June Brown has signed a new ‘EastEnders’ contract.
The 91-year-old actress will carry on portraying Dot Cotton on the BBC One soap for the foreseeable future after she put pen to paper on a new deal, and show bosses are "delighted" she is sticking around.
A source said: "BBC bosses know June has a huge fanbase and she’s a big draw for older viewers.
"She’s a real character and the rest of the cast and crew love her too. They want her to be on the show as long as she feels comfortable acting, so they are delighted she has agreed to renew her contract."
June has portrayed her chain-smoking Christian character in two big stints since 1985, and she is said to enjoy her time in Albert Square "immensely".
The source added to The Sun newspaper: "June finds working regularly keeps her feeling young at heart and she enjoys the job immensely."
June first stepped foot in Walford in 1985 and remained on the soap until 1993, when June quit after being unhappy about her co-star Peter Dean (Pete Beale) being given the chop.
In the soap, Dot moved away from Albert Square, but June returned in 1997 and has remained on the show since, aside from a six-month break in 2012 to write her autobiography.
The actress – who turns 92 in February – hasn’t been seen on screen much of late, and earlier this year she appeared on ‘100 Years Younger in 21 Days’.
In the show, several celebs underwent a number of unusual treatments, such as splashing urine on their face and allowing snails to crawl over them, to try to lose a collective 100 years from their faces.
She starred alongside former Walford wonder Sid Owen – who has played Ricky Butcher on and off since 1988 – in the ITV programme, and he has since admitted she has been trying to convince show bosses to get him back on ‘EastEnders’.
The 46-year-old star said: "I’ve known her since I was 16 so that’s 30 years.
"I still see her about and we’ve always got on well.
"She was trying to convince me to come back to ‘EastEnders’. She was like, ‘I’m going to have a word and get you back.’ "
June Brown signs new EastEnders deal
