Dame Barbara Windsor orchestrated her own character's death in EastEnders to ensure her on-screen son, Ross Kemp, would return for her final scenes. The actress, who passed away at 83 after battling Alzheimer's, struggled to learn lines and knew she had to leave the soap.
Barbara contacted executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins, who initially resisted killing off the iconic Peggy Mitchell. However, after her husband Scott Mitchell revealed Barbara's declining health, the decision was made. Barbara insisted Peggy's death was the only way to bring back Kemp, who had left in 1999.
Kemp, who played Grant Mitchell, returned in 2016 for Peggy's final episode. He said, 'Barbara is a very close friend, so when I learned of the storyline it felt right that the Mitchell brothers are reunited with their mother for the last time.'
Barbara's plan succeeded, and her final scenes aired in May 2016, showing Peggy's emotional farewell at the Queen Vic. The actress publicly stated the decision was to 'shut the door' on the character, but privately, her motive was to reunite with Kemp.
