Why Dame Barbara is a real national treasure
EASTENDERS star Ross Kemp has revealed he sees his return to the soap after a 10-year absence as a tribute to much-loved actress Dame Barbara Windsor.
Ross, 51, is back playing hard man Grant Mitchell as his screen mum Peggy Mitchell, played for two decades by Barbara, dies.
And in a candid interview, he told how filming the final tragic scene was deeply moving for him and Steve McFadden, 57, who plays his brother Phil.
He said of Barbara, 78: “She’s a legend and a friend and a treasure. We’re very close. Steve and I love her, so it was emotional.
Compelling
“She’s saying goodbye to Peggy, who – apart from her roles in the Carry On films – will be her definitive character.
“So, ultimately, it’s about paying tribute to Barbara, who’s an iconic human being, both on and off screen.”
Ross revealed he changed the script so his first line was “Hello, Mum” to Peggy as she neared death from cancer.
He praised Barbara for making her exit a compelling story.
“It’s highly emotional all the way through my scenes with Barbara,” he said. “I think she should be admired. She could have just walked away from EastEnders.
“She’s been to a lot of effort. She didn’t have to do it – it’s because she loves the fans. The British public love her and she’s always been a public servant. That’s why she’s a Dame of the British Empire. I call her Dame Babs, of course.”
Since leaving EastEnders, Ross has filmed a number of hardhitting documentaries from war zones and said he found going back to the soap “surreal”.
“It was a bucket-load of mixed emotions,” he recalled.
“There was a lot of warmth there. But it does bring back memories of dreadful times in your personal life, too.
“My grandparents died when I was on that set. I went to the funerals but I should have been with them when they were in hospital and I wasn’t.”
Asked if there was a knack to portraying Grant, he replied: “If there is, I’ve lost it. I’ve been too busy dodging bullets in real life.
“Learning my lines was like pouring treacle into my head.”
Former Queen Vic boss Peggy dies in EastEnders next Tuesday, bringing Barbara’s 22 years of playing the Albert Square matriarch to an end.
However, eagle-eyed viewers may spot Ross in the show this week.
A BBC spokeswoman explained: “He has a small appearance in one episode this week. He will feature in a few episodes now, then return later in the summer.”
ROSS KEMP has revealed that filming Dame Barbara Windsor’s final scenes on EastEnders was “emotional”. He is not the only one sad to see Peggy Mitchell leaving Albert Square for good, it is the end of an EastEnders era.