It's been six months since EastEnders reintroduced Dot's granddaughter Dotty – a decade since we'd last seen her as a child.
Milly Zero now plays the role of Dotty, having taken over from Molly Conlin – who previously played her.
Dotty's recasting has become somewhat of a talking point recently, with Nasty Nick actor John Altman telling The Sun that June Brown would have apparently preferred the original Dotty actress to come back, instead of casting someone new.
However, we're big fans of Milly's version of Dotty here at Digital Spy. In fact, we think her fascinating alter ego is the one Albert Square character to watch right now – and here are just a handful of reasons why...
1. It's in her DNA
The obvious place to start with Dotty is her historic roots to the Square, and boy, has she got a lot of them.
As the granddaughter of one of EastEnders' most legendary characters in Dot and the daughter of the show's notorious villain – Nick Cotton – there's no arguing that Dotty is Walford through and through.
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Hardcore viewers will know that Nick appeared in the very first episode of EastEnders and passed away during the show's 30th anniversary celebrations in 2015. His mum Dot has also been in the show since 1985, making her one of the show's longest-running characters behind Ian and Sharon.
Dotty therefore has strong, unyielding roots to Walford – and with good and bad Cotton blood coursing through her veins, it's hard not to spot her legacy.
2. She's a complex character
Fans may remember young Dotty as being a bit of a terror, initially scheming with her dangerous dad Nick to con Dot out of her money. And when the news broke that Dotty was being reintroduced, we expected more of the same.
Billed as "sharp-witted and with an eye for human weakness", Dotty immediately aroused suspicions – both on screen and off – when she strode back into the Square. During the Christmas episodes, her family and fans alike jumped to the conclusion that she was the guilty culprit who'd tried to steal Dot's money.
But Dotty wasn't to blame (was she, Sonia?), and as the months have gone on, we've seen there are many more layers to her than the scheming schoolgirl we were presented with a decade ago.
While some fans have spotted parallels between Dotty and infamous bad girl Janine, we've also seen some intriguing contrasts. Kind-hearted but cutting, naughty but nice, tough but vulnerable – Dotty's unpredictability is making her one of the most exciting characters to watch right now.
3. She's fiercely loyal
One of the characteristics that's becoming increasingly apparent in Dotty is her loyalty and her clear ability to see right from wrong.
Thankfully, Dotty's reputation and roots to her villainous father don't appear to have preceded her, and she's had no trouble making friends in the Square.
Whether it's Dennis, Bex, Bobby, Vinny, or, more recently, Peter (more on that to come), Dotty has found a trusty gang of pals in Walford and will go out of her way to have their backs.
However, you don't want to get on the wrong side of her. Just ask Ian. Hmm, speaking of which...
4. She's carrying the biggest Walford secret
We've told you she's unpredictable, and no-one knows about that more than Ian Beale. Ian experienced Dotty's more sinister side first hand when she got wind of his guilt over Dennis Rickman's death and used it to blackmail him.
Dotty is currently the only character who knows that Ian locked Sharon's young son down on the lower deck of the boat before it crashed, meaning she's carrying all the cards when it comes to Walford's biggest secret. And Milly – who plays Dotty – felt the pressure too.
"It's a big responsibility, Dotty being the only one who knows how Dennis died", Milly told Digital Spy recently. "It's the first time Dotty has been involved in her own storyline as well, as she has always just been on the side of other people's stories."
5. She can go up against the big guns
Milly has only been playing the role of Dotty for half a year and she's already shared scenes with pretty much all of the show's stalwarts – June Brown (Dot), Letitia Dean (Sharon), Adam Woodyatt (Ian) and Steve McFadden (Phil).
But while bolshy Dotty has no qualms going up against Ian and Phil, it was a different story for Milly, who was a little nervous about the prospect.
"At first I was nervous, but [that's] because they've been there so long", she told us. "They are so chilled about it though, so that makes you chilled about it.
"We ended up having such a laugh on set, and because they are so professional, they can be laughing up to the last minute and then just switch on this amazing acting performance. I've learned so much working with them, and it's an honour really."
6. She's about to couple up with Peter
Even without reading our spoilers, fans will have seen this one coming a mile off. Yep, it looks like Dotty is about to embark on a romance with Peter Beale, breaking the heart of his little brother Bobby in the process.
Whether Dotty and Peter can navigate their way to being EastEnders' newest power couple remains to be seen, but both Milly and Dayle Hudson (who plays Peter) reckon they make a great match.
Milly said: "Peter has had things in his past like Lucy dying and she's had stuff happen as well, and they've both come to the Square and found each other. She can't ignore that.
"He's funny, he makes her laugh and he brings out this soft, girly side to her – she starts wearing all these cute, glittery tops around him. I think it does bring out the girly side to her."
While Dayle added: "There is a part of Dotty that's so interesting to Peter. He's never met anyone like her before and it's exciting seeing where that could go.
"I do think he really likes her and is interested in getting to know her. There's nice common ground between the two of them with being the black sheep of the family and no-one really understanding them. They connect on that."
7. It's all about faaamily
With Dot currently not in the show, Dotty's become a bit of an outsider where family's concerned, paving the way for endless new story opportunities.
With Dotty's estranged half-brother Charlie over in Ireland, and other members of the Cotton family floating about too, there's every chance we could see some returning faces, – and even some new ones – while she's still in the Square.
"That would be really interesting", Milly told us. "She is a bit of a lone wolf right now. Even though she lives with Sonia and Whitney, she isn't really related to them and they don't really have her back in the way that family does.
"So I think that would be really interesting, I'd be really keen to explore that."
EastEnders is currently airing on Monday nights at 8pm and Tuesday nights at 7.30pm on BBC One.
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