A well-loved Jewish character on EastEnders has died, as part of a storyline which saw him return in October last year.

Dr Harold Legg, the GP in the fictional East London borough of Walford where the show is set, passed away in Friday’s episode of the popular soap opera, with his deathbed scene including recollections of how the character met his on-screen wife – during the Battle of Cable Street.

Dr Legg appeared as a regular character on the show between 1985 and 1989, and in a recurring role until 1997. As played by Leonard Fenton, Dr Legg made a number of cameo appearances in subsequent years, but returned for a storyline which began in October 2018.

As part of that storyline, viewers were made aware of rising antisemitism in the UK, with an episode in which the doctor discovers that his parent’s graves have been vandalised with antisemitic graffiti. He was then shown to have suffered a collapse when a swastika was painted on his own front door.

In Dr Legg’s final scene, watched by millions of UK viewers, his long-time friend, Dot Cotton, attempts to cheer him up by showing him a DVD of the Battle of Cable Street, which the character was supposed to have taken part of as a young man.

While describing meeting his wife during that anti-fascist protest, the character passed away.

Following the episode, the BBC tweeted: "Dr Harold Legg. An EastEnders icon from the very first episode. Here's to Leonard Fenton for his wonderful presence over the decades."

The next episode of EastEnders, which will air on Tuesday, will feature a number of original characters returning to the show for the funeral of the much-loved doctor.