EastEnders 40th Anniversary: Jaime Winstone opens up about reprising young Peggy Mitchell role - 'It's such an honour'

Actress Jaime Winstone is set to reprise her role as the iconic East End landlady Peggy Mitchell in scenes airing throughout the 40th anniversary week. She will appear in hallucinations of Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) as a young version of the character, who was famously played by the late Dame Barbara Windsor from 1994 until 2016.

Jaime said: “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.”

The actress first appeared as a young Peggy in a special flashback episode which was aired in September 2022, and also played a young Barbara Windsor in the 2017 TV biopic Babs. Her return comes as Phil struggles with his mental health, with viewers already having seen the character attempt to take his own life.

Speaking of the storyline, Jaime said: “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.”

She added: “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.”

The scenes will be aired during EastEnders’ 40th anniversary week, during which an hour-long special episode, a live episode, and two documentaries will also air. Jaime said that the show’s momentous milestone would have made Dame Barbara “so proud” and “completely blown away”.

She said: “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.”

EastEnders 40th Anniversary week kicks off on Monday, February 17 at 7.30pm on BBC One.