She’s back! Anita Dobson makes a surprise return as the iconic Angie Watts.
It’s been 37 years since Angie Watts last graced Albert Square, but in a stunning twist, the legendary EastEnders landlady made an emotional comeback for the soap’s 40th anniversary. As Sharon Watts fought for her life in the aftermath of a devastating explosion at The Queen Vic, she was visited by a vision of her beloved mum, played once again by Anita Dobson.
Reflecting on her return, Anita shared her excitement at stepping back into Angie’s shoes: ‘It was joyful. When I first put the costume on, it was like “Wow”. It was very wonderful and weird at the same time.’
The secret of her comeback was a tough one to keep, as she admitted: ‘I obviously told Brian, but I honestly haven’t told anybody! It’s been really hard because so many people that I’m really close to have said, “Oh, are you going back?” and I’ve had to keep my little mouth shut!’
Working alongside Letitia Dean again was another huge draw for the actress. ‘Like stepping back into warm water. It was absolutely lovely,’ she said. ‘When they initially asked if I would come back, I wasn’t really thinking of the whole picture at first, but when they said Letitia wanted me to do it with her, I thought, “Oh my god, I can’t say no to seeing my baby again.” It was incredibly emotional in a lovely, happy way. Working together again was seamless.’
She also reflected on the show’s early days and the impact it had: ‘I had no idea at all. I don’t think any of us did. We thought we had a really good job that paid well, but when we watched the first episode at Elstree, Leslie looked at me with this funny little grin, and I thought, “Yeah, it’s good, isn’t it?” That was the first inkling we had that we were onto something wonderful.’
As for her fondest memories, Anita cherishes the friendships formed during those early years: ‘The camaraderie. We had a little gang; me, Sandy Ratcliff, Letitia Dean, Susan Tully and Gillian Taylforth. We didn’t just work together, we liked being together. It made it all the more fun.’
With such an unforgettable history, could this return pave the way for more Angie appearances in the future? While EastEnders keeps its secrets close, one thing is for sure – Angie Watts will always be the Queen of The Vic in the hearts of fans.
EastEnders continues LIVE tomorrow from BBC Elstree on BBC One at 7.30pm