Den's death boosts Eastenders

The BBC have reported that 14 million viewers tuned in to watch the death of Dirty Den Watts last night.

13:00 19 February 2005

The BBC have reported that 14 million viewers tuned in to watch the death of Dirty Den Watts last night.

The hour-long special marked EastEnders' 20th anniversary and unofficial figures have indicated that the much-maligned soap received a much needed boost.

Initial reports suggest last night's episode saw an audience average of 13.7 million, peaking at 14.2 million in the last 15 minutes.

If confirmed, the figures will be soap's biggest TV audience in over a year.

Den's death came 16 years after he was supposedly shot in 1989.

But after he returned to the show in September 2003, the programme became blighted by poor storylines and declining figures.