EastEnders veteran June Brown has revealed how upsetting it was to film and watch her single-hander which explains the departure of her on-screen husband Jim.
The 80-year-old actress – who has played soap's most iconic smoker for 23 years – recorded the poignant episode over a number of afternoons at the end of last year.
The 27-minute monologue sees Dot record her part of an audio compilation for Jim – who has suffered a stroke like the actor who plays the character – on an old tape recorder after it was suggested to Dot she makes an audio message of Jim's friends and family to aid his recovery.
Speaking at the screening of the episode yesterday, June revealed: "When I watched the episode back I shed a couple of tears.
"I'm not a sentimental person, I hate sentimentality but I cried for John and also because the episode was so emotional.
"I thought I was going to cry while filming the scenes because I did have a little tear when I was reading the script through. I had a plan to pause the tape recorder if that happened but, actually, I was all right."
She admitted: "I think the producers are struggling to know what to do with Dot now that Jim's not there any more."
John Bardon, who plays Dot's husband Jim, suffered a stroke last year and is currently undergoing an intensive rehabilitation programme.
Of the 68-year-old's progress, June added: "The other night, he managed to say 'June', and I told his wife, who, God bless her, has been by his side all the way through, 'You give him to me and I’ll get him talking!'
"The hardest thing is that he hasn't got his speech back yet and that's what we must pray for because, of course, that's what an actor needs."
She added: "It's just the right side of his face that's not quite there yet. It is upsetting because he was such an active man.
"He cooked meals, he drove, he took me to Hannah Waterman and Ricky Groves’s wedding in Dorset, he played golf... I think the hardest part of filming that episode was when I had to say the line, 'He's here, but he's not here,' because that's how I feel about John."
She added: "We are very close friends and I very much miss him on set."
Producers have left the door open for John if and when he feels he can return to the soap.
Dot's single-hander airs on Thursday, January 31 at 7.30pm on BBC One.
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