Shooting into fourth position was the passing of Enders veteran Ethel. After coming back into the soap 15 years after she first made an appearance in the pilot episode, a very frail Ethel re-appeared on the Square in 2000.

Resigned to a wheelchair, Ethel revealed that she was dying from terminal cancer and only had a short time to live. After asking the highly religious Dot to help her end her suffering, Ethel took an overdose with the help of her lifetime friend and died in one of the most emotional moments in entertainment history.