Betway research lifts the lid on the most-loved Albert Square legend.
EastEnders has been airing on the BBC for as long as we can remember, with a wide range of unforgettable characters gracing our screens. From iconic villains to incredible landladies, it’s no wonder that fans have become attached to their favourite characters.
New research from Betway Casino has unveiled the best EastEnders characters ever, and it’s a close call who makes it to first place.
Using a range of metrics – including positive sentiment scores, the number of award nominations, and the number of appearances on the soap – Stacey Slater has secured the top spot in the rankings.
Played by Lacey Turner since 2004, the character boasts a standout sentiment score of 51.9, and is credited for appearing in an impressive 1968 episodes. She has also racked up 23 nominations and won 20 awards over the years.
Coming into a close second place is bad-boy Phil Mitchell. Played by Steve McFadden, his character was introduced to the BBC soap in 1990 and has since then has made quite the impression in Walford. He was involved in memorable storylines such as ‘Who Killed Archie?’ and ‘Who Killed Lucy Beale?’
Despite having a higher sentiment score of 53.9 out of 100 and appearing in more episodes than Stacey Slater, Phil’s character has only won six awards and gained 11 nominations so far.
Meanwhile, the legendary Dot Cotton appeared in 2336 episodes during their time on EastEnders and had a higher sentiment score of 56.6, but had fewer awards and nominations.
Another Walford icon who made the top 10 was Peggy Mitchell, who has the highest sentiment score of 59.8 out of 100. Played by the late Dame Barbara Windsor, the character made her first appearance in 1991 before departing in 2016.
Top 12 EastEnders characters, according to Betway
|
EastEnders |
Actor |
Role Sentiment Score |
IMDb |
IMDb Award Nominations |
Number of Episodes |
Score |
|
Stacey Slater |
Lacey Turner |
51.9 |
20 |
23 |
1968 |
83.5 |
|
Phil Mitchell |
Steve McFadden |
53.9 |
6 |
11 |
3758 |
76.8 |
|
Kat Slater |
Jessie Wallace |
52.9 |
13 |
13 |
2043 |
75.3 |
|
Alfie Moon |
Shane Ritchie |
54.7 |
12 |
8 |
1439 |
72.2 |
|
Dot Cotton |
June Brown |
56.5 |
3 |
7 |
2336 |
71.3 |
|
Peggy Mitchell |
Barbara Windsor |
59.8 |
3 |
3 |
1689 |
71.2 |
|
Mick Carter |
Danny Dyer |
52.7 |
11 |
13 |
1179 |
70.9 |
|
Ian Beale |
Adam Woodyatt |
53.9 |
3 |
2 |
3894 |
70.4 |
|
Janine Butcher |
Charlie Brooks |
57.6 |
4 |
4 |
1121 |
67.7 |
|
Steve Owen |
Martin Kemp |
55.3 |
11 |
6 |
342 |
67.6 |
|
Jack Branning |
Scott Maslen |
55.4 |
6 |
3 |
1590 |
67.1 |
|
Grant Mitchell |
Ross Kemp |
55.7 |
4 |
7 |
1111 |
66.9 |
Methodology
The study used an index methodology, using the following metrics and sources:
Data collected from IMDb and Reddit on behalf of Betway in January 2026
-
IMDb Award Wins: The number of Award wins for that show on IMDb
-
IMDb Nominations: The number of Award Nominations for that show on IMDb.
-
Number of Episodes: The number of episodes they starred in on the show, as listed by IMDb.
-
Sentiment scores: Scores measured according to Reddit comments gathered about that character and actor in the soaps.
