5,500 angry fans complain as soap bosses kill Danielle

Up to 5,500 EastEnders fans have signed an online petition complaining about the death of Danielle Jones. They wanted producers to re-write the storyline to leave the possibility of a dramatic return by Danielle Jones - run over by Janine Butcher. The online petition set up by fan Vicky Cole was addressed to the show’s executive producer Diederick Santer. It said: "We’d like to express our disappointment that you have written out Danielle Jones (played by the talented Lauren Crace). "We, the fans of the show, believe it is a mistake to write out the most pivotal character in possibly the best storyline EastEnders has had. "Although we realise it may not be possible to change the storyline and bring Lauren back, we hope that you will ensure her character’s exit leaves a door open for her return." About 5,500 fans have signed the petition. Other irate viewers have left comments on the web page of Mirror soapland blogger Tony Stewart. Outraged Lizzie wrote: "The BBC should be ashamed of themselves to have misjudged the popularity of this character." Tony said: "I’ve never known such outrage over the death of a character." An EastEnders spokesman said: "We acknowledge we didn’t deliver the happy ending many hoped for."