BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...

Mitchell family The Mitchell family is a fictional family in the UK soap opera ''EastEnders''. They were first introduced in February 1990, when brothers Phil ( Steve McFadden) and Grant Mitchell ( Ross Kemp) bought the local garage, the Arches. Their siste ...

Danniella Westbrook Danniella Westbrook (born 5 November 1973) is an English actress and television personality. She is best known for playing Sam Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Westbrook has also presented various television shows and was a conte ...

Kim Medcalf Kim Louise Medcalf (born 8 December 1973) is an English actress and singer. She is best known for portraying the role of Sam Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2002–2005, 2022–2024). Career ''EastEnders'' In late 2001, Kim Med ...

Diederick Santer Diederick Santer (born 3 July 1969) is a British television producer and is best known for his work on the popular BBC television soap opera ''EastEnders'', a post which he assumed on 23 October 2006 and left on 1 March 2010. He was Chief Execu ...

Peggy Mitchell Peggy Mitchell (also Butcher) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Peggy was initially played by Jo Warne when she first appeared in the episode broadcast on 30 April 1991, featuring in 10 episodes. Peggy was rein ...

Barbara Windsor Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the Carry On (franchise), ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders''.

Phil Phil may refer to: * Phil (given name), a shortened version of masculine and feminine names * Phill, a given name also spelled "Phil" * Phil, Kentucky, United States * Phil (film), ''Phil'' (film), a 2019 film * -phil-, a lexical fragment, used as ...

Steve McFadden Steve Robert McFadden (né Reid; born 20 March 1959) is an English actor whose career has spanned three decades. He rose to prominence for his role as longstanding character Phil Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'', which he has ...

Ross Kemp Ross James Kemp (born 21 July 1964) is an English actor, author, and television presenter. He rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. His other roles include Graham Lodsworth in ''Emmerdale'' and ...

elopement Elopement is a marriage which is conducted in a sudden and secretive fashion, sometimes involving a hurried flight away from one's place of residence together with one's beloved with the intention of getting married without parental approval. A ...

Ricky Butcher Ricky Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Sid Owen. Introduced as a school boy in 1988, Ricky is one of the longest-running male protagonists to feature in ''EastEnders''. Owen originally left the ...

Sid Owen Sid Owen (born David John Sutton; 12 January 1972) is a British actor, television presenter and former singer from London, who played Ricky Butcher in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (1988–2000, 2002–2004, 2008–2012, 2022–2023). He a ...

Bianca Jackson Bianca Jackson (also Butcher) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders,'' played by Patsy Palmer. The character was introduced by executive producer Leonard Lewis and appeared initially from 1993 to 1999, when Palmer opt ...

Patsy Palmer Julie Anne Merkell (''née'' Harris; born 26 May 1972), known professionally as Patsy Palmer, is a British actress and DJ. After appearing as Natasha in the children's drama series ''Grange Hill'' (1985–1987), she came to prominence for her p ...

Sharon Watts Sharon Watts (also Mitchell, Rickman and Beale) is a fictional character from the BBC One soap opera, ''EastEnders'', played by Letitia Dean. Sharon was one of ''EastEnders'' original characters conceptualised by creators Tony Holland and Jul ...

Letitia Dean Letitia Jane Dean (born 14 November 1967) is an English actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Sharon Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. An original cast member from 1985 to 1995, she reprised the role from 2001 to 2006, and ag ...

antagonists An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.Steve Owen (

Martin Kemp Martin John Kemp (born 10 October 1961) is an English musician and actor, best known as the bassist in the new wave band Spandau Ballet and for his role as Steve Owen in ''EastEnders''. He is the younger brother of Gary Kemp, who is also a ...

) and wife-beater Trevor Morgan (

Alex Ferns Alexander Ferns (born 13 October 1968) is a Scottish actor and television personality. His role in ''EastEnders'' as Trevor Morgan from 2000 to 2002 was described as "Britain's most-hated soap villain". He also played the role of Rick Harper ...

); feuding with the rival

Watts family The Watts family are a fictional family in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. The family consists of Den Watts, Den (Leslie Grantham), Angie Watts, Angie (Anita Dobson), Sharon Watts, Sharon (Letitia Dean), Dennis Rickman, Dennis (Nigel Harman ...

that involves Sam sleeping with Sharon's half-brother

Dennis Rickman Dennis Rickman is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Nigel Harman. He made his first appearance on 14 April 2003 at the funeral of his late mother, Paula, before going on to become one of the show's centra ...

(

Nigel Harman Nigel Derek Harman (born 11 August 1973) is an English actor. Beginning his career as a child actor, he has played various roles across theatre, stage and television, including as Sky Masterson in Michael Grandage's revival o ...

) and later getting conned by their illegitimate father

Den Watts Den Watts is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by actor Leslie Grantham. He became well known for his tabloid nickname, "Dirty Den". Den was the original landlord of The Queen Victoria public house from Albert ...

(

Leslie Grantham Leslie Michael Grantham (30 April 1947 – 15 June 2018) was an English actor who played "Dirty" Den Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He was a convicted murderer, having served 10 years for the killing of a West Germany, West German ...

); getting seduced in a relationship with crime boss Andy Hunter (

Michael Higgs Michael Higgs (born 14 February 1962) is an English actor best known for prominent roles in two long-running television series: Eddie Santini in ITV1's ''The Bill'', and Andy Hunter (EastEnders), Andy Hunter in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders' ...

) and later marrying him; being betrayed by family lawyer Marcus Christie (

Stephen Churchett Stephen George Churchett (10 April 1947 – 11 January 2022) was an English actor and writer. Life and career One of his most notable roles was as solicitor Marcus Christie in ''EastEnders'', on and off from 1990 to 2004. He reprised the role ...

) when he collaborates with Den's plan to bankrupt the Mitchell Empire; a platonic friendship with Phil's friend

Minty Peterson Rick "Minty" Peterson is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Cliff Parisi. He made his first appearance on 11 March 2002. In his initial appearances, he was credited with the name "Rick". His nickname was give ...

(

Cliff Parisi Cliff Parisi (born Clifford R Manley; 24 May 1960) is an English actor and businessman, known for his roles as Minty Peterson in the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Fred Buckle in the BBC period drama ''Call the Midwife''. In 2019, he ...

); a lengthy feud with Den's widow Chrissie (

Tracy-Ann Oberman Tracy-Ann Oberman (born Tracy Anne Oberman; 25 August 1966) is an English actress, playwright and narrator. She is known for roles including Chrissie Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2004–2005, 2024) and Valerie Lewis or "Auntie Va ...

) that culminates in the latter framing Sam for Den's murder; an affair with local club owner

Jack Branning DI Jack Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Scott Maslen. He made his first appearance on 29 October 2007. He is the youngest child of Jim ( John Bardon) and Reenie Branning (Joy Graham) and the ...

(

Scott Maslen Scott Alexander Maslen (born 25 June 1971) is an English actor and model, best known for his portrayal as DS Phil Hunter in the ITV police drama series ''The Bill'' and Jack Branning in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' since 2007. He also too ...

) that leads to the birth of their son

Ricky Branning The following are characters who first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' during 2010, listed by order of first appearance. Executive producer Diederick Santer left ''EastEnders'' on 26 February 2010, handing over to Bryan Kirkwood, ...

(Henri Charles/Frankie Day); becoming a suspect in the murder of her uncle Archie (

Larry Lamb Lawrence Douglas Lamb (born 1 October 1947) is an English actor and radio presenter. He played Archie Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', Mick Shipman in the BBC comedy series ''Gavin & Stacey'' and Ted Case in the final series of ...

); feuds with

Kat Slater Kat Slater (also Moon and Mitchell) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Jessie Wallace. She was also played by Kate Peck in a flashback in 2001 and Sumar-Elise Sandford in a flashback in 2018. Kat is the ...

(

Jessie Wallace Karen Jane Wallace (born 25 September 1971), known professionally as Jessie Wallace, is an English actress. She made her acting debut in the television police series ''The Bill'' and rose to prominence for her role as Kat Slater on the BBC so ...

) and

Denise Fox Denise Fox (also Wicks and Johnson) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Diane Parish. She made her first appearance on 11 May 2006 and temporarily left ''EastEnders'' in early 2008 to give birth to her se ...

(

Diane Parish Diane Carol Richards (born 6 November 1969), known professionally as Diane Parish, is an English actress, who has been portraying the character Denise Fox on the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' since 2006. A graduate of the Royal Academy of D ...

); scheming with Phil's rival

Jonah Tyler The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' in 1998, by order of first appearance. Lola Christie Lola Christie is played by Diane Parish. Lola was introduced as a love interest for Mick McF ...

(Mark Mooney) in taking over the family assets; discovering that her son Ricky is becoming a father at twelve years old; and publicly revealing Phil’s one-night stand with Emma Harding (

Patsy Kensit Patricia Jude Francis Kensit (born 4 March 1968) is an English actress and singer. Beginning her career as a child actor, Kensit gained attention when she acted in a string of commercials for Birds Eye frozen peas. She went on to appear in films ...

), which leads to her departure from the show.

Creation and development

Casting

The character Sam Mitchell was introduced in July 1990 by ''EastEnders executive producer Michael Ferguson as the young sister of the Mitchell brothers,

Phil Phil may refer to: * Phil (given name), a shortened version of masculine and feminine names * Phill, a given name also spelled "Phil" * Phil, Kentucky, United States * Phil (film), ''Phil'' (film), a 2019 film * -phil-, a lexical fragment, used as ...

(

Steve McFadden Steve Robert McFadden (né Reid; born 20 March 1959) is an English actor whose career has spanned three decades. He rose to prominence for his role as longstanding character Phil Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'', which he has ...

) and Grant (

Ross Kemp Ross James Kemp (born 21 July 1964) is an English actor, author, and television presenter. He rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. His other roles include Graham Lodsworth in ''Emmerdale'' and ...

