: “We have not fulfilled the humane wishes of those who seek the right to choose how they die.”
