EastEnders to air shocking twist for Sharon Watts after family death

Week 3 EastEnders Thurs 6207 Sharon Watts and Ian Beale
WARNING: Embargoed for publication until 00:00:01 on 12/01/2021 - Programme Name: EastEnders - January-March 2021 - TX: 21/01/2021 - Episode: EastEnders - January-March 2021- 6207 (No. 6207) - Picture Shows: ***EMBARGOED TILL TUESDAY 12TH JANUARY 2021*** Sharon Watts (LETITIA DEAN) - (C) BBC - Photographer: Jack Barnes (Image credit: BBC/Jack Barnes)

A shock death leads to drastic action from EastEnders favourite Sharon Watts...

EastEnders favourite Sharon Watts is set to find herself caught up in yet more drama - this time following the death of her biological father, Gavin Sullivan.

Gavin's death will rake up long-buried feelings for Sharon, who was horrified to discover her biological dad was nothing short of evil after reuniting with him years ago.

Sharon upset in EastEnders

Sharon will get the news her biological dad, Gavin has died (Picture: BBC)

Sharon is set to get the news of her father's death in upcoming scenes when the character dies off screen.

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Gavin was last seen on screen in 2016 when he was arrested for the demise of his sister, Margaret - but now his death is set to haunt Sharon.

Gavin in EastEnders on the phone

Sharon's dad, Gavin, turned out to be a nasty piece of work (Picture: BBC) (Image credit: BBC/Jack Barnes)

Behind the scenes

New on-location images have seen Letitia Dean, who plays Sharon, and Gillian Taylforth, who plays Kathy Beale filming scenes for what looks to be Gavin's funeral.

But in new snaps Sharon can be seen taking drastic action to rid herself of Gavin once and for all.

Clutching the urn of ashes after the funeral, Sharon is seen heading for a nearby public bin and dumping them inside.

Gavin kidnaps Kathy in EastEnders

Kathy got caught up in Gavin's sickening games back in 2016 (Picture: BBC) (Image credit: BBC/Jack Barnes)

But while Sharon might have left her dad's ashes for the bin men to deal with, could Gavin's death be opening up a new storyline for the character?

Often when someone is killed off-screen it opens up a whole new opportunity of storylines for those they have left behind.

But what could Gavin's shock death mean for Sharon?

EastEnders airs Mondays at 8.05pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7.35pm and Fridays at 8.30pm on BBC One - see our TV Guide for full listings.

Claire Crick
Assistant Managing Editor at What To Watch

Claire is Assistant Managing Editor at What To Watch and has been a journalist for over 15 years, writing about everything from soaps and TV to beauty, entertainment, and even the Royal Family. After starting her career at a soap magazine, she ended up staying for 13 years, and over that time she’s pulled pints in the Rovers Return, sung karaoke in the Emmerdale village hall, taken a stroll around Albert Square, and visited Summer Bay Surf Club in sunny Australia. 


After learning some tricks of the trade at websites Digital Spy, Entertainment Daily, and Woman & Home, Claire landed a role at What’s On TV and whattowatch.com writing about all things TV and film, with a particular love for Aussie soaps, Strictly Come Dancing and Bake Off


She’s interviewed everyone from June Brown — AKA Dot Cotton — to Michelle Keegan, swapped cooking tips with baking legend Mary Berry backstage at the NTAs, and danced the night away with soap stars at countless awards bashes. There’s not a lot she doesn’t know about soaps and TV and can be very handy when a soapy question comes up in a pub quiz! 


As well as all things soap-related, Claire also loves running, spa breaks, days out with her kids, and getting lost in a good book.