). Sam was one of several characters introduced by the producer in the summer of 1990. Others included

Eddie Royle The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' in 1990, by order of first appearance. Harry Osborne In January 1990, a mysterious old man ( John Boswall) is seen lingering around Albert Square. ...

(

Michael Melia Michael Melia (born 25 July 1945 (in a preview of an episode of '' In Suspicious Circumstances'' where Melia plays Freddie Mills, the actor comments that the boxer died on his birthday)) is a British actor best known for his work on television. ...

), and three generations of the Tavernier family. As the casting team had successfully cast the actors who were playing Sam's brothers, they already knew what facial attributes they needed for Sam to create a similar family resemblance. Producer

Corinne Hollingworth Corinne Ann Hollingworth (born 25 May 1952) is a British television producer and executive, best known for her contributions to British soap operas, including BBC's ''EastEnders'' and five's ''Family Affairs''. Hollingworth has gained a reputatio ...

has commented, "we'd decided on Steve cFaddenand Ross empand we knew the sort of round, open face we needed. We saw Danniella (Westbrook) first and liked her, then saw some others, but came back to her." The actress, a graduate of the Sylvia Young Theatre School, had already appeared in the soap aged 11, as an extra who rollerskated across the soap's fictional setting of

Albert Square Walford is a fictional borough of East London in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. It is the primary setting for the soap. ''EastEnders'' is filmed at Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, towards the north-west of London. Much of the location work i ...

in front of the characters

Den Den may refer to: * Den (room), a small room in a house * Maternity den, a lair where an animal gives birth Media and entertainment * ''Den'' (album), 2012, by Kreidler * Den (''Battle Angel Alita''), a character in the ''Battle Angel Alita'' ...

and

Angie Watts Angie Watts is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Anita Dobson from the first episode of the series in 1985 until 1988, when Dobson decided to leave, and the character was written out. Angie is well known f ...

. At the time, Westbrook's local paper ran a story on her with the punchline, "who knows, one day she might be the show's star". Eighty girls auditioned for the part of Sam, but these eighty were eventually whittled down to four. On her final casting callback, Westbrook bumped into actors

Michelle Gayle Michelle Patricia Gayle (born 2 February 1971) is a British singer, songwriter, actress and writer. Gayle had success as a Contemporary R&B, soul and R&B singer in the 1990s, having achieved seven top 40 single (music), singles in the UK Single ...

and

Sid Owen Sid Owen (born David John Sutton; 12 January 1972) is a British actor, television presenter and former singer from London, who played Ricky Butcher in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (1988–2000, 2002–2004, 2008–2012, 2022–2023). He a ...

, who were already on the ''EastEnders'' cast as

Hattie Tavernier Hattie Tavernier is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Michelle Gayle between 5 July 1990 and 21 December 1993. Hattie and her family were introduced in July 1990 by producer Michael Ferguson (director), Mich ...

and

Ricky Butcher Ricky Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Sid Owen. Introduced as a school boy in 1988, Ricky is one of the longest-running male protagonists to feature in ''EastEnders''. Owen originally left the ...

respectively. Westbrook already knew Gayle, whose character was to be Sam's screen best friend, and she introduced her to Owen, whose character was scripted to be Sam's boyfriend. According to Westbrook, she liked Owen right from the start and was amused by his response of "You're a bit of alright. You can be Sam!". On Westbrook's last audition, she and the other hopefuls were forced to stand for a lengthy period in front of a panel of the show's producers, directors, and writers while they continuously compared images of the auditionees to images of Kemp and McFadden, looking for a resemblance. Westbrook was given the part. She has commented, "they told me they were looking for someone bright and bubbly, who could be the sister of Phil and Grant, and my round face fitted." In the character's first scene, Sam walked past Ricky Butcher and gave him a "flirty backward glance", causing him to walk into a lamp-post. Westbrook was initially given a three-month contract with the soap, but halfway through her contract the producers extended it as they felt "the character of Sam had gelled well with the others and they wanted to include her in more storylines". Westbrook has said that the cast and crew became like a second family to her, with the roles in the soap mirroring their relationships off-screen. In her autobiography she comments, "Sid

wen Wen, wen, or WEN may refer to: * One of several Chinese surnames: ** Wen (surname 文) ** Wen (surname 溫) ** Wen (surname 闻) * Wen, alternate spelling for Wynn (Ƿ ƿ), a letter of the Old English alphabet * Wen, common name for trichilemmal ...

and I became very close ..we were as thick as thieves. When we weren't shooting together we'd hang out ..Once Sid and I got so bored hanging around on set that we decided to take the milk float for a spin around Albert Square, but Sid drove it too fast and turned it over ..we couldn't stop laughing, but the producers didn't seem to share our amusement. We were seriously told off that day." She has described other actors like Michelle Gayle,

Letitia Dean Letitia Jane Dean (born 14 November 1967) is an English actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Sharon Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. An original cast member from 1985 to 1995, she reprised the role from 2001 to 2006, and ag ...

,

Adam Woodyatt Adam Brinley Woodyatt (born 28 June 1968) is an English actor. He is known for his role as Ian Beale in the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', a role he has portrayed since the show's inception in 1985, making him one of the shows longest ...

and

Nick Berry Nicholas Berry (born 16 April 1963) is a retired English actor and pop singer. He is best known for his roles as Simon Wicks in ''EastEnders'' from 1985 to 1990, and as Constable, PC Nick Rowan in ''Heartbeat (British TV series), Heartbeat'' f ...

like brothers and sisters, and has said she was very close to older cast members such as

June Brown June Muriel Brown (16 February 1927 – 3 April 2022) was an English actress and author. She was best known for her role as Dot Cotton on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (1985–1993; 1997–2020). In 2005, she won Best Actress at the Inside ...

,

Wendy Richard Wendy Richard (born Wendy Emerton; 20 July 1943 – 26 February 2009) was an English actress, best known for her television roles as Miss Shirley Brahms on the BBC sitcom ''Are You Being Served?'' from 1972 to 1985, and Pauline Fowler on the ...

, Mike Reid and

Gillian Taylforth Gillian Taylforth (born 14 August 1955) is an English actress. She is known for her role as Kathy Beale on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', as well as appearing as Jackie Pascoe on ITV's ''Footballers' Wives'' (2002–2006) and Sgt. Nikki W ...

. She has also revealed that her off-screen relationship with actors McFadden and Kemp mirrored her character's on-screen one: "In the soap they were my older brothers, always looking out for me, making sure I didn't get into trouble, and off set they were exactly the same."

Personality and characterisation

The character has been described by Hilary Kingsley, author the ''EastEnders Handbook'', as a "tease ..a pretty girl who thinks she can get anything she wants, thanks to her own brand of sexy wheedling." She adds that Sam is "a lot sharper than her brothers ..and contrives to do just what she wants in the face of their attempts to stand in for their dead father ..Sam loves excitement and doesn't frighten easily. She's a user, able to get almost anyone to do what she wants." Kate Lock, author of ''EastEnders Who's Who'', has described Sam as "Headstrong, streetwise and pretty ..a chip off the old Mitchell block, though her methods of manipulation are marginally more subtle than er brothers One bat of a sooty eyelash is enough to charm most men into submission and she can wind doting mum Peggy round her little finger ..

hen Hen commonly refers to a female animal: a female chicken, other gallinaceous bird, any type of bird in general, or a lobster. It is also a slang term for a woman. Hen, HEN or Hens may also refer to: Places Norway *Hen, Buskerud, a village in R ...

she returned to the Square

n 1999 N, or n, is the fourteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages, and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...

Sam had lost her kittenish cuteness and hardened up, becoming more EastEnd moll than Barbie doll." Describing the character in 2002, actress

Kim Medcalf Kim Louise Medcalf (born 8 December 1973) is an English actress and singer. She is best known for portraying the role of Sam Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2002–2005, 2022–2024). Career ''EastEnders'' In late 2001, Kim Med ...

said, "She wears her heart on her sleeve. She so wants to settle down that she doesn't select men well. She goes for people too quickly. She likes the danger aspect – the thrill of the chase. She loves guys with a dangerous edge ..She's had a tough upbringing. She didn't know her dad and her older brothers bossed her around. She needed to find herself and has done it by being independent and going away. She's headstrong and has a definite independent streak." She has added that Sam has a problem with women, as she "finds it quite hard to relate". When Westbrook regained the role in 2009, she compared the differences between how she and Medcalf played the character: "When Kim was playing Sam she was quite hard, but he Sam who returns in 2009is more the Sam I've always played. She's bright, colourful, flirtatious – and trouble. The only difference is she's more tanned, more blonde and more wrinkled!" When Medcalf returned to the role in 2022, she was asked if Sam had changed since she last played her. Medcalf responded: "She is a little bit harder, she has had to really toughen up and grow up. She's lost her mum which has devastated her and I think she's really feeling that she has to up her game." In an interview in 2023, Medcalf expressed her "enjoyment" of playing the role: "Sam is a joy to play — although she does say things that you read on paper and you think, "Oh my god, really? You are really going to say that, Sam?" But the reason I love this character so deeply is that I don't think she's a nasty person. She doesn't think about things, and she's got very little filter. She will defend herself, and if someone goes for her or her family, she'll go for them. She's strong like that. She's made some really stupid decisions, but I believe she's a good person and capable of being really empathetic."

Westbrook's initial stint (1990–2000)

Teen elopement

During her first stint in the soap, the character was involved in various high-profile storylines surrounding her teen elopement to

Ricky Butcher Ricky Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Sid Owen. Introduced as a school boy in 1988, Ricky is one of the longest-running male protagonists to feature in ''EastEnders''. Owen originally left the ...

(

Sid Owen Sid Owen (born David John Sutton; 12 January 1972) is a British actor, television presenter and former singer from London, who played Ricky Butcher in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (1988–2000, 2002–2004, 2008–2012, 2022–2023). He a ...

