Millions see EastEnders Babs bow out
MILLIONS of EastEnders fans watched spellbound last night as cancer-stricken Peggy Mitchell dramatically bowed out of Albert Square.
Former Queen Vic boss Peggy, played by Dame Barbara Windsor in the BBC soap for more than 20 years, died after overdosing on pills.
She ended her life with the spectre of another landlady, Pat Butcher, inspiring her in her darkest hour.
The drama had been building for weeks and ailing Peggy told her son Phil, played by Steve McFadden, 57, that she wanted to “take control” of the situation.
Dame Barbara, 78, said: “Everyone knows I love EastEnders and that will never change.
“Peggy is a character close to my heart but I made the decision a while ago that I need to say goodbye to her once and for all. Otherwise she will always be there, urging me to go back, and that is something I need to shut the door on.
“After thinking long and hard about it, I realised that it is time for me and the audience to say our final farewells to the lady who I have loved for many years.”
The much-anticipated episode also featured Peggy’s other son Grant Mitchell, played by Ross Kemp, 51.
Iconic
Ross returned to the show after a 10-year absence because he felt he had to play a part in seeing off Dame Barbara. He said “We’re very close. Steve McFadden and I love her, so it was emotional.
“She’s saying goodbye to Peggy, who – apart from her roles in the Carry On films – will be the definitive character that she plays.
“So it’s about paying tribute to Barbara, who’s an iconic human being, both on-screen and off.”
Dame Barbara made her debut in EastEnders in 1994 and played Peggy full-time until 2010.
Subsequently she has revived the Walford stalwart for occasional appearances.
Barbara was made a Dame by the Queen at Buckingham Palace in March.
The cast and crew of EastEnders donned pretend crowns as they welcomed her back to the show to start filming the day before her trip to the Palace.
Everyone involved in filming her return bowed and curtseyed to the star when her final six-week stint before the cameras began.
As the landlady of the Queen Vic and mother of the hardmen Mitchell brothers, Peggy was much loved for her feisty temperament.
Peggy was initially played by Jo Warne in 1991. But the part was recast three years later and Dame Barbara made it her own.