EastEnders: Fans outraged over Danielle's death

Thousands of EastEnders viewers have signed an online petition in anger over the death of Danielle Jones. According to reports in The Mirror, around 5,500 EastEnders fans had signed the petition urging bosses of the BBC1 soap to re-write the storyline to allow for the possible return of Danielle, who was run over by Janine Butcher in Thursday's night hour-long special. Addressed to EastEnders' executive producer, Dierderick Santer, the petition - set up by fan Vicky Cole - said: "We'd like to express our disappointment that you have written out Danielle Jones (played by the talented Lauren Crace). "We, the fans of the show, believe it is a mistake to write out the most pivotal character in possibly the best storyline EastEnders has had." The petition went on: "Although we realise it may not be possible to change the storyline and bring Lauren back, we hope that you will ensure her character's exit leaves a door open for her return." An EastEnders spokesman said: "We acknowledge we didn't deliver the happy ending many hoped for." Click here to watch whatsontv.co.uk's new weekly soaps video preview, the Soap Scoop Get all the latest soap gossip delivered straight to your door. Subscribe to Soaplife magazine today

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Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.