). Westbrook has said that within days of her first appearance, the interest in the character was "phenomenal": "The public couldn't get enough of the simmering relationship between Ricky and Sam and the show was inundated with calls from the press .. am and Rickywere involved in a plotline about under-age sex, so the press swooped in on that." To the anger of her family, Sam persuaded Ricky to elope to Gretna Green in July 1991. The week's worth of episodes focusing on their marriage were filmed on-location and have been described by former ''EastEnders'' scriptwriter,

Colin Brake Colin Brake (born 1962) is an English television writer and script editor best known for his work for the BBC on programmes such as '' Bugs'' and ''EastEnders,'' or '' Greenborne''. He has also written spin-offs from the BBC series ''Doctor Who ...

, as a "farce-like chase round the country". Written by Debbie Cook, the storyline saw Ricky and Sam's families, including Sam's mother Peggy (

Jo Warne Josephine Margaret Warne (2 January 1938 – 13 January 2017), better known as Jo Warne, was an English actress, who briefly played Peggy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', making her first appearance on 30 April 1991. She appeared i ...

; introduced specifically for this plotline) attempting to stop the couple getting married. The storyline climaxed in a registry office wedding, but despite the Scottish setting, the recording of the episodes took place in

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

. Later in the month, Sam and Ricky had a more official "grand church blessing" with their families in attendance. The Butchers' blessing was screened in the same episode as the funeral of another character,

Charlie Cotton Charlie Cotton is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Christopher Hancock. Charlie is a recurring character, introduced in March 1986 as the estranged husband of established character Dot Cotton (June Brown ...

. The marriage was portrayed as problematic, fraught with interference from their families, lack of money, and Ricky's jealousy of Sam's partying and modelling career, including a topless photo shoot. The serial made use of Sam's appearance in various storylines, including a "Miss Queen Vic"

public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

competition in an episode that aired in April 1992 – despite the Mitchell brothers attempts' to fix the competition, the honest winner was Sam. Written by

Tony Jordan Tony Jordan (born 21 July 1957) is a British television writer. For many years, he was lead writer and series consultant for BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders''. He has written over 250 episodes for the programme since 1989, including the 2008 S ...

, Colin Brake describes it as one of 1992's most memorable episodes. However, off-screen Westbrook was battling with various problems in her personal life (including a highly publicised drug addiction), and in 1993 she left the soap, although she maintains that her addiction did not affect her work at this time. On-screen, Sam's marriage to Ricky ended following an affair with a yuppie named Clive ( Sean Gallagher), and she took a job on a cruise ship. Commenting on her initial departure, Westbrook has said, "My contract was up for renewal and I thought it was time for me to move on ..As much as I enjoyed being in ''EastEnders'' ..I was also well aware of the fact that I was in danger of being type-cast forever if I carried on playing Sam. The producers didn't have a problem with me leaving. It was felt that my character had done as much as she could in the space of three years, anyway. During that time Sam had, after all, been involved in a story about under-age sex, run off to Gretna Green to marry Ricky, been evicted from her home, become a squatter, tried her luck as a topless model, fought on a regular basis with Grant and Phil, and gone through a marriage break-up. I think we all agreed that the poor girl was in need of a break ..In January 1993 I filmed my final scenes and Sam Mitchell, in true ''EastEnders'' style, waved goodbye to Albert Square from the back of a London taxi cab ..Although the producers agreed that it was the right time for my character to move on, they wanted to keep the door open for her to return at a later date, as they knew how popular the Mitchell family were with viewers. I was really pleased that they decided not to kill the character off". Her departure scenes aired on 4 February 1993.

Reintroduction and axing (1995–1996)

In 1995, following a spell in a drug rehab clinic, which first alerted the public to her drug problem, Westbrook was reintroduced into ''EastEnders'' by executive producer Corinne Hollingworth. She has commented, "the call from the producers couldn't have come at a more opportune moment for me. The soap was suffering from poor ratings and so they decided, as they normally do, to bring some familiar faces back onto the Square. The producers were aware of my addiction by now ..but they had also read that I was now clean ..once I assured them that I was well ..they invited me back for another year." The character's "dramatic" return to ''EastEnders'' aired on 25 July 1995 and began when her screen brothers traced Sam to Spain and she ended up in bed with "bad boy"

David Wicks David Wicks is a fictional character from the BBC TV soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Michael French. David originally appeared from 23 December 1993 to 21 November 1996. He returned to the show on 1 January 2012 and departed two weeks later ...

(

Michael French Michael French (born Michael Clark, 17 September 1962) is an English actor, known for his roles as David Wicks in ''EastEnders''; Nick Jordan, a consultant and Clinical Lead, Senior Consultant in emergency medicine in '' Casualty'' and former ...

). Several cast changes had occurred since Westbrook had last been in the soap, including a recast of her screen mother Peggy, who was now played by

Barbara Windsor Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the Carry On (franchise), ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders''.

. As well as her former friends, Westbrook has revealed that she became particularly close to Windsor, who she says "instantly took me under her wing", and

Martine McCutcheon Martine Kimberley Sherrie McCutcheon (formerly Ponting, born 14 May 1976) is an English actress and singer. She began appearing in television commercials at an early age and made her television debut in the children's television drama '' Bluebir ...

, who played Tiffany Raymond. Though Westbrook initially enjoyed her time back at the soap, she was unable to keep her working life and private life separate. Off-screen, her partying and drug-use (both in and out of work) began to affect her performance. Her cast mates attempted to curtail the problem. Actors such as Wendy Richard and Mike Reid requested that Westbrook's dressing room be situated near theirs and away from the younger cast, because they could see she was "vulnerable". They attempted to talk to her about her drug problem, but Westbrook ignored their concerns and continued using. She has revealed that she became so affected by cocaine that she would continuously mess up her lines, had to do take after take, was constantly late and needed prompts, and spontaneously fell asleep, once even passing out while she stood at the top of the Queen Vic stairs during filming, and was only saved from harming herself by Ross Kemp who caught her in his arms. She has commented, "When I watch re-runs of those scenes now I can't believe how out of it I look." Many of the newer, younger cast members began to shun her, laughing at her and throwing peanuts at her during filming every time she attempted to deliver her lines. Eventually, the producers tired of Westbrook. She has revealed: "the producers now had serious doubts about my future on the soap. I was proving to be a liability. My behaviour was interfering with the schedule. It was interfering with other cast members' work. There were days when I just didn't bother showing up for work at all. The dilemma they faced was what to do with me. They had only just written amback into the soap; now, within months, they were having to write her out of it all over again. They felt bad about getting rid of me, too. I could tell they felt responsible for me but of course ultimately there wasn't much they could do to help ..Within a couple of weeks I was called into a meeting and told very politely that they were going to let me go early and terminate my contract. They would, they explained, gradually write my character out of the scripts again, which would take a couple of months to do." In February 1996, Westbrook's axing was reported in the press. According to press reports, producers had tired of her off-screen antics and were angered that she had appeared on the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

chat show, '' The Girlie Show'', and had given away the outcome of a storyline she was involved with, a love-triangle between Sam, Ricky and his new girlfriend

Bianca Jackson Bianca Jackson (also Butcher) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders,'' played by Patsy Palmer. The character was introduced by executive producer Leonard Lewis and appeared initially from 1993 to 1999, when Palmer opt ...

(

Patsy Palmer Julie Anne Merkell (''née'' Harris; born 26 May 1972), known professionally as Patsy Palmer, is a British actress and DJ. After appearing as Natasha in the children's drama series ''Grange Hill'' (1985–1987), she came to prominence for her p ...

). The character departed for Spain on 26 March 1996 after falling for a Spanish tourist. Westbrook has since commented, "The producers were very nice about it all. Rather than killing amoff they sent her to Spain, once again leaving the door open for her to return ..There was no official line as to why I was leaving, and when the announcement was made ..they were kind enough to let me say in interviews that I was going because I wanted 'a change of direction'. 'Hopefully, one day I'll return to the show', I told journalists".

Second reintroduction and axing (1999–2000)

In November 1998, Westbrook revealed to ''

Hello! Hello is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826. Early uses ''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the '' Norwich Cou ...

'' magazine that she was "desperate" to return to ''EastEnders'', because she was in need of the money. According to Westbrook, actors Mike Reid and

Barbara Windsor Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the Carry On (franchise), ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders''.

who both appeared as Frank and Peggy Butcher were keen to have her back on the cast too. Her plea came at a time when executive producer Matthew Robinson had already considered bringing Sam back, but because of Westbrook's past problems, he wanted to recast the role to another actress. However, the BBC's Controller of Continuing Drama Series,

Mal Young Mal Young (born 26 January 1957) is a British television producer, screenwriter and executive producer. Career Mersey TV Young began his career in graphic design. At age 27, he began working in television on the Channel 4 soap opera '' Broo ...

, thought they were judging Westbrook unfairly, believing a lot of the stories printed about her in the tabloid press. On his say so, Westbrook was offered another contract to reprise the role of Sam. In May 1999, Westbrook said, "It's my dream come true. Sam is a great character and I'm thrilled to be given another chance to play her. The storyline is excellent and I think it's safe to say there'll be a few family fireworks once I'm back in town." Executive producer Matthew Robinson said, "We are delighted to be welcoming back the popular character of Sam Butcher to the Square for storylines that are certain to intrigue our viewers." The character made her return on-screen on 22 July 1999 and was involved in the storyline relating to actor Ross Kemp's departure, and romances with her brothers' enemies

Beppe di Marco Beppe di Marco is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Michael Greco. He made his first appearance on 29 January 1998, but was axed by executive producer John Yorke in 2002, with his final scene airing on 4 J ...

( Michael Greco) and Steve Owen (

Martin Kemp Martin John Kemp (born 10 October 1961) is an English musician and actor, best known as the bassist in the new wave band Spandau Ballet and for his role as Steve Owen in ''EastEnders''. He is the younger brother of Gary Kemp, who is also a ...

