Fans pan BBC’s Doctor Who-like Windsor drama
THE BBC drama about Dame Barbara Windsor’s life has been slated by viewers who said all the jumping around in time made it feel like Doctor Who.
The programme recounted the veteran star’s rise to fame through flashbacks, with a total of four people playing the actress.
But viewers said the “confusing” format left them baffled, likening it to sci-fi show Doctor Who.
One wrote on Twitter: “It’s like The 5 Doctors! The 4 Babs #DoctorWho.”
“I guess #babs is the new #DrWho she’s doing more time traveling than most episodes,” said another.
Another viewer complained: “This #Babs thing is more confusing than the most confusing Moffat Doctor Who episode.”
One person shared a video clip of the Time Lord’s Tardis whirling through space and joked: “EXCLUSIVE: Deleted scene from #Babs.”
The show delved into the dark stories that plagued the star’s personal life before she began her 22-year stint as Peggy on EastEnders — including her turbulent relationship with her father and her rocky marriage to first husband Ronnie Knight.
Some scenes saw the older version of Dame Barbara (played by Samantha Spiro) with her father, watching as the younger version (played by Jaime Winstone) lives her life.
But people watching said the “disjointed narrative” made it difficult to keep up.
“I felt that could’ve been so much better. Maybe I’m comparing it to the Cilla biopic. Narrative all over the place. Such a shame,” complained one disappointed viewer.
One person tweeted that the structure made them feel they had “early onset of dementia”.
Another said it was “as irritating as fleas”.
“Perhaps sticking to a simple narrative might’ve been better than this flashback/dream rubbish,” suggested one.
Actress Winstone also came under fire, with many viewers suggesting she was miscast.
But there was praise for Spiro, who viewers said “nailed” her portrayal of the TV veteran in her 50s.
“Not loving Jaime Winston as #babs Sam Spiro on the other hand is killing it!” tweeted one pleased viewer.
A cameo appearance by the actress herself also went down a storm.
Dame Barbara (79) appeared at the end of the drama to sing On The Sunny Side Of The Street.
“AWWWW The Real #babs at the end !!” gushed one viewer, while another said the biopic came to life when the actress appeared.