There’s just one important thing missing from EastEnders’ 40th anniversary

With a live episode, an interactive viewer vote and the return of Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) on the way, EastEnders is pulling out all the stops for its 40th birthday celebrations. But, for a show that loves to lean gloriously into its history, there’s just one thing missing. We need to talk about Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) and Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean). Let’s put a pin in the BBC soap’s other pressing matter – whether suspect Ian is responsible for the attempted murder of cheating ex-wife Cindy (Michelle Collins) – and delve into his lost connection with best mate  Sharon.

For anyone needing a refresher course on why this pair no longer speak, it all started when Ian found out about Sharon’s teenage son, Denny’s (Bleu Landau), hateful behaviour towards Ian’s son Bobby (Clay Milner Russell). Ian locked Denny in a cabin on board The Queen Vic’s party boat, and Denny drowned, with Ian failing to come clean over his role in the tragedy. In revenge, Sharon ordered Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) to attack him. She then married Ian in hospital, and began poisoning him, spiking an infamous spaghetti carbonara in order to kill him. He cottoned onto Sharon’s plan, but after a showdown, guilty Ian tried to eat the toxic meal anyway.

Having second thoughts over watching him die, Sharon stopped him, and Ian fled Albert Square. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video. Up Next. In 2023, Ian returned for good. He and Sharon cleared the air, and she helped Ian build bridges with his mum Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth). Yet, strangely, Sharon and Ian haven’t been in contact since.

This is a crying shame for these beloved original characters, who once shared a strong bond. With such a huge EastEnders milestone imminent, it just feels wrong for Ian and Sharon to remain estranged. They grew up together, and there was a time we could trust that they would always support each other. So, can they ever get back to normality?. Well, plenty of soap characters have forgiven each other for worse. After all, we’ve yet to understand how Ian comfortably reunited with Cindy, overlooking the fact that she once had him shot via a hitman!.

Maybe Sharon could broach that subject again, and in a classic, dark night of the soul two-hander, Ian could delve into how on earth he managed to get over Cindy’s misdeeds – thus eventually salvaging things with Sharon, too. It could be cathartic to see Ian bring up ‘that time you tried to bump me off’ in casual conversation. Imagine Sharon’s wide-eyed reaction, and Ian smiling teasingly.

This would also be a fun way for EastEnders to humbly poke fun at its more bonkers storylines, instead of reflecting only on its extensive catalogue of greatest hits. Sharon is a lifelong family friend of the Beale dynasty, and has maintained a close relationship with Kathy; all the while having nothing to do with Ian. Although we could attribute Sharon and Kathy’s bond to The Six’s ongoing pact, Kathy often references her old pal, Sharon’s adoptive mum Angie (Anita Dobson), as the reason she will always look out for her.

The ties that bind them have allowed these women to weather many storms, from Sharon’s affair with Phil while he was engaged to Kathy, and yes, even Sharon’s attempts on Ian’s life!. Surely, then, Ian and Sharon can overcome the dark period that broke their friendship. This is, after all, the perfect time to repair and revive it. If we’ve missed the moment to face the elephant in the room head-on, EastEnders is familiar with simply glossing over eventful arcs. Remember when Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) visited Ireland in search of her long-lost son, only for him to be revealed as a killer?.

Although very in keeping with the genre, this spin-off plot twist has never been discussed on the main show – and, frankly, we got over this continuity error a long time ago. By the laws of soap land, enough time has now passed for Ian and Sharon to brush her vendetta conveniently under the carpet. When Sharon and Ian chatted during his showstopping comeback, there was still plenty of warmth to draw from.

This is a key ingredient for any longstanding soap alliance. Amid the drama Sharon has been surrounded by lately, and the betrayal Ian has endured, where better to find some heart than between these platonic soulmates?. Across four decades, deaths have been faked, marriages split up and villains thwarted; but some fixtures and fittings of Walford are as stable as ever. Just as Tracey (played by fellow show veteran Jane Slaughter) belongs in The Vic, Sharon and Ian belong in each other’s orbits.