Call The Midwife star Daniel Laurie is closely linked to one of Walford’s most recognisable faces, and quite frankly, our minds are blown.

The actor, who portrays Reggie Jackson in the BBC One period drama, is the son of Leslie Grantham, who played Den Watts in EastEnders.

Bet you didn’t know that!

Daniel made his debut as Reggie in Call The Midwife back in 2017, during the long-running show’s sixth series. Reggie goes to live with his uncle Fred Buckle (played by EastEnders legend Cliff Parisi), following the death of his mum Ivy.

He has remained on the show ever since, appearing in the latest series too. Prior to landing the part on Call The Midwife, Daniel also starred in Vera and Stella, and more recently appeared in Finding Alice.

His 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.

Their marriage was a tumultuous one, as Den cheated on Angie with mistress Jan Hammond (Jane How). Angie, knowing of his infidelity, did everything in her power to make him fall in love with her again.

Leslie’s storylines kept the nation gripped during the late 80s, with many a memorable moment centring around his character, such as when he was revealed to have fathered a baby with Michelle Fowler (Susan Tully), and when he served Angie with divorce papers on Christmas Day 1986, an episode which was watched by 30m viewers.

Angie’s battle with alcoholism escalated in the years that followed, and in May 1988, she departed the Square once and for all.

Den, meanwhile, found himself managing a wine bar named Strokes for criminal organisation The Firm, and he eventually agreed to do jail time for the them in a story that was told on-screen over several months between 1988 and 1989. 

He 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.

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