LnsideSoap says

Editor Steven Murphy thanks Barbara for her time... Goodnight, Dame Barbara. The first time I met her, we were booked to have a meeting at the posh Langham Hotel in London. Barbara wasn’t feeling too good – but being Barbara, she didn’t want to cancel, so she invited me to her home instead. Answering the door in her comfy clothes and baseball cap, she welcomed me like an old friend, and immediately made me a cup of tea. Not only was I totally starstruck to be sitting in the living room of a legend, I was also paralysed with fear that I’d spill tea all over her immaculate cream sofa! But within minutes, we were gossiping away like old mates. We met many times after that event, and we always enjoyed a frank discussion on the state of soap. Barbara was a real ambassador for the whole industry; always up to date on the characters and the plots in the other shows. I wondered if she was just sussing out the competition, but it was more than that. She admired and respected the other soaps, and of course understood their hard work. Barbara would always be the first to congratulate a rival soap if it was their year at an awards ceremony, and was always sure to mention the whole industry when it was time for EastEnders to pick up a gong. As for Peggy, well, there’s only a handful of soap characters who can be summed up in one catchphrase; one where every single person in the country knows who it’s from, even if they’ve never watched an episode. That’s true cultural impact. Barbara was a true star, a formidable pro, and a great person.