). Despite Westbrook's claims that her close friend Mike Reid had backed her decision to return, he and other ''EastEnders'' actors later publicly denounced the BBC's decision in a documentary about Westbrook, as they had first hand experience of Westbrook's addiction on set and were concerned for her welfare. It was reported that Westbrook underwent constant drug tests to keep her job, but at this time, her excessive use of cocaine had completely eroded away her nasal septum. In order to hide this from the audience, she was only filmed in ways that would keep her septum hidden from view. However, Westbrook's drug use continued, and following more press speculation about her private life, the BBC announced in January 2000 that she was being axed from the soap once again. A BBC spokesman said: "Danniella Westbrook's contract has not been renewed. Her character Sam Mitchell will move to north London, leaving the door open for her to return in the future." Westbrook added: "I will always love working on ''EastEnders'', especially with the cast. Sam's departure to north London gives me the chance to explore more opportunities." Speaking to London's radio station Capital 95.8, Westbrook denied she had been sacked, saying she decided to leave because she was getting married and she wanted to spend time with her husband. She added, "I'll maybe go back to ''EastEnders'' in six months, so it's an amicable split." Westbrook did not return and made her final appearance as Sam on 24 January 2000. She has since confessed that her drug taking was the reason why she was written out. In her autobiography she comments, "I wasn't fired this time, but let's just say when they gave me the opportunity to walk I took it. I was no longer interested in acting and that had become blatantly obvious to everyone on set. The soap was now being shown four times a week and it was impossible to balance the workload with my addiction ..Not only had ocainedestroyed my nose, but it was about to destroy my career again as well ..The producers were tiring of my behaviour ..When I did leave the production at the end of 1999 it was in fact a fairly mutual decision. I admit that had I begged the producers to let me stay this time I doubt if they would have allowed me to. But I was happy to go ..Looking back to that point now it fills me with shame that I could have behaved in that way and let down so many people". Following her axing, Westbrook's eroded nasal septum was revealed to the public by the press, after she was photographed at the 2000

British Soap Awards The British Soap Awards (BSAs) are an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom which honours the best moments in British soap operas. The ceremony is televised on ITV (TV network), ITV. The trophies given to the winners are made from metal a ...

.

Medcalf's initial stint (2002–2005)

In 2001, executive producer John Yorke decided to reintroduce the character once again. The decision was made to recast the role to another actress,

Kim Medcalf Kim Louise Medcalf (born 8 December 1973) is an English actress and singer. She is best known for portraying the role of Sam Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2002–2005, 2022–2024). Career ''EastEnders'' In late 2001, Kim Med ...

, as

Danniella Westbrook Danniella Westbrook (born 5 November 1973) is an English actress and television personality. She is best known for playing Sam Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Westbrook has also presented various television shows and was a conte ...

was still overcoming her drug problems at this time. During the audition process, ''EastEnders'' have said that they had to keep the part they were casting for "top secret", meaning auditionees were not told about the part they were auditioning for until their actual interview. In the documentary, '' EastEnders Revealed – A Year in the Life of Sam Mitchell'', Medcalf has explained the audition process: "They kind of sat me down and said 'actually we haven't been 100% truthful here, this uditionis not for...a new character at all, it's for the part of Sam Mitchell. Do you know who she is?' and I said, 'yes of course I do!' ..Because my attitude was so laid back, it helped me a lot." Producer Paul Annett has revealed: "I saw

Kim Medcalf Kim Louise Medcalf (born 8 December 1973) is an English actress and singer. She is best known for portraying the role of Sam Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2002–2005, 2022–2024). Career ''EastEnders'' In late 2001, Kim Med ...

along with two other actresses that had been short-listed, and I think almost immediately I knew that she was the right one." Medcalf was an inexperienced actress, and her casting has been described as a "big risk" because of this. Annett has commented, "she'd done...no television, secondly, she was coming into an immensely popular and beloved show, and the third thing was that she was taking over a role played by

Danniella Westbrook Danniella Westbrook (born 5 November 1973) is an English actress and television personality. She is best known for playing Sam Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Westbrook has also presented various television shows and was a conte ...

...for decade" Medcalf revealed that she had reservations about taking on a role that was associated with another actress: "I said 'that's going to be hard' ..but they said 'we think we can do it, we're going to write it in quite cleverly, and part of it will be that we meet Sam away from Walford'." She added, "It was scary finding out I'd be taking over someone else's character because you wonder whether the public will accept it. I loved the show so I just decided to go for it". Commenting on Medcalf's casting, Sam's original actress

Danniella Westbrook Danniella Westbrook (born 5 November 1973) is an English actress and television personality. She is best known for playing Sam Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Westbrook has also presented various television shows and was a conte ...

said, "I wish her all the luck in the world. It's a great part and I'm sure she'll be great." In an interview in 2021, Westbrook revealed that she met Medcalf at an award ceremony in 2009 and thanked her for "keeping Sam alive". Medcalf has revealed to the ''Walford Gazette'' how she prepared for the role: "I actually watched the show a bit when Danniella had been on so I had a distinct memory of her to work with. What I basically did was to read a prepared, detailed biography of the character which was provided by the production office. I did sit down to watch a five-minute clip of Danniella but I quickly realised I didn't want to carry on watching because I was afraid of falling into doing an imitation of her, d'ye know what I mean? I'll tell you something weird-when I first started getting the scripts I used to hear the lines first in my head with HER voice saying them! But that changed over time, thank God, as I hopefully made the character my own and I gave her my voice." Medcalf added that contrastingly to Westbrook, who played Sam as a young girl who was overprotected by her brothers and sheltered, she played Sam as a young woman "trying to find her place both in a career and in relationships with the opposite sex." The character was reintroduced in January 2002 in a set of episodes filmed on-location in Spain. In the storyline, Sam's mother Peggy (Barbara Windsor) had flown to Spain for the supposed funeral of her former husband and Sam's former father-in-law, Frank Butcher. Here she found Sam, who was working as a table dancer in a nightclub; Peggy brought Sam back to Walford. Annett has praised Medcalf's introduction, saying she was confident and that Barbara Windsor found her impressive. Medcalf's first scenes aired on 29 January 2002.

Men and business

Sam's return to Walford saw her reignite an affair with her former, now married lover Steve Owen (

Martin Kemp Martin John Kemp (born 10 October 1961) is an English musician and actor, best known as the bassist in the new wave band Spandau Ballet and for his role as Steve Owen in ''EastEnders''. He is the younger brother of Gary Kemp, who is also a ...

), who was embroiled in a feud with her brother Phil. Medcalf has revealed that she was extremely nervous when she was informed that she would have to enact love scenes with Kemp, who aside from his part in ''EastEnders'', was renowned to viewers as a member of the 1980s pop band

Spandau Ballet Spandau Ballet ( ) were an English new wave band formed in Islington, London, in 1979. Inspired by the capital's post-punk underground dance scene, they emerged at the start of the 1980s as the house band for the Blitz Kids (New Romantics), ...

. Speaking about the characters' affair, Medcalf has said, "Steve Owen basically made a play for her because he was using her to get back at Phil. He knew that Phil would hate it sthey were rivals. But then, in her defence, he was a charmer, and he managed to keep it all from his wife. He just played the game very well." The relationship ended in "tragedy" when Steve, in an attempt to kidnap Phil's daughter Louise, was killed in a road accident. Medcalf has suggested that Sam was "devastated" by Steve's death: "She fell for is gamehook, line and sinker. She really believed that he was going to be the man." She subsequently moved on to her former lover Beppe di Marco, but according to Medcalf, that relationship finished because Beppe "thought amwas a bit full on ..she was so desperate for a relationship that I think it just scared eppe" Another fling followed with abusive Trevor Morgan, played by

Alex Ferns Alexander Ferns (born 13 October 1968) is a Scottish actor and television personality. His role in ''EastEnders'' as Trevor Morgan from 2000 to 2002 was described as "Britain's most-hated soap villain". He also played the role of Rick Harper ...

. According to Ferns, the relationship started because Trevor wanted to make his wife, Little Mo (

Kacey Ainsworth Kacey Ainsworth (born 19 October 1968) is an English actress, known for her roles as Little Mo Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Cathy Keating in the ITV1, ITV drama series ''Grantchester (TV series), Grantchester''. Early life ...

) jealous. In the storyline, the romance ended when Trevor's true aggressive self emerged. In 2004, the character was romantically paired with gangster Andy Hunter, played by

Michael Higgs Michael Higgs (born 14 February 1962) is an English actor best known for prominent roles in two long-running television series: Eddie Santini in ITV1's ''The Bill'', and Andy Hunter (EastEnders), Andy Hunter in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders' ...

. In the storyline, Sam had been left in charge of the various Mitchell business and properties, and Andy, sensing an opportunity to gain control of these assets, proposed to Sam. According to Medcalf, Sam needed the marriage because she was "vulnerable". She added, "Andy is tough and she craves someone to look after her. I can see why she'd go for him; he's a good-looking guy, he's got money, he wears good clothes – he ticks every box." 11 million viewers watched Sam marry Andy in September 2004. According to Medcalf, "She knows that he's not desperately in love with her, but she thinks that it's enough. She's desperately in love with him. She's entering it very positively ..Sam's not the brightest person, so she falls for his manipulations ..I think she just wants to get the ring on her finger and then they can try to iron out any problems. She's a little naive." The marriage lasted mere months on-screen; when Sam was conned into giving away all her family's properties, including her mother's public house (pub), The Queen Vic, Andy threw her out of their house.

Murder of Den Watts and departure

Sam's reaction to the loss of her mother's pub was part of a high-profile storyline marking the 20th anniversary of ''EastEnders'', the murder of Den Watts. In the storyline, Den Watts had been responsible for Sam losing the pub, and so Sam teamed up with Den's scorned wife,

Chrissie Watts Chrissie Watts is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Tracy-Ann Oberman. She first appeared on 29 April 2004 and transpired to be the second wife of the show's "most enduring character", Den Watts (Leslie Gr ...

