After 37 years away, Anita Dobson has returned to EastEnders in honour of its 40th anniversary to reprise her legendary role of Angie Watts.
Appearing in the form of a vision in the original costume her character wore back in 1985, Angie Watts graced the halls of The Queen Vic once again to support her beloved daughter, Sharon Watts, who was seen fighting for her life as she lay under rubble following an explosion in The Queen Vic.
As helpless Sharon drifted in and out of consciousness during the aftermath of the explosion, she saw the only person who could truly help her feel safe in that moment 鈥� her mum, the one and only Angie Watts.
Speaking on the decision to bring Angie Watts back for the 40th anniversary, Chris Clenshaw, EastEnders Executive Producer says: 鈥淎ngie Watts is undoubtedly one of EastEnders most formidable and iconic landlady鈥檚. Since the very first episode, Anita instantly created a character that the audience adored and she not only shaped EastEnders into the show it is today, but also had a huge impact on British television. Anita was of course top of our ultimate wish list when we were discussing what we would love to include in our special anniversary week, so it was the best birthday present we could ever receive when she said yes. Watching Angie Watts grace the halls of The Queen Victoria, 40 years to the day she made her first appearance in Walford, is a day we will never forget as we all celebrate this show that has played such an important part in British television. Happy birthday EastEnders.鈥�
Interview with Anita Dobson
After 37 years, how did it feel to step back into the role of Angie Watts for the shows 40th anniversary?
I have to say a huge thank you to everyone on the EastEnders team for making me feel so welcome. It was joyful. When I first put the costume on, it was like 鈥榃ow鈥�. It was very wonderful and weird at the same time.
How difficult has it been to keep this secret? Did you tell anyone?
I obviously told Brian, but I honestly haven鈥檛 told anybody! It鈥檚 been really hard because so many people that I鈥檓 really close to have said 鈥榦h are you going back?鈥� because I鈥檝e gone back to do the documentary, so it鈥檚 been so hard not to say anything. But, I鈥檝e been a really good girl and I鈥檝e kept my little mouth shut because I didn鈥檛 want there to be any spoilers! [Laughs]
It鈥檚 been over three decades since you took on the role. Did you do anything to get yourself back into the role, or did it all come flooding back to you as soon as you stepped foot in The Vic?
She鈥檚 always there at the blink of an eyelash. She鈥檚 inside me, and she always will be.
What was it like to act alongside your on-screen daughter, Letitia Dean, once again?
Like stepping back into warm water. It was absolutely lovely. That鈥檚 what clinched it for me. When they initially asked if I would come back when I was filming for the documentary, I wasn鈥檛 really thinking of the whole picture at first, and then when they said Letitia had said that she鈥檇 like me to do it with her, I thought 鈥榦h my god, I can鈥檛 say no to seeing my baby again.鈥� It was very emotional. Incredibly emotional in a lovely, happy way. Working together again was seamless. We didn鈥檛 really think about it, or talk about it, or even rehearse it that much because we just did it. It was lovely. She鈥檚 a gorgeous human being and a lovely little actress.
You鈥檙e often regaled as one of the show鈥檚 most iconic landladies. Are you proud to have played a part in the EastEnders rich history, and to be regarded so highly for your storylines?
Massively so. I feel honoured. People often say to me, 鈥榦h do you get fed up with it鈥� and I say 鈥榓bsolutely not鈥�. If there is one thing in my career that I think went incredibly well, it was Angie Watts, and I鈥檓 so proud of all the things that she bought to me. A few parts have come along for me in my career where they just fit like a glove, and Angie was a classic example of that. It was no effort to play her at all. She was a delight. As soon as I saw the scripts I thought 鈥榯his one is a good one鈥�.
When you joined the cast all of those years ago, did you have any inkling that the show and your character would have had such an impact?
I had no idea at all. I don鈥檛 think any of us did because even though I was in the middle of my career when I started, and so was Leslie, we were all unknown. All we really thought at the time was that we had a really good job that paid well for quite a long time. I didn鈥檛 have a clue that it would go as well as it did, but I have to say, when we watched the first episode go out in the canteen at Elstree, Leslie and I were quite close together, and I remember looking at him. He looked at me and did this funny little grin, and I thought 鈥榶eah it鈥檚 good isn鈥檛 it鈥�. I think I was shocked at how well it had come over, and that was the first tiny little inkling we had that we might have been on to something wonderful.
What are some of your fondest memories from your time on the show?
Oh gosh, there is so much. The comradery. We had a little gang; there was me, Sandy Ratcliff, Letitia Dean, Susan Tully and Gillian Taylforth, and the five of us used to go out of an evening because we wanted to hang out together. We鈥檇 often go for lunch in a little caf茅 that used to be in the high street when we had a little break. That was something that stayed with me all my life. The tightness of that group. We didn鈥檛 just work together, we liked being together. It made it all the more fun.
Of course, I have to say that our storylines, in particular the Watts鈥� storylines were cracking, weren鈥檛 they? It was so good. I鈥檇 like to say a big thank you to all the writers because they really did create something magical. You can鈥檛 do it alone, it鈥檚 always team work in this business. It鈥檚 got to be the writing, the performance, the direction, the way it鈥檚 shot, the way it looks, everything. Everything has to come into play, and the cameramen too. We had fantastic cameramen. So, I think it was a lucky moment in my life if I鈥檓 honest. I鈥檇 been waiting an awful long time for a break, a big break, and I didn鈥檛 have any clue when I got the part [of Angie Watts] that she was it, but it just fitted like a pair of new shoes, or a new dress, and I loved it. Suddenly it took off in a way that I couldn鈥檛 have imagined, and it changed my life.
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