EastEnders: Peggy’s return watched by 6.3 million

It’s been three years since Peggy Mitchell strolled out of Walford but her return Friday night failed to draw an increase in viewers to EastEnders.

An average of 6.3million viewers tuned in at 8.00pm on BBC One as Peggy (Barbara Windsor) returned to visit her son Phil (Steve McFadden) in hospital following his dramatic car crash earlier this month.

The episode featured an after-credits scene in which she left a bottle of gin outside the former home of Pat Butcher (Pam St Clement). It was explained at the time of Pat’s death that Peggy was unable to return for the funeral in 2012 as she was on a cruise.

Barbara Windsor speaks out on EastEnders

In a interview on ITV’s This Morning earlier this week, Barbara Windsor revealed that Pam was axed from the show after she wanted some time off.

“[What happened to] Pam was a disgrace, we never understood it. She told me she wanted a little time off and next thing I know she’s phoning me up saying ‘can I come and see you?’ and she looked at me her face with big tears and she went ‘they’re killing me off Bar’.”

Barbara Windsor left the show in September 2010.