, and

Zoe Slater Zoe Slater is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Michelle Ryan. She made her first appearance on 18 September 2000. Zoe arrives in Walford along with her father, Charlie Slater (Derek Martin), sisters Kat ...

, who had also been scorned by Den. The trio, who were dubbed the three witches of Walford – a comparison to the

Three Witches The Three Witches, also known as the Weird Sisters, Weyward Sisters or Wayward Sisters, are characters in William Shakespeare's play ''Macbeth'' (c. 1603–1607). The witches eventually lead Macbeth (Macbeth), Macbeth to his demise, and they ...

from the

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

play ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'' – plotted Den's downfall, resulting in a deadly confrontation in the Vic, and Den being bludgeoned to death by Chrissie. The three women buried Den's body in the Vic cellar and Sam proceeded to blackmail Chrissie and was then framed for Den's murder by Chrissie. The culmination of the plot – which saw Ross Kemp and Steve McFadden return to ''EastEnders'' as Phil and Grant to exonerate Sam – signified the departure of Kim Medcalf, who opted to leave the serial in 2005. Medcalf's final scenes aired on 17 November 2005.

Westbrook's return (2009–2010)

Westbrook returned to the show in 2009 in part of a shock storyline. Speaking of her comeback, she said, "I'm really happy to be coming back, it feels just like coming home. I'm really looking forward to working with Barbara indsor Steve cFadden Sid

wen Wen, wen, or WEN may refer to: * One of several Chinese surnames: ** Wen (surname 文) ** Wen (surname 溫) ** Wen (surname 闻) * Wen, alternate spelling for Wynn (Ƿ ƿ), a letter of the Old English alphabet * Wen, common name for trichilemmal ...

and Patsy

almer Almer is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Sturminster Marshall, in the Dorset district, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. Almer is located on the A31 road near Winterborne Zelston, Huish Manor, Sturminster Ma ...

and I'm over the moon to be working with the new boss

Diederick Santer Diederick Santer (born 3 July 1969) is a British television producer and is best known for his work on the popular BBC television soap opera ''EastEnders'', a post which he assumed on 23 October 2006 and left on 1 March 2010. He was Chief Execu ...

. I can't wait to get the scripts to see what Sam Mitchell has been up to since she was last in the Square." Executive Producer Santer said, "With all the turmoil facing the Mitchells this year, it feels like a great time to bring back Sam, the original Mitchell sister. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Kim Medcalf for her great work playing Sam Mitchell for three years and welcome Danniella back to pick up the baton once again." In an interview with media website

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its initial launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television pro ...

, Santer discussed the reasoning behind his decision to reintroduce Sam: "What makes Sam interesting for me is that she's Ricky's first love and first wife. As Bianca and Ricky spend more time together ..the inevitability of them at some point coming together increases. What's stopping them? Well, it's Sam. Sam and Ricky had a good thing going all those years ago. All Ricky ever gets off Bianca is indifference, whereas Sam – and who knows quite why – is less than indifferent towards him and it makes a nice change". Santer acknowledged that Sam's return posed a problem for the show, because when the character was last seen, she was " on the run" in Brazil. However, he indicated that the storyliners had found a way to get around this. Westbrook later admitted she was not nervous about her return. She filmed her first scenes in the first week of June, for episodes that were broadcast on 4 September 2009. On 26 August a trailer was released to promote the character's return, noted for its similarity to the opening credits of ''

Secret Diary of a Call Girl ''Secret Diary of a Call Girl'' is a British drama television series that aired from 27 September 2007 to 22 March 2011 on ITV2, based on the blog and books by the pseudonymous Belle de Jour. It stars Billie Piper as Belle, a high-end call ...

''. 7.6 million viewers watched her return episode. Westbrook was contracted for three months, and although it was extended slightly, she departed from the show at the end of her storyline in the episode broadcast on 11 January 2010. In an interview given with

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its initial launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television pro ...

, Diederick Santer said: "When Danniella and I first sat down to talk about her return, we discussed a particular storyline with a specific length of contract. These plans haven't changed. Danniella has done brilliantly and I hope that she will be back with us at some point in the future." Westbrook filmed her final scenes at the end of October 2009. In June 2010, it was confirmed that Westbrook would return to film scenes for broadcast later in the year. Santer's successor,

Bryan Kirkwood Bryan Kirkwood (born November 1975) is a British television producer. He was the producer of the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'' from 2006 until 2009 and was the executive producer of the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 2010 until 2012. H ...

told Digital Spy, "When Sam Mitchell is in Albert Square, trouble is never far behind. We last saw her heading for a stretch in prison and ostracised by her family. When she returns on her release, it's with a lot of grudges and a big secret. Danniella brings a lot of fun and mischief to the role of Sam and I'm looking forward to having her back where she belongs". Her return was broadcast on 20 August 2010 and centred around a "Who's the daddy?" storyline, when Sam revealed she was pregnant and unsure who was her baby's father, Ricky or

Jack Branning DI Jack Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Scott Maslen. He made his first appearance on 29 October 2007. He is the youngest child of Jim ( John Bardon) and Reenie Branning (Joy Graham) and the ...

(with whom she had been cheating on Ricky). After the completion of this storyline in which Jack was confirmed as her baby's father, Sam departed once again. Her final episode aired on 21 September 2010.

Brief return (2016)

On 27 February 2016, it was confirmed that Westbrook would reprise the role for four episodes. Her return would coincide with that of

Ross Kemp Ross James Kemp (born 21 July 1964) is an English actor, author, and television presenter. He rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. His other roles include Graham Lodsworth in ''Emmerdale'' and ...

as her brother Grant and the final appearance from Barbara Windsor as their mother, Peggy. Of her return, Westbrook said, "I'm really excited to be going back to ''EastEnders''." Executive producer

Dominic Treadwell-Collins Dominic Treadwell-Collins (born 26 August 1977) is a British television producer, known for his work on the soap operas ''Family Affairs'' and ''EastEnders'', creating the ''EastEnders'' spin-off series '' Kat & Alfie: Redwater'' and Executive P ...

said: "It is only right that all of Peggy Mitchell's children would be at her funeral. Danniella is the final piece of the Mitchell jigsaw puzzle, so it will be great for viewers to see Phil, Grant and Sam all back on screen. Sam will only be back for a few episodes, but these scenes are bound to go down in the soap's history." Westbrook returned to filming on 3 May 2016. Her return scenes aired on 30 June, with her final scenes on 8 July. In September 2020, Westbrook claimed to be "in talks" to reprise the role; however, a spokesperson denied this, saying: "There are no current plans for Danniella to return to ''EastEnders''."

Medcalf's return (2022–2024)

On 29 January 2022, it was announced that Medcalf would reprise the role once again, taking over from Westbrook for the second time. Upon her return, Medcalf said "When the BBC approached me last year to reprise the role of Sam I was thrilled," said Medcalf. "She's a brilliant character and I can't wait to get back in the Square and work with the amazing cast of both familiar and new faces." Producer

Kate Oates Kate Oates (born 1979 or 1980) is a British television producer, who was born in Nottingham and graduated from Warwick University. She began her career working as a researcher and editorial assistant for Germaine Greer, before becoming a script ...

said: "The Mitchells are one of the most iconic families in soap, and I have long wanted to bring Sam back into the family fold." Westbrook reacted to Medcalf reprising the role by threatening to sue the BBC. Medcalf returned to filming on 8 February 2022. Her return scenes aired in the United Kingdom on 18 April 2022. In August 2022, executive producer Chris Clenshaw revealed that a "face from Sam past would crop up down the line". It was later announced that

Nick Nevern Nick Nevern (born 8 December 1980) is a British actor, screenwriter and director. He is best known for his roles in ''EastEnders,'' '' Shameless'', '' The Rise and Fall of a White Collar Hooligan'' and '' The Hooligan Factory''. Early life N ...

had been cast as Sam's ex boyfriend Don, whom Sam had been in a relationship with while living in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. In December 2022, following the return of Sid Owen as Sam's first love and ex-husband Ricky, it was announced that Sam and Ricky's romance would be revisited. Sam and Ricky reunited with Sam being offered the chance to go and live in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

with Ricky and his family; however, Sam chose to stay in Walford with Ricky going to Germany alone, signalling the departure of Owen once again. On 13 April 2023, ''EastEnders'' aired a temporary exit for Sam. ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...

'' confirmed that Medcalf was on an extended break and that she would be returning. Executive producer Chris Clenshaw confirmed Sam's return: "Sam will be making her way back to the Square this autumn, actually, and in typical Sam Mitchell fashion, she finds herself in a troublesome place and has to ask big brother Phil to help her out of a sticky situation. Lots has happened since she's been away – obviously she's got a grandchild, Charli, but Ricky Jr. isn't happy that his mum has been so absent. I think the great thing about Sam is that she's very much a character that can kind of turn up at the Mitchells at any time, cause mayhem and leave them to sort out her mess every time. There's a lot of fun with Sam." Her onscreen return aired on 21 November 2023. Medcalf left the role in the episode broadcast on 18 January 2024 in an unannounced departure, with the "door being left open" for her to return in the future.

Storylines

Backstory

Sam Mitchell is the youngest child and only daughter of Peggy (

Jo Warne Josephine Margaret Warne (2 January 1938 – 13 January 2017), better known as Jo Warne, was an English actress, who briefly played Peggy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', making her first appearance on 30 April 1991. She appeared i ...

/

Barbara Windsor Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the Carry On (franchise), ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders''.

/

Jaime Winstone Jaime Margaret Winstone (born 6 May 1985) is an English actress, best known for her roles in ''Kidulthood'' (2006), ''Goldplated'' (2006), ''Dead Set (TV series), Dead Set'' (2008), ''Donkey Punch (2008 film), Donkey Punch'' (2008), ''Boogie ...

) and

Eric The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, Eirik, or Eiríkur is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-N ...

(

George Russo George Russo is a British actor, screenwriter and producer. Early life and education Russo was born and raised in London. Russo trained at the Anna Scher Theatre School in Islington. In 2005, he took time away from acting to concentrate on a ...

