"What a special lady, a one of a kind national treasure who will be much missed. Barbara was the very first person I saw perform in panto as a child in 1982, she started my love of panto and all things theatre, for many she will be remembered as the giggly carry on blonde or as Peggy Mitchell but for me she will forever be the ultimate Fairy Bowbells”
- Darren Chivers - Panto Archive Founder
PANTOMIME HISTORY
1950 Sleeping Beauty - Golders Green Hippodrome
1955 Red Riding Hood - Shakespeare Theatre Liverpool
1957 Aladdin - Winston Nightclub London
1970 Cinderella - Theatre Royal Norwich
1971 Cinderella - Royal Court Theatre Liverpool
1975 Dick Whittington - Richmond Theatre London
1976 Aladdin - Bradford Alhambra
1977 Aladdin - Birmingham Alexander
1978 Dick Whittington - Ashcroft Theatre, Croydon
1979 Dick Whittington - Richmond Theatre London
1980 Jack & the Beanstalk - Theatre Royal Nottingham
1981 Aladdin - Theatre Royal Nottingham
1982 Aladdin - Oxford Apollo
1983 Aladdin - Chichester Festival Theatre
1984 Dick Whittington - Orchard Theatre Dartford
1985 Aladdin - Theatre Royal Nottingham
1986 Dick Whittington - Beck Theatre Hayes
1987 Babes in the Wood - London Palladium
1988 Babes in the Wood - Churchill Theatre, Bromley
1989 Cinderella - Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage
1990 Cinderella - Wimbledon Theatre
1991 Aladdin - Derngate Theatre Northampton
1992 Cinderella - Theatre Royal Brighton
1993 Aladdin - Gordon Craig Theatre Stevenage
1994 Cinderella - Anvil Theatre, Basingstoke
1995 Cinderella - Orchard Theatre, Dartford
2010 Dick Whittington, Bristol Hippodrome
Dame Barbara Windsor, DBE (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 1937 in Shoreditch, London) was an English actress, known for her appearances in the Carry On films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders. Barbara began her career on stage in 1950 at the age of 13 and made her film debut in The Belles of St Trinian's (1954). She received a BAFTA Award nomination for the film Sparrows Can't Sing (1963), and a Tony Award nomination for the 1964 Broadway production of Oh, What A Lovely War!.
As a child Barbara's mother paid for her to have elocution lessons, and she trained at the Aida Foster School in Golders Green, making her stage debut at 13 and her West End debut in 1952.
From 2011 Barbara would regularly stand in for Elaine Paige on her BBC Radio 2 show on Sunday afternoons between but from 2014, Windsor was given her own series on the radio station called Ladies of Song.
In December 2015 She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to charity and entertainment.
In May 2017 Barbara appeared in a cameo role about her life in the BBC film production Babs written by EastEnders scriptwriter Tony Jordan, showing Windsor in the 1990s as she prepares to go on stage and recalls events from her life, including her childhood and marriage to gangster Ronnie Knight, as well as her rise to fame as part of the Carry On cast.
On 10th May 2018 news broke that Barbara had been suffering from Alzheimer's for the past few years but her condition was worsening meaning she would no longer be making public appearances. In July 2020, as her condition deteriated it was confirmed by Barbara's husband Scott that he had taken the heartbreaking decision to move Barbra into a care home.
Barbara in Panto Gallery
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Video: Clip from Dick Whittington in 2010 at the Bristol Hippodrome - Barbara's last panto
Video: Barbara marks her 60th year in showbiz - 2010 Bristol Hippodrome
Video: Barbara stars in a TV Ad for the 2010 panto Dick Whittington
1964 Carry on Spying - Daphne Honeybutt
1967 Carry on Doctor - Nurse Sandra May
1969 Carry on Camping - Babs
1969 Carry on Again Doctor - Goldie Locks
1969 Carry on Christmas
1970 Carry on Again Chistmas
1971 Carry on Henry - Bettina
1972 Carry on Matron - Nurse Susan Ball
1972 Carry on Abroad - Sadie Tompins
1972 Carry on Christmas - Carry on Stuffing
1973 Carry on Girls - Hope Springs
1973 Carry on Christmas
1974 Carry on Dick - Harriet
1977 That's Carry On
Barbara's Carry On Gallery
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Barbara joined the cast of the long running BBC soap EastEnders in 1994 as Peggy Mitchell, head of the infamous Mitchell clan. In 1999 she won the British Soap Award for Best Actress. Barbara Windsor made Peggy an iconic role and she felt very at home as Landlady of the Queen Vic.
In October 2009 Barbara announced she was to leave her role as Peggy, saying she wanted to spend more time with her husband. On 10 September 2010 her character left Albert Square after a fire at the Queen Victoria pub, of which she was the owner.
In July 2013, it was announced that Windsor was to return for a one episode, which aired on 20 September 2013.
She again returned for a single episode on 25 September 2014 and made a further appearance for EastEnders 30th anniversary on 17 February 2015.
In February 2015, alongside Pam St. Clement (Pat Butcher), she took part in EastEnders: Back to Ours to celebrate 30 years of EastEnders. Windsor and Clement looked back on some of their characters' most dramatic moments.
In November 2015, Barbara secretly filmed a return to EastEnders, which was shown in January 2016. After this, it was confirmed that the character would be killed off later in the year. This was at Barbara's request, as she said that as long as Peggy was alive, she would always be drawn back to playing her.Her last appearance aired on BBC One on 17 May 2016.
Barbara's Eastenders Gallery
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MOVIE APPEARANCES
1954 The Belles of St Trinian's
1955 A Kid for Two Farthings
1956 Tears for Simon
1959 Make Me a Million
1960 Playgirl After Dark
1961 Flame in the Streets
1961 Operation Snafu
1962 Hair of the Dog
1962 Death Trap
1963 Sparrows Can't Sing
1964 Crooks in Cloisters
1965 San Ferry Ann
1965 A Study in Terror
1968 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
1971 The Boyfriend
1973 Not Now Darling
1977 Come Spy With Me
2010 Alice in Wonderland
2016 Alice Through the Looking Glass
TV SHOWS
1958 On With The Show
1961 Armchair Theatre
1961-1963 The Rag Trade
1962 The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre
1962 A Christmas Night with the Stars
1963 The Plane Makers
1967 Before the Fringe
1968 Dad's Army
1968-1969 Wild, Wild Women
1969 The Rolf Harris Show
1970 Up Pompeii!
1975 Carry on Laughing
1980 Worzel Gummidge
1987 Filthy Rich and Catflap
1987 Super Gran
1988 The Management
1989 Bluebirds
1991 You Rang M'Lord
1993 The Great Bong
1995 One Foot in the Grave
2006 Doctor Who
THEATRE APPEARANCES
1952 Love From Judy
1955 Many Happy Returns
1958 Keep Your Hair On
1958 The Gimmick
1959 Fing's Aint Wot They T'be
1964 Oh! What a Lovely War
1965 Twang
1967 The Beggar's Opera
1970 Sing a Rude Song
1972 The Threepenny Opera
1972 The Owl and the Pussycat
1973-1975 Carry on Londom
1975 Carry on Barbara
1975 Twelfth Night
1979 Calamity Jane
1981 Entertaining Mr Sloane
1981 The Mating Game
1984 The Mating Game
1988 Guys and Dolls
1989 The Mating Game
1991 Guys and Dolls
1993 Entertaining Mr Sloane
1994 Pussy in Boots (Adult panto)