EastEnders

barbara windsor eastenders

Windsor once claimed that her biggest professional regret was that they only wanted unknown faces in TV’s EastEnders.

However by 1994 the makers of the series had apparently revised this stance. In 1994, Windsor’s fortunes picked up when she took over the role Peggy Mitchell (briefly played by Jo Warne in 1991). For this role she received the Best Actress award at the British Soap Awards in 1999 and a Lifetime achievement award from the same source in 2009. She continued in the role until 2003 when she took a two year break due to illness. She returned briefly in 2004 for Sam Mitchell’s wedding to Andy Hunter. She returned on a permanent basis in 2005. Soon after her return, Grant and Phil returned, marking the first Mitchell reunion since 1999. Sam left in November 2005, and Grant left in June 2006 after a short stint. Windsor continues to play the role up to this day. She has campaigned for another Mitchell family reunion on screen. Sam Mitchell (Danniella Westbrook) will return in Summer 2009. But there are no known plans for Grant to return.

She appeared briefly in the 2006 Doctor Who episode “Army of Ghosts” as Peggy Mitchell in a fictional episode of EastEnders.