They hit Walford like a hurricane back in 2000, and have been causing mayhem ever since – September 18th marks 25 years since the Slater family arrived in EastEnders, a rowdy group of formidable female characters, with the odd long-suffering fella also along for the ride, who became one of the soap’s most iconic clans.

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Kat, Zoe, Little Mo and Lynne, along with dad Charlie and nan Big Mo, were the original line-up, later joined by the likes of Stacey, Jean, Sean, Hayley, Belinda and various children and partners.

To mark the momentous occasion of notching up a quarter of a century on screen, RadioTimes.com looks back at the rowdy family’s history with our specially-chosen countdown of their top 10 memorable moments, in descending order. Three guesses for what number one is…

10. Moving in (September 2000)

Packed into a transit van, the rowdy Slaters picked their moment to move in, arriving on the day of Walford legend Ethel Skinner’s funeral. They soon shattered the sombre mood of an Albert Square in mourning with their sibling squabbles and screeching over who was getting the biggest bedroom. We also discovered early on Big Mo was an old enemy, and former sister-in-law, of Pat Evans. Their showdown in the Vic at Ethel’s wake was one of many we’d be treated to over the years.

9. Charlie dies (January 2016)

The Slaters are undoubtedly a matriarchy, but downtrodden dad Charlie did his best to keep his girls together. Bemused by the drama that surrounded him, avuncular Charlie was a calm constant who the family adored. His death from a heart attack with daughter Kat at his side provided a degree of poignant closure for the Slaters’ most painful trauma. Charlie had blamed himself for not stopping his brother Harry abusing Kat as a child, but as he took his dying breath, Kat tearfully forgave her father. No, you’re crying…

8. Kat's fake funeral (March 2018)

After a few years living in Ireland (in what we now know is the ‘parallel universe’ of Redwater), word reached Walford Kat had passed away. But reports of Kat’s death turned out to be greatly exaggerated, as Big Mo had faked her granddaughter’s death as part of a bungled moneymaking scam. A wake was held in the Vic where everyone wore Kat’s signature leopard print and toasted her memory – only for the deceased to stroll through the door asking who’d died.

7. Sean's killer confession to Jean (May 2019)

Stacey’s brother Sean was a rare alpha male among the clan. Hot-headed, tormented and prone to violence, the reasons behind the bad boy’s unstable behaviour were explained when he admitted he always blamed himself for his dad’s death. Teenage Sean punched his parent in a fight, who subsequently died of a brain haemorrhage. Years later he made an emotional confession to mum Jean, who stopped her guilt-ridden son from taking his own life during her own brave battle with cancer. Powerful stuff.

6. Kat’s wedding is interrupted by Alfie (November 2003)

The glint in his eye, the loud shirt, full-length leather jacket – Kat’s romance with her ‘man in the moon’ Alfie began as a slow burn back in 2002 when they both pulled pints in the Vic. The chemistry was instant, but fans had to wait before they got together. Swept off her feet by gangster Andy Hunter, Kat was about to marry him when Alfie stormed the ceremony and declared his love for her. It’s had its ups and downs, but Kat and Alfie’s relationship remains at the heart of the Slaters.

5. Stacey confesses to killing Archie (February 2010)

An epic ‘whodunnit’ was resolved in EastEnders’ first ever live episode to mark the soap’s 25th anniversary in 2010. A few months earlier, evil Archie Mitchell was bludgeoned to death with the Queen Vic bust, sparking a national debate as to who bumped him off. Stacey tearfully revealed to Max Branning (more of him later) it was her, after husband Bradley took the fall – literally – and died trying to escape the cops. Lacey Turner had laryngitis and had to practically whisper: “It was me!” live to the nation. What a pro.

4. Lily discovers she's pregnant (January 2023)

Stacey’s 12-year-old daughter Lily went to hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning after passing out at a house party, but routine tests revealed she was pregnant, which was news to everyone – including Lily herself. It was down to Stacey to break the news to her confused little girl, who had no idea she was expecting. Turns out Lil and Jack’s son Ricky had done the deed once, but that’s all it takes, and nine months later along came baby Charli. Lillia Turner’s heart-wrenching performance as Lily when Stacey reveals the pregnancy marked her out as a leading lady for the next generation of Slaters.

3. Stacey and Max's affair revealed (December 2007)

EastEnders always pulls it out of the bag at Christmas, and 2007’s festive season was perhaps the most unforgettable since Den served Angie divorce papers back in 1986. Self-destructive Stacey’s secret affair with boyfriend Bradley’s womanising dad Max had begun a year before, but the ticking time bomb of deceit exploded on Christmas Day when evidence of their indiscretion caught on a DVD was played to the entire family – including Bradley, along with Max’s wife Tanya. It was explosive, emotional, and Max stayed in his Santa suit the entire time.

2. Little Mo hits Trevor with an iron (December 2001)

Mild-mannered Little Mo’s marriage to abusive Trevor was one of soap’s most impactful portrayals of domestic violence. The acclaimed storyline reached a shocking peak when Mo, having endured years of physical and psychological abuse, finally fought back against her bullying husband and whacked him over the head with an iron when he attacked her. Trevor survived, and his abused wife stood trial for attempted murder. His reign of terror eventually ended when he died in a fire nearly a year after the iron incident.

1. Kat tells Zoe she's her mother (October 2001)

The family’s darkest secret had stayed hidden for 18 years – Kat fell pregnant as a teenager after being sexually abused by her uncle Harry, and was forced to pretend her daughter Zoe was her sister to conceal the scandal from the family.

In the middle of an argument, Zoe yelled at Kat she couldn’t tell her what to do because (all together now): “You ain’t my mother!” Kat couldn’t keep quiet a moment longer and gave the immortal reply: “Yes I am!” It’s one of the most quoted lines of dialogue in British TV history. Kat was originally meant to whisper the line to Zoe, but it was Jessie Wallace’s idea she scream it down Bridge Street at the top of her lungs to express the magnitude of the moment. Where the Slaters are concerned, it’s always better to do it louder.

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Authors

Johnathon HughesSoaps Writer, RadioTimes.com
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