Strong Female Characters (Matriarch)

In EastEnders we meet a collection of characters all there to provide different reactions to the audience. One of the most enjoyable and most vouched for type o character in most modern day television series is a lead, strong female character like Peggy Mitchell.

Peggy Mitchell who is played by Barbara Windsor from 1994-2010, for a staggering 16 years the courageous character who, battled so many aspects and whose Independence as a woman shone through her living.

Family always came first for this East End matriarch, whose life revolved around her wayward children. Nothing happened in the Mitchell family that Peggy didn’t know about.

The pint-sized publican never pulled her punches. And while she happily poured you a shot, she was equally keen to get shot of manipulative hubby Archie Mitchell with real bullets. Sadly would-be hit man son Phil bottled out before he could pull the trigger.

Peggy’s battled cancer with the same determination as she’s battled local government for change in Walford - although she was a little bothered when Mayor Boris biked into her borough.

Romance has always been messy for Peggy, whether it was splitting up with scheming Archie hours after their wedding, or a messy love triangle involving Pat Evans and Frank Butcher.

Her beloved Queen Vic was sadly taken from her clutches, when her wayward son’s battle with booze and drugs led to an emotional showdown, resulting in him setting the landmark alight. Her heartache and suffocating love for him aided her decision to walk away from Walford.

One thing’s for certain - Peggy was certainly a queen of the Vic and her words “get outta ma pub!” will never be forgotten.          These are some important dates and events that have occurred during the past year:

10 Sept 2010
Devastated by the Vic fire, and her family relationships strained more than ever, Peggy leaves the Square to start a new life.

09 Sept 2010
Helplessly watches her beloved Queen Vic burn to the ground. Phil starts the blaze after an explosive confrontation between mother and son.

07 Sept 2010
Learns from Stacey that she actually killed Archie.

06 Sep 2010
Locking Phil in the living room of the Queen Vic to make him kick his habit.

31 August 2010
Being drawn back to visit Sam as she's goes into labour.

20 August 2010
Visiting Sam in prison and discovering that she is pregnant.

19 August 2010
Discovering Phil's descent into drug use.

12 August 2010
Getting a surprise from Roxy - the Queen Vic is hers again.

03 August 2010
Being blamed by Phil for losing Ben and Louise.

23 July 2010
Being left on her own in the Vic as the family move out.

3 June 2010
Getting revenge on Harvey's two-timing by throwing him out of the Vic naked!

31 May 2010
Telling Pat she's found another lump, but is later relieved to discover it's just a cyst.

29 April 2010
Starting to secretly date Harvey, as does Pat.

19 April 2010
Cracking open the whiskey and confessing to Pat that she's withdrawn from the election.

13 Apr 2010
Clashing with Pat over the elections – and over their attraction to local journalist Harvey.