Goodbye Peggy Mitchell
Albert Square changes forever as Peggy takes her last breath, but not without a nod to the past that is truly fitting for one of EastEnders' best-loved matriarchs.
Peggy asks Phil to set another place at the table for Grant. Grant wants Peggy to return to Portugal with him. Phil encourages Peggy to tell Grant about her cancer. Grant jumps into action asking what treatment she is receiving but she snaps; she doesn鈥檛 want any. She was going to write letters to him and Sam explaining everything. Grant is hurt and leaves; overwhelmed by all this information. He bumps into Sharon on the Square and goes with her to Ronnie鈥檚.
They talk about Peggy and Sharon tells Grant that Phil has cirrhosis. Grant feels no sympathy for him and Sharon places a hand on his cheek pleading with him to care. There is electricity between them. At No.55, Phil pleads with Peggy to tell Grant about her plan. Instead she decides to go to the Vic and toast Stacey and Martin鈥檚 wedding. Phil cannot deal with the ease with which she talks about taking her own life and goes to the Arches. He sits in the dark and can hear children with their mother playing on the swings outside.
Peggy heads towards the Vic and is struck with a sudden pain. Once it subsides she carries on walking. The sound of the karaoke can be heard from the Square. She takes a deep breath and enters. She approaches the bar where Shirley greets her. She orders champagne and enough glasses for everyone. At Ronnie鈥檚, Sharon sees Grant to the door and he admits he regrets how things panned out between them. He kisses her on the cheek and the sexual tension is palpable. Grant returns to Phil鈥檚. Phil gets agitated by Grant鈥檚 sudden appearance on the Square and they fight. Grant hits Phil in the stomach and states that he knows about Phil鈥檚 cirrhosis. He asks Phil where his money is; the money Phil lent to Kathy. Grant needs it and is in trouble. Phil tells Grant what Peggy is intending to do.
Meanwhile, Peggy goes into the Vic toilets to take a pill and Whitney enters. Whitney is taken aback when Peggy asks her twice whether Martin and Stacey have arrived. Peggy can smell cigarette smoke. As Peggy returns to the bar she is confronted by her sons. Mick allows her to take them to the barrel store to talk. She is hurt that they won鈥檛 support her decision. Grant promises to be there for her once he is back from Portugal. They are interrupted by Tracey who needs to change a barrel. They leave and Peggy stays in the Vic hallway for a moment. Linda comes out with a crate of champagne glasses and Peggy asks her to make the 鈥榗hampagne toast鈥� to Stacey and Martin on her behalf. That particular toast is Elaine鈥檚 favourite. Peggy smells cigarette smoke again and Linda assumes it is Shirley.
Once alone Peggy says a fond farewell to the pub. She heads outside and walks home with her sons. They tell her they have settled their differences. Once home she heads to bed and Grant pointedly asks her to give Phil her pills. Grant hugs her and says goodbye before heading to the Vic with Phil before his flight home. Peggy removes the clips from her hair and wipes the last of her makeup away. She goes down to the kitchen to get a glass of water. A voice asks her if she鈥檚 ok but she鈥檚 frightened. She hears something on the Square and steps outside. She focuses on a blackbird singing in a tree. Sharon spots her and offers to walk her home. Peggy warmly tells Sharon she has grown fond of her and makes her way back inside.
She notices smoke coming from the staircase. The ghost of Pat Butcher is sat there in her finery beaming at her; fag in hand. Peggy asks her to move over so she can get upstairs. In the Vic, Grant makes it clear to Phil that despite what they told Peggy things haven鈥檛 changed between them. Phil isn鈥檛 fazed when Grant threatens him. Grant grabs his bag and leaves. Meanwhile, Peggy sits at her dressing table having done her hair and applies the finishing touches to her makeup. Pat鈥檚 ghost sits watching her. They reminisce and Peggy opens the window the way her Granny used to; to let her soul fly out. Peggy talks to Pat about her decision and takes comfort in her friend being with her. Pat promises not to leave her side. In Peggy鈥檚 final moments a clock ticks as we see a letter left for Phil on the dressing table. The clock stops ticking鈥�
Martin breaks through the door to No. 5 as Kyle, Belinda, Kush and Stacey help move the toilets back into the flat.
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Clip
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Farewell to Peggy
Duration: 01:29
Music Played
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Norah Jones
Say Goodbye
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Fleetwood Mac
Dreams
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Peggy Mitchell | Barbara Windsor |
| Phil Mitchell | Steve McFadden |
| Grant Mitchell | Ross Kemp |
| Ben Mitchell | Harry Reid |
| Honey Mitchell | Emma Barton |
| Sharon Mitchell | Letitia Dean |
| Ronnie Mitchell | Samantha Womack |
| Mick Carter | Danny Dyer |
| Linda Carter | Kellie Bright |
| Lee Carter | Danny-Boy Hatchard |
| Johnny Carter | Ted Reilly |
| Tina Carter | Luisa Bradshaw-White |
| Shirley Carter | Linda Henry |
| Andrew 'Buster' Briggs | Karl Howman |
| Whitney Dean | Shona McGarty |
| Kyle Slater | Riley Carter Millington |
| Belinda Peacock | Carli Norris |
| Stacey Branning | Lacey Turner |
| Martin Fowler | James Bye |
| Sonia, Fowler | Natalie Cassidy |
| Patrick Trueman | Rudolph Walker |
| Masood Ahmed | Nitin Ganatra |
| Kush Kazemi | Davood Ghadami |
| Paul Coker | Jonny Labey |
| Pam Coker | Lin Blakley |
| Donna Yates | Lisa Hammond |
| Kathy Sullivan | Gillian Taylforth |
| Ian Beale | Adam Woodyatt |
| Dennis Rickman | Bleu Landau |
| Tracey | Jane Slaughter |
| Executive Producer | Dominic Treadwell-Collins |
| Director | Michael Owen Morris |
| Writer | Sarah Phelps |
Broadcast
- Tue 17 May 2016 19:25
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