Barbara Windsor 1937 - 2020

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Our video tribute to Barbara...

 "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

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!.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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 deteriorated it was confirmed by Barbara's husband Scott that he had taken the heart breaking decision to move Barbra into a care home. 

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Barbara passed away 10th December 2020 aged 83 and her funeral was held on 8th January 2021. Due to COVID-19 restrictions the funeral was a low key private event with only 30 people in attendance at the Golders Green Crematorium. Amongst those in attendance were her ex-Eastenders co-stars Ross Kemp, Jamie Borthwick and her good friends Anna Karen, Paul O'Grady, Christopher Biggins, Phil Turner, Gary Cockerill, Jane Moore, David Walliams and Matt Lucas. Barbara's ex colleague Dean Gaffney arrived uninvited for the funeral but was turned away due to strict attendee numbers. As Barbara's coffin entered the ceremony the Frank Sinatra song On The Sunny Side Of The Street was played and during the service mourners sang the hymns The Lord is My Shepherd and Jerusalem. The recessional music was a recording of Barbara singing Sparrows Can't Sing.

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Below: The funeral vehicle arrives adorned with a fitting floral tribute. One one side of the hearse was a display spelling 'Saucy' and on the other side another read 'The Dame'.

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Barbara in Panto Gallery
 Click on an image to enlarge

Video: News report ahead of Barbara's appearance in Aladdin on 1993 in Stevenage

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

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Barbara's Carry On Gallery
 Click on an image to enlarge

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.

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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.

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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.

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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
 Click on an image to enlarge

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

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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

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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)

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Curtain call at the Wimbledon Theatre (Cinderella, 1990)