). For years Eric spoiled Sam and treated her like a princess, whilst Sam idolised her brothers

Phil Phil may refer to: * Phil (given name), a shortened version of masculine and feminine names * Phill, a given name also spelled "Phil" * Phil, Kentucky, United States * Phil (film), ''Phil'' (film), a 2019 film * -phil-, a lexical fragment, used as ...

(

Steve McFadden Steve Robert McFadden (né Reid; born 20 March 1959) is an English actor whose career has spanned three decades. He rose to prominence for his role as longstanding character Phil Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'', which he has ...

/Daniel Delaney) and Grant (

Ross Kemp Ross James Kemp (born 21 July 1964) is an English actor, author, and television presenter. He rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. His other roles include Graham Lodsworth in ''Emmerdale'' and ...

/Teddy Jay). By the time Eric died when Sam was ten, she was subsequently on the receiving end of her two older brothers' heavy-handed paternalism.

1990–2000

Fifteen-year-old Sam follows her brothers to Walford, unhappy at home because she dislikes their mother's boyfriend, Kevin Masters (

Colin McCormack John Colin McCormack (2 December 1941 – 19 June 2004) was a Welsh actor who enjoyed success in classical stage performances and television shows including BBC TV's ''Dixon of Dock Green'', a show he returned to twenty years later when he pl ...

). She becomes friends with

Hattie Tavernier Hattie Tavernier is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Michelle Gayle between 5 July 1990 and 21 December 1993. Hattie and her family were introduced in July 1990 by producer Michael Ferguson (director), Mich ...

(

Michelle Gayle Michelle Patricia Gayle (born 2 February 1971) is a British singer, songwriter, actress and writer. Gayle had success as a Contemporary R&B, soul and R&B singer in the 1990s, having achieved seven top 40 single (music), singles in the UK Single ...

) and dates

Ricky Butcher Ricky Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Sid Owen. Introduced as a school boy in 1988, Ricky is one of the longest-running male protagonists to feature in ''EastEnders''. Owen originally left the ...

(

Sid Owen Sid Owen (born David John Sutton; 12 January 1972) is a British actor, television presenter and former singer from London, who played Ricky Butcher in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (1988–2000, 2002–2004, 2008–2012, 2022–2023). He a ...

). Sam's family disapproves of the relationship, so Ricky and Sam decide to elope to

Gretna Green Gretna Green is a parish in the southern Subdivisions of Scotland, council area of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, close to the town of Gretna, Scotland, Gretna, on the Scottish side of the English-Scottish border. It is accessed from the A74( ...

; they marry despite the Mitchells trying to stop the nuptials. Peggy admits defeat and attends their more formal blessing in Walford a month later. Sam fails to earn schooling qualifications and starts to believe that she can have a career in modelling, but when she attempts to get a portfolio done by a professional photographer, he persuades her to do a topless shoot and the photos are then published in a pornographic magazine. This causes problems in Ricky and Sam's relationship, and after just a year of marriage, Sam grows bored and begins lusting after a

playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...

named Clive ( Sean Gallagher) whom she meets at a New Year's Eve party with her friend

Mandy Salter Mandy Salter is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Nicola Stapleton. Introduced on 12 March 1992 by executive producer Leonard Lewis, Mandy was portrayed as a teenage tearaway. She was featured in storylin ...

(

Nicola Stapleton Nicola Kathleen Stapleton (born 9 August 1974) is an English actress. She is best known for her roles in ''EastEnders'' as Mandy Salter and ''Emmerdale'' as Danielle Hutch. A graduate of the Sylvia Young Theatre School, Stapleton began her care ...

). After having a brief affair, Sam thinks she has fallen in love with Clive, but he makes it clear that he is only interested in sex when he tries to coax her into having a

threesome In human sexuality, a threesome is "a sexual interaction between three people whereby at least one engages in physical sexual behaviour with both the other individuals". While the term ''threesome'' typically refers to sexual activity involvin ...

. Realising that her marriage with Ricky is over, Sam leaves her husband and Walford. Sam returns after her brothers, on a boy's holiday in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, catch her in bed with

David Wicks David Wicks is a fictional character from the BBC TV soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Michael French. David originally appeared from 23 December 1993 to 21 November 1996. He returned to the show on 1 January 2012 and departed two weeks later ...

(

Michael French Michael French (born Michael Clark, 17 September 1962) is an English actor, known for his roles as David Wicks in ''EastEnders''; Nick Jordan, a consultant and Clinical Lead, Senior Consultant in emergency medicine in '' Casualty'' and former ...

), and force her to return. Fearful of being alone, Sam tries to come between Ricky and his girlfriend,

Bianca Jackson Bianca Jackson (also Butcher) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders,'' played by Patsy Palmer. The character was introduced by executive producer Leonard Lewis and appeared initially from 1993 to 1999, when Palmer opt ...

(

Patsy Palmer Julie Anne Merkell (''née'' Harris; born 26 May 1972), known professionally as Patsy Palmer, is a British actress and DJ. After appearing as Natasha in the children's drama series ''Grange Hill'' (1985–1987), she came to prominence for her p ...

). Initially, Ricky thinks he still has feelings for Sam and delays divorcing her, but eventually realises he is better off with Bianca. Soon after, she meets a Spanish man named Guillermo (Robert Reina), who is holidaying in England. When he invites her to join him in the Spanish costas she leaves Walford again. Sam returns for a fleeting visit but decides that she wants to settle down in Walford once more. During this time, she embarks on a relationship with

Beppe di Marco Beppe di Marco is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Michael Greco. He made his first appearance on 29 January 1998, but was axed by executive producer John Yorke in 2002, with his final scene airing on 4 J ...

( Michael Greco). However, Sam takes things more seriously than Beppe does. After he ends the relationship, Sam looks for comfort elsewhere, turning to local club owner and Phil's adversary Steve Owen (

Martin Kemp Martin John Kemp (born 10 October 1961) is an English musician and actor, best known as the bassist in the new wave band Spandau Ballet and for his role as Steve Owen in ''EastEnders''. He is the younger brother of Gary Kemp, who is also a ...

) for support. They have a

one-night stand A one-night stand is a single sexual encounter in which there is no expectation that there shall be any further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single night performanc ...

, but he is only using her to make his fling Mel Beale (

Tamzin Outhwaite Tamzin Maria Outhwaite (; born 5 November 1970) is an English actress, presenter and narrator. From 1998-2002, and again from 2018-2019, she played the role of Mel Owen in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. She has also starred in a number of ...

) jealous. When Beppe also makes it clear that he is not interested in taking her back, a hurt Sam leaves Walford once again.

2002–2005

Peggy finds Sam, working in a lap-dancing club in Spain; ashamed and penniless, Sam returns to Walford with her mother. Sam has another brief relationship with Steve Owen, however, he is using her again as a final act of revenge against Phil. Following Steve's untimely death, Phil then humiliates Sam by revealing the affair in front of Steve's widow Mel and Phil's ex-girlfriend Lisa Shaw (

Lucy Benjamin Lucy Benjamin (born Lucy Jane Baker; 25 June 1970) is an English actress. After appearing in various television series including '' Close to Home'' (1989–1990), '' Press Gang'' (1989–1993) and '' Jupiter Moon'' (1990, 1996), she was cast i ...

). Sam then proceeds to have flings with Trevor Morgan (

Alex Ferns Alexander Ferns (born 13 October 1968) is a Scottish actor and television personality. His role in ''EastEnders'' as Trevor Morgan from 2000 to 2002 was described as "Britain's most-hated soap villain". He also played the role of Rick Harper ...

) and

Dennis Rickman Dennis Rickman is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Nigel Harman. He made his first appearance on 14 April 2003 at the funeral of his late mother, Paula, before going on to become one of the show's centra ...

(

Nigel Harman Nigel Derek Harman (born 11 August 1973) is an English actor. Beginning his career as a child actor, he has played various roles across theatre, stage and television, including as Sky Masterson in Michael Grandage's revival o ...

), respectively – as well as briefly having a relationship with her ex-lover Beppe. Sam moves in with Ricky and she redevelops feelings for him. When he ends his relationship with

Natalie Evans Natalie Evans (also Price) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Lucy Speed. Natalie first appeared on 18 January 1994, depicted initially as an unhappy, insecure teenager; she was among various regular char ...

(

Lucy Speed Lucy Renee Speed (born 31 August 1976) is an English actress best known for her television roles as Natalie Evans in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' appearing in 526 episodes between 1994 and 2004, and as DS Stevie Moss in the ITV polic ...

), they have sex. She is left embarrassed when her feelings are not reciprocated by Ricky, who returns to Natalie. Sam begins a fling with Dennis' father

Den Watts Den Watts is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by actor Leslie Grantham. He became well known for his tabloid nickname, "Dirty Den". Den was the original landlord of The Queen Victoria public house from Albert ...

(

Leslie Grantham Leslie Michael Grantham (30 April 1947 – 15 June 2018) was an English actor who played "Dirty" Den Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He was a convicted murderer, having served 10 years for the killing of a West Germany, West German ...

) but is left humiliated after he sacks her from her job at his family's club. When her brother Phil goes on the run after escaping prison for an armed robbery, for which he has been set up for by Den, Sam avenges him by attempting to outbuy his former wife Kate Mitchell (

Jill Halfpenny Jill Halfpenny (born 15 July 1975) is an English actress who first garnered attention playing Nicola Dobson in the coming-of-age BBC drama series '' Byker Grove'' (1989–1992). She became more widely known for her roles as Rebecca Hopkins on ...

) out of her business in an attempt to leave her penniless. She hires

Minty Peterson Rick "Minty" Peterson is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Cliff Parisi. He made his first appearance on 11 March 2002. In his initial appearances, he was credited with the name "Rick". His nickname was give ...

