Ferreiras say goodbye

It's a bad night for the Ferreiras as gangster Johnny Allen forces them out of Albert Square - for good.

17:52 22 March 2005

It's a bad night for the Ferreiras as gangster Johnny Allen forces them out of Albert Square - for good.

But there are likely to be few tears as the most unpopular family in Walford leave after a string of rubbish storylines.

In the latest plot, Johnny was not impressed to find that three of his cars were stolen and blamed the Ferreiras - demanding that they leave town immediately.

He also took Toucan cars as payment, ensuring that they have little to come back to even if they dare return.

The family are the latest characters to face the axe as EastEnders bosses struggle to attract more viewers to the soap in its 20th anniversary year.

New arrivals Jake and Danny Moon are also on their way out, while Dirty Den's dramatic exit last month provided BBC bosses with a double whammy by boosting ratings while getting rid of a troublesome actor.