Tonight, we say goodbye to one of soap’s most loved icons, as Barbara Windsor bows out of EastEnders, after having played the Mitchell matriarch Peggy Mitchell for sixteen years. Our favourite barmaid could only watch in horror last night, as she saw her beloved pub, The Queen Vic explode in a ball of flame, following a tense stand-off with her estranged son, Phil Mitchell.
Tonight, as the Mitchell family struggle to come to terms with the previous night’s traumatic events, Peggy realises that she must move away and start afresh, if the rest of the family are ever going to move out of her shadow, therefore bringing down the curtain on a glorious and tempestuous time in Albert Square.
Peggy was first cast in Walford back in 1991, and Barbara took over in 1994. Since then, has been involved in some of the soap’s biggest storylines, from battling breast cancer, regular run-ins with Sharon Watts, and three doomed marriages to the likes of clueless Frank Butcher and the devious Archie Mitchell. Barbara received the Best Actress gong at the 1999 British Soap Awards, and received a Lifetime Achievement award at the same ceremony a decade later.
After a two-year absence between 2003 and 2005, whilst fighting the Epstein-Barr virus, Barbara returned to EastEnders at the end of 2005. Last October, she announced her decision to quite EastEnders, so she could spend more time with her family and her third husband, Scott.
Peggy’s impact on Albert Square and Barbara’s time in EastEnders will never be forgotten. She is similar to what Ken Barlow is to Coronation Street and Harold Bishop to Neighbours, a true soap icon. Everyone working at the BBC and those who watch EastEnders will certainly miss her presence.
Best wishes for the future Barbara.
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