(

Cliff Parisi Cliff Parisi (born Clifford R Manley; 24 May 1960) is an English actor and businessman, known for his roles as Minty Peterson in the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Fred Buckle in the BBC period drama ''Call the Midwife''. In 2019, he ...

) to smash up the salon as revenge on Kate for giving up Phil's daughter Louise (Rachel Cox) to her unstable mother Lisa, and later persuades Billy to torch Phil's snooker club in an insurance scam, an act that results in Den's nightclub burning down and his daughter

Vicki Fowler Vicki Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Alice Haig. Vicki was originally played by Emma Herry from the character's birth in 1986 to 1988, and Samantha Leigh Martin from 1988 to 1995. When the chara ...

(

Scarlett Alice Johnson Scarlett Alice Johnson (born 7 April 1985) is an English actress, producer and drama teacher. She is known for her roles as Vicki Fowler in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Laura Derbyshire in the BBC Three sitcom '' Pramface''. Early and ...

) nearly perishing in the fire. She clashes with Den's adoptive daughter

Sharon Sharon ( 'plain'), also spelled Saron, is a given name as well as a Hebrew name. In Anglosphere, English-speaking areas, Sharon is now predominantly a feminine given name, but historically it was also used as a masculine given name. In Israel, ...

(

Letitia Dean Letitia Jane Dean (born 14 November 1967) is an English actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Sharon Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. An original cast member from 1985 to 1995, she reprised the role from 2001 to 2006, and ag ...

) over the insurance of the nightclub and Dennis vows revenge, and he is only warned off when his friend Andy Hunter (

Michael Higgs Michael Higgs (born 14 February 1962) is an English actor best known for prominent roles in two long-running television series: Eddie Santini in ITV1's ''The Bill'', and Andy Hunter (EastEnders), Andy Hunter in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders' ...

), Walford's gangland kingpin, begins a relationship with Sam. She falls in love with Andy and he manages to turn her against her allies. Sam is unaware of Andy's true colours and she disowns her cousin

Billy Mitchell William Lendrum Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was a United States Army officer who had a major role in the creation of the United States Air Force. Mitchell served in France during World War I and, by the conflict's end, ...

(

Perry Fenwick Perry Fenwick (born 29 May 1962) is an English actor. He is known for portraying the role of Billy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', a role which he has played since 1998. Career Television Fenwick's first regular television rol ...

) when he tries to warn her about Andy's devious intentions and his affair with

Kat Moon Kat Slater (also Moon and Mitchell) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Jessie Wallace. She was also played by Kate Peck in a flashback in 2001 and Sumar-Elise Sandford in a flashback in 2018. Kat is the ...

(

Jessie Wallace Karen Jane Wallace (born 25 September 1971), known professionally as Jessie Wallace, is an English actress. She made her acting debut in the television police series ''The Bill'' and rose to prominence for her role as Kat Slater on the BBC so ...

). They marry, and soon after the wedding, Sam's world crumbles when she discovers that

Paul Trueman Paul Trueman is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Gary Beadle. The character, who first arrived onto Albert Square on 23 April 2001 and later departed the programme on 23 December 2004, was portrayed as a b ...

(

Gary Beadle Gary Beadle (born 8 July 1965) is a British actor. Life and career Beadle was raised as one of five children in Bermondsey, South London, where he was baptised a Roman Catholic. As children, he and his elder brother Rikki produced a version o ...

) has been secretly selling drugs for Andy. Sam also finds out that Andy had beaten up Minty for trying to stop their wedding. Despite this, she takes him back when he promises to change. Andy later fools Sam into signing over control of Phil's house, and she is then conned out of all the Mitchell businesses by family lawyer Marcus Christie (

Stephen Churchett Stephen George Churchett (10 April 1947 – 11 January 2022) was an English actor and writer. Life and career One of his most notable roles was as solicitor Marcus Christie in ''EastEnders'', on and off from 1990 to 2004. He reprised the role ...

) and Den. Andy, realising Sam is no use to him, throws her out of their house – leaving her penniless. A destitute Sam is later taken in by Minty. Whilst trying to move on from her marriage with Andy, she has a brief relationship with Andy's rival

Danny Moon Danny Moon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' played by Jake Maskall. He made his first appearance on 30 December 2004 and was initially supposed to last appear in July 2005, but reappeared on 24 March 2006 before t ...

(

Jake Maskall Jake Maskall is an English television, film and theatre actor. Career Jake has guest starred in '' Casualty'' as Paul Vessey and Scobie in '' Murder City''. Jake's most notable role came in the BBC television soap opera ''EastEnders'' where h ...

). Sam becomes determined to get revenge on Den; she teams up with his wife Chrissie (

Tracy-Ann Oberman Tracy-Ann Oberman (born Tracy Anne Oberman; 25 August 1966) is an English actress, playwright and narrator. She is known for roles including Chrissie Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2004–2005, 2024) and Valerie Lewis or "Auntie Va ...

) and Kat's daughter

Zoe Slater Zoe Slater is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Michelle Ryan. She made her first appearance on 18 September 2000. Zoe arrives in Walford along with her father, Charlie Slater (Derek Martin), sisters Kat ...

(

Michelle Ryan Michelle Claire Ryan (born 22 April 1984) is an English actress, best known for portraying the role of Zoe Slater in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2000–2005, 2025–present). In 2007, she starred in the short-lived American television s ...

) - who herself had become a victim of Den as a result of her relationship with Dennis - to carry out their vengeful plot against Den. On the night of Den's wedding anniversary to his late wife

Angie Angie may refer to: People * Angie (given name) * Ängie, a Swedish pop singer * Angie Vázquez, Mexican singer Arts and entertainment * ''Angie'' (Angela Bofill album), 1978 * ''Angie'' (Spill Tab album), 2025 * "Angie" (song), a 1973 single ...

(

Anita Dobson Anita, Lady May (born 29 April 1949), known as Anita Dobson, is an English actress and singer. She is best known for playing Landlord, landlady Angie Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' from the show's inception in 1985 until 1988. She ac ...

), the three women confront him at The Queen Victoria

public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

shortly after he closes up. Zoe strikes Den over the head with

Pauline Fowler Pauline Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders''. She was played by actress Wendy Richard between the first episode on 19 February 1985 and 25 December 2006. Pauline was created by scriptwriter Tony Holland an ...

's (

Wendy Richard Wendy Richard (born Wendy Emerton; 20 July 1943 – 26 February 2009) was an English actress, best known for her television roles as Miss Shirley Brahms on the BBC sitcom ''Are You Being Served?'' from 1972 to 1985, and Pauline Fowler on the ...

) iron doorstop and this is thought to have killed him; however, when Zoe and Sam leave the room, Den grabs Chrissie's ankle and she responds by hitting him on the head a second time – finally killing him. In the moment where Chrissie kills Den, however, Sam secretly witnesses this, and she later grows appalled when Chrissie allows Zoe to believe that her blow killed Den. As Chrissie has possession of The Queen Vic following Den's death, Sam blackmails her – threatening to unveil Chrissie as Den's killer unless she gives her money and later the pub. Chrissie and Sam, both complicit in Den's murder, decide to call a truce to avoid going to prison. They decide to co-run The Queen Vic, but this lasts briefly as Sam cannot trust Chrissie, leading to her being sacked. On the day after Den's murder, to which the Square is unaware of yet, Sam is surprised to learn that Andy had died on the same night; Andy was murdered by his gangland rival Johnny Allen ( Billy Murray). In the events of Andy's funeral, Sam smugly attends his will meeting; she is shocked to learn that he has left his and Sam's money to a dog's trust. She is further horrified when he leaves her nothing but a wedding ring. As she struggles to move on from Andy and their turbulent marriage, Sam learns that Chrissie is attempting to sell the pub and leave Walford. She soon begins drinking heavily and, determined to expose Chrissie as Den's killer, smashes up Den's resting place in The Queen Vic cellar and tries to dig him up. The plan backfires; all evidence points to Sam when Zoe's relative Stacey (

Lacey Turner Lacey Amelia Turner (born 28 March 1988) is an English actress. She gained prominence in the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' for her portrayal of Stacey Slater, a role she initially played between 2004 and 2010 before returning in 2014 an ...

) gives Chrissie and Zoe a false alibi; telling the police that they were both with her the night Den was killed. Sam is then charged with murder, and when Peggy returns to the Square and learns about Sam's recent troubles, she visits her and Sam tells Peggy that Chrissie was the one who killed Den. Believing Sam, an outraged Peggy vows to prove her innocence. The Mitchells pay a visit to the Slaters and desperately try to pressure Stacey into dropping her story for Chrissie so that Sam can be released, but to no avail, due to interference from Kat, who is trying to protect Zoe. Eventually, with help from Sharon and Dennis – who end up learning the truth about their father's murder – the Mitchells are finally able to prevent Johnny from destroying a secret videotape of Chrissie confessing Den's murder to her boyfriend and Danny's brother,

Jake Jake may refer to: Name * Jake (given name), including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name * Katrin Jäke (born c. 1975), German swimmer * Jake (gamer), American ''Overwatch'' player and coach * Jake, a member of the band Enhy ...

(

Joel Beckett Joel Beckett (born Joel Bygraves; 27 November 1973) is an English actor, known for playing Jake Moon in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and as Lee in the original version of the comedy series ''The Office (British TV series), The Office''. Bo ...

). The police are given the tape and they trace Chrissie to the airport, where they arrest her for Den's murder. Sam is later released from custody but still faces a charge of

perverting the course of justice Perverting the course of justice is an offence committed when a person prevents justice from being served on themselves or on another party. In England and Wales it is a common law offence, carrying a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Stat ...

and a prison sentence of up to four years. This prospect is too daunting for Sam, and with the help of Phil, she decides to flee the country while on bail. After an emotional farewell with her family, Sam leaves for Brazil.

