Jaime Winstone on "uncanny" Phil and Grant in EastEnders flashback

She promises viewers will be impressed with the young duo's likeness to their present day characters.

The Mitchells in 1979 in EastEnders' flashback episode, sat around a dining table.

BBC

Published: Tuesday, 30 August 2022 at 8:01 am

Jaime Winstone has praised the casting for the younger Phil and Grant Mitchell in EastEnders' flashback special, saying their likeness is "uncanny".

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The star has taken on the role of Mitchell matriarch Peggy (made famous by Dame Barbara Windsor) in the 1979 tale of the clan.

We'll go back in time to see the beloved characters, as Phil (Steve McFadden) revisits the past in a bid to work out what DCI Keeble (Alison Newman) really wants from him. In doing so, we meet Phil as he was before a lifetime of near-death experiences and arrests!

Actor Daniel Delaney has been cast as Phil, while Teddy Jay plays his younger brother Grant (best known as portrayed by Ross Kemp). Speaking about the episode, Winstone made a point of saying how impressively similar the stars are compared with their original counterparts.

Jaime Winstone as Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders.

Jaime Winstone as Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders. BBC

"Steve McFadden gorgeously came on set to see the boys, the lovely [two] playing Phil and Grant, who do an amazing job; really, really amazing job," Winstone said.

"He came on set and just gave a lot of advice to the actor playing Phil. I mean, it's absolutely uncanny, you're going to be like 'What?!' It's like... down to the boys and everything!"

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The star said that she watched Peggy's first ever episode to prepare for her EastEnders debut.

"I watched her first episode, and then I watched a sort of random one in the middle, and then I watched her final, just so I had an arc of her journey and I knew where to begin. But I kind of left the rest alone."

Winstone previously played Barbara Windsor herself in biopic Babs – and said it was tough to get out of the habit of playing the woman behind the character.

"There were elements of it being like, 'Okay, I know Barbara,' but there were moments of really having to shake Barbara," she explained. "I can't tell you how long it took to shake her wiggle when I did Babs, and that laugh. It's still very much there when I've had a glass of wine!"

EastEnders will air the Mitchell flashback episode on Monday 5th September at 7:30pm.

Read more:

Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch check out our TV Guide or visit our Soaps hub.

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Authors

Laura Denby in front a white background, she is smiling and looking at the camera

Laura DenbyFreelance Writer

Laura Denby is a Freelance Soaps writer covering all the latest news in the Dales, Cobbles and East End for Radio Times. She's a soaps nerd with a love for comedy drama, and has also written for Digital Spy, Metro UK and Yahoo UK.

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