EastEnders viewers have been left emotional following the departure of fan favourite Rocky Cotton after the explosive Christmas Day special, with many hailing it the 'end of an era'. The character, played by Brian Conley, was arrested for the cafe fire after his wife Kathy informed the police, as the dramatic storyline reached its climax.
The BBC soap made history in February by teasing a murder in a flash-forward, keeping the identities of both victim and killer a secret for ten months. In the Christmas episode, Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) was stabbed to death, while Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry) was attacked, bringing the long-running 'Six' storyline to a head.
The six matriarchs—Stacey Slater, Suki Kaur Panesar, Linda Carter, Sharon Watts, Denise Fox, and Kathy Beale—found themselves embroiled in events leading to Keanu's demise. The festive episode saw Denise hit Nish with a bottle, followed by a fight between Keanu and Sharon, which ended with Linda stabbing Keanu to save Sharon's life.
Fans took to X, formerly Twitter, to bid farewell to Rocky. One wrote: 'Rocky leaving marks the end of an era as there’s no more members of the Cotton family left on the Square.' Another added: 'Brian Conley did something I didn’t think possible and turned Rocky into a character I am going to really miss.'
Despite mixed opinions on the character, many praised Conley's performance. One viewer commented: 'I’m actually quite sad if tonight was Rocky’s last episode. Brian Conley played the role really well.' The departure leaves Walford without any remaining Cotton family members.
