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Writer of Sharongate, Tony Jordan, has stated that of all the storylines he has penned for the soap, Sharongate is the one he is most proud of.

He comments " Three of the strongest characters that have ever been in EastEnders are the Mitchell brothers and Sharon ... when we actually blew that story it was incredible ... being able to reach that many people with your work is what makes EastEnders exciting.

" Sharongate's success with viewers was not equalled until six years later, in 2001, when EastEnders screened the highly publicised Who Shot Phil?

storyline.

Reporter for The Guardian, Sally Vincent, has commented on Sharongate's success: " It wasn't so much the guilt-stacked, long-drawn-out business of Sharon ' n ' Phil's helpless lust for each other-all that unseemly face-sucking while her hubby / his brother, the ape-like Grant, languished in gaol for trying to set fire to everyone-that broke the ratings record, nor was it the ingenious ruse of using the baby's alarm system to broadcast Sharon's poignant little confession to the entire clientele of Walford's Queen Vic.

It was the fact that we'd all watched Sharon grow up.

We knew that she was a nice little person, vulnerable, brave, sweet-natured and kind to the dog.

We were sorry for her ... Neither of those Mitchells deserved her, so when one punched the other into the garage pit and half-killed him for tampering with his lady-wife, we didn't much care.

We were sorry to see go.