Gretchen was a veteran stage & screen actress who played the part of mischievous Ethel Skinner to perfection. The scenes with her dog Willy reminded me a bit of Mrs Pumphrey & her pampered Peke Tricky Woo on All Creatures Great & Small. Ethel was always good for a laugh, much needed as Eastenders has had a reputation for endless bickering & fighting at times. The story line of her assisted death was one of the most controversial & moving.