One of EastEnders’ greatest unique selling points is its ability to tap into its own history, and that of its many iconic clans.
Once again, we are set to take a step into the past of the Mitchell family, with Jaime Winstone taking on the pivotal role of Dame Barbara Windsor’s ‘force of nature’ TV legend Peggy Mitchell.
What viewers will see is Phil, consumed by psychosis, find himself talking both to his mum and a younger version of himself as he battles with crippling depression.
And it will lead to some major discoveries and developments as the show heads to its 40th anniversary in dramatic, emotive and spectacular fashion.
Here, Jaime shares her joy at reprising the role of Peggy, hails EastEnders for its dealing with mental health storylines and ponders the show’s standing 40 years on.
How did it feel to step back into Peggy Mitchell’s shoes?
Peggy Mitchell is so iconic – everybody refers to her still, everybody knows her, and it’s such an honour. When I knew I was going to be reprising the role, at first, you go, ‘Wow, this is really exciting’, then you read the context of the script and get into it.
We all grew up with Peggy in our front rooms, so it’s an overwhelming feeling because she’s such a strong, amazing character.
How did you get into character again?
To get into playing Peggy, I re-watched her most iconic moments. I had to separate me knowing Barbara Windsor in real life, playing Barbara in ‘Babs’ and taking on the role of Peggy now twice.
I think it really all hits home when it’s time for the wig. As soon as I put that wig on in the makeup chair, I always feel such warmth and confidence because I feel like Barbara’s giving me the go-ahead.
The moment the wig goes on, everybody is quiet in the makeup room. It happens, and then, all of a sudden, I look at myself in the mirror, and the giggle comes out, and she’s just there, she just makes her presence known.
Peggy is one of Albert Square’s most loved characters. What do you think made her and Barbara’s performance so iconic?
Barbara was such a phenomenal actress. When Peggy came along and into our front rooms, she was a tiny bundle of motherhood and a force of nature.
For me, the interesting journey was understanding why Peggy was the way she was. When we did the flashback episode, there were so many pieces of the puzzle showing why Peggy was so feisty, so proud of her boys and fiercely protective – all because of the stuff she’d gone through.
She’s a real representation of a woman who had been through domestic violence and had to protect her children.
Did you enjoy exploring a new chapter in Peggy’s past, albeit through Phil’s hallucinations?
It was magical to take those things and create something new with it. Peggy was one of the first female characters we saw on screen who was running the show.
It’s very rare you get an opportunity to play such an iconic character with new stuff rather than doing a biopic or taking what we’ve got from the history books and playing it out so people can see what really happened.
It was new material and filling in the gaps for everybody who watches at home. It felt very exciting.
If you could choose any events in Peggy’s life to flash back to, what might they be?
There are obviously moments I’d love to re-enact – all the slaps. The iconic Peggy and Pat slap would be so epic. I think that would just be so fun because of the dialogue in it, the fierce relationship that they had, the love/hate, mutual respect thing that finally happens. But like I said, with this role it’s so great because I’ve got to reenact the missing pieces of the puzzle, and I feel very lucky and honoured.
Your flashback is part of a mental health storyline. What about EastEnders makes it so good at tackling these issues?
I think the show grabs the bull by the horns in that sense. There is such a stigma around men’s mental health, particularly. I think the way the writers haven’t rushed this storyline has been incredibly important. EastEnders has been so clever doing this story with such a beloved character and an amazing actor.
Steve McFadden (Phil) has just done an amazing job committing to where his journey is going, and it’s been so important and handled so carefully because it is a tough subject to talk about.
This isn’t just a storyline, this does happen to the ‘big guys’, the people you think are tough. I think it’s so great that a UK soap is doing this storyline now with a character we’re all so committed to. It’s very bold and brave and I think we need to see more of that on television.
What do you think the secret is to EastEnders’ longevity?
The show is not afraid to ‘go there’. I think it grabs people’s hearts, and it makes us all feel at home. When I get ready or get into a character, I usually listen to a soundtrack or something that takes me into that world. But the only thing I could hear when I was preparing for this role was the ‘doof, doof’.
EastEnders gives people what they want – good, hard-hitting, important drama. I have so much respect for the actors and the production. It’s a fully well-oiled machine, and it blows my mind. We had a day to get all this heavy stuff done, but they trust you with it, allow you to go there and it’s pretty incredible what they achieve.
What do you think Barbara Windsor would make of EastEnders reaching the landmark 40th?
She’d be so proud, for sure and completely blown away. I remember having conversations with her when we were doing ‘Babs’, and up until she joined EastEnders, Barbara was always kind of struggling, working but not really fitting in.
Then suddenly, EastEnders came along and swept her off her feet and made her the Dame she was and is. It held a very special place in her heart. Hopefully, we’ll be getting the nod of approval and the little black bird sitting out on the window.