2009–2016

Phil sends Ricky to Brazil on an errand where he meets Sam, and she returns with him to London, using a fake passport. She immediately causes a stir by drawing attention to herself and reignites her old feud with Bianca. The Mitchells try to keep her hidden, but Bianca, jealous of Ricky's renewed feelings for Sam, calls the police and informs them that Sam is back in the country. Sam is eventually arrested while trying to flee but is later released on bail when her cousin

Ronnie Ronnie may refer to: *Ronnie (name), a unisex pet name and given name * "Ronnie" (Four Seasons song), a song by FreakBob Gaudio and Bob Crewe * "Ronnie" (Metallica song), a song from the Metallica album ''Load'' *Ronnie Brunswijkstadion, an associ ...

( Samantha Janus) pays the surety. Sam and Ricky get engaged, but Sam has an affair with Ronnie's fiancée

Jack Branning DI Jack Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Scott Maslen. He made his first appearance on 29 October 2007. He is the youngest child of Jim ( John Bardon) and Reenie Branning (Joy Graham) and the ...

(

Scott Maslen Scott Alexander Maslen (born 25 June 1971) is an English actor and model, best known for his portrayal as DS Phil Hunter in the ITV police drama series ''The Bill'' and Jack Branning in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' since 2007. He also too ...

). Her uncle Archie (

Larry Lamb Lawrence Douglas Lamb (born 1 October 1947) is an English actor and radio presenter. He played Archie Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', Mick Shipman in the BBC comedy series ''Gavin & Stacey'' and Ted Case in the final series of ...

) tells Bianca about Sam and Jack's affair, who tells Ricky, and after a showdown, Ricky ends the engagement. With Jack also deserting her, Sam takes Archie's money and flees, causing the Mitchells to lose the pub. She returns to Walford on Christmas Day, hoping to make amends. On that same day, Archie is murdered and Sam becomes one of the suspects after a confrontation with Archie prior to his death. Phil, Peggy and Ronnie also have motives, and in order to stop the police from framing them, they decide Sam should take the blame and leave the country. Sam overhears their plan and in a rage turns herself in, implicating Peggy for Archie's murder as revenge. Sam is then arrested and sentenced to 18 months in prison for her role in Den's murder, five years earlier. When Peggy attempts to visit, Sam is hostile and rejects her mother, as well as dismissing the Mitchell name. Seven months later, Peggy visits Sam in prison and discovers she is heavily pregnant. Sam does not know if Ricky or Jack is the father and she refuses to reconcile with Peggy; however, when she is hospitalised and goes into labour, she reconsiders, requesting Peggy's help. Sam gives birth to a boy,

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

, but announces that she is giving him up for adoption. She only reconsiders as a means to reconcile with Ricky; she returns to Walford, having been released from prison early, but struggles with motherhood after Peggy decides to move away from the square. Ricky and Jack pester Sam to get a paternity test, and she lies about the results, claiming Ricky is the father; however, Bianca discovers the truth and Sam confesses that she had lied because Ronnie asked her to. Ronnie does not want Sam or Richard near Jack and manipulates her into leaving Walford and offers Sam money to do so. Sam decides to leave but, fearful of bringing up her baby alone, she seduces Minty into leaving with her. He soon realises Sam is using him and turns her down. Sam departs with Richard, alone, moving to Portugal to live with Grant. Almost six years later, Sam briefly returns to Walford alongside Richard, now nicknamed Ricky (Henri Charles), to attend Peggy's funeral. Jack decides that he wants to meet Ricky, so Sam allows this to happen. She then reveals to her cousin Roxy (

Rita Simons Rita Joanne Simons (born 10 March 1977) is an English actress and singer. After beginning her career as a member of the short-lived girl group Girls@Play, she became best known for portraying the role of Roxy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''Ea ...

) that she has been struggling to look after Ricky in Portugal and that he is better off with Jack. Sam secretly abandons Ricky at Jack and Ronnie's house and leaves in the back of a taxi, returning to Portugal.

2022–2024

Sam, now living in Spain, returns to visit Phil in prison after he summons her back to the UK on business. When Sam arrives back in Walford, Sharon, and Kat are unhappy to see her, and she reveals that Phil has left her in charge of his assets again, whilst he is in prison. Sam is then reunited with her son Ricky (now played by Frankie Day), much to the consternation of Jack and his civil partner

Denise Fox Denise Fox (also Wicks and Johnson) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Diane Parish. She made her first appearance on 11 May 2006 and temporarily left ''EastEnders'' in early 2008 to give birth to her se ...

(

Diane Parish Diane Carol Richards (born 6 November 1969), known professionally as Diane Parish, is an English actress, who has been portraying the character Denise Fox on the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' since 2006. A graduate of the Royal Academy of D ...

). Phil asks Sam to attend a business meeting with his money laundering associate

Jonah Tyler The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' in 1998, by order of first appearance. Lola Christie Lola Christie is played by Diane Parish. Lola was introduced as a love interest for Mick McF ...

(Mark Mooney). Sam agrees but fails to negotiate a deal with Jonah due to interference from Sharon, and in retaliation, Jonah threatens to launch a rivalry against Phil's businesses if she cannot fund protection. Feeling defeated, Sam prepares to go back to Spain, but when she sees how close Jack is with Ricky, she lies by threatening to take Ricky with her unless Jack helps her find incriminating information on Jonah. Jack accompanies Sam to meet with Jonah and she uses Jack's position as a Detective Inspector to blackmail Jonah into ending his threats and doing exactly what she wants; by accepting her offer of a higher markup percent on their business deal. Sam discovers that Jonah is planning on buying

Ruby Allen Ruby Allen is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Louisa Lytton from 18 March 2005 to 23 November 2006, and then again from 18 September 2018 to 17 September 2021, with the recent being on 18 November 2024 un ...

's (

Louisa Lytton Louisa Claire Lytton (born 7 February 1989) is an English actress, best known for portraying the role of Ruby Allen in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Beth Green in the ITV police procedural series ''The Bill'' (2007–2009). She also ...

) nightclub, and she convinces Phil that they should buy the club and run it together. However, Jonah ends up buying the club after Sam misses a meeting with Ruby's solicitors. Sam then proceeds to blackmail Denise by threatening to tell the police that Denise knew the truth about

Vincent Hubbard Vincent Hubbard is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Richard Blackwood. He was introduced by executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins during the show's 30th anniversary celebrations, and was later reve ...

's (

Richard Blackwood Richard Clifford Blackwood (born 15 May 1972) is a British actor, presenter, and rapper. Between 2015 and 2018, he played Vincent Hubbard in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. In 2020, he began portraying the role of Felix Westwood in the Chan ...

) death, if she does not give Sam back the money that Phil had paid for her to open her salon, "Fox & Hair". After receiving the money, Sam succeeds in outbuying Jonah and decides to turn the club into a wine bar renaming it "Peggy's". She sacks staff members

Dotty Cotton Dotty Cotton is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Molly Conlin from 2008 to 2010 and Milly Zero from 2019 to 2022. She was introduced on 26 December 2008 as the daughter of established character Nick ...

(

Milly Zero Melissa Jasmine Skye Zero (born 7 June 1999) is an English actress. She has portrayed Hannah on the CBBC children's sitcom '' All at Sea'' (2013–2015) and Dotty Cotton in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2019–2022). Life and career Ze ...

) and

Vinny Panesar ''EastEnders'' is a BBC soap opera that first aired on 19 February 1985. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in 2019, in order of first appearance. The characters are initially introduced by the show's executive consulta ...

( Shiv Jalota) in the process, leading to Phil replacing Sam with Sharon as bar manager. Sam is unimpressed by Phil's decision to demote her, and after a failed attempt to reason with him, she attempts to blackmail Sharon by threatening to tell Kat about her secret prison visits with Phil, if she does not reinstate her back as bar manager. Sharon reminds her of the consequences of crossing Phil, so Sam begrudgingly backs down. She later sleeps with Sharon's younger half-brother

Zack Hudson Zack Hudson is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by James Farrar. He first appears in episode 6237, originally broadcast on 16 March 2021.The character and Farrar's casting details were announced on 31 January ...

( James Farrar), who is cheating on his girlfriend Nancy Carter (

Maddy Hill Madeleine Kate Hayley Hill (born 19 March 1990) is an English actress, known for her roles as Nancy Carter in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Ruby Spark in the BBC medical drama ''Casualty''. Career Hill trained at Rose Bruford College ...

). Just before the opening of Peggy's, Sam, Kat, Sharon, and Nancy's grandmother

Shirley Carter Shirley Carter is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Linda Henry. She first appeared on 7 December 2006, during episodes set in Dorset. This is Henry's second role in 'EastEnders', as she previously p ...

(

Linda Henry Linda Valiris (''née'' Henry; born 24 August 1959) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Yvonne Atkins in the ITV prison drama series '' Bad Girls'' and Shirley Carter in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. She had previously ...

) are all held hostage by robbers who attempt to rob the bar, under the presumption that they have been sent by Jonah. The incident results in Sam getting shot, as a result of saving Kat, though it is later revealed that Sam had orchestrated the siege as revenge on Sharon and Kat for her downfall in the Mitchell empire. Shirley later discovers what Sam has been up to, and blackmails her for a share of the bar. Sam continues to disturb Sharon and Kat with threats under the disguise of Jonah, and she plans to manipulate Kat into signing control of Peggy's to Jonah, though Kat is unaware that she will be signing it over to Sam instead. It is later revealed that Sam is secretly working with Jonah to fleece her family, but her plans are stalled when Phil is released early from prison. She is forced to repay Jonah by allowing his men to sell drugs in the bar, however, this goes wrong when Zack unknowingly reports one of Jonah's men to the police for dealing drugs in the club. Sam confides in Zack and tells him everything about Jonah blackmailing her and making threats. Sam's nephew

Ben Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett, Benson or Ebenezer, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben meaning "son of" is also found in Arabic as ''Ben'' (dialectal Arabic) or ''bin ...

(

Max Bowden Max Lewis Bowden (born 31 December 1994) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Justin Fitzgerald in the BBC One school-based drama series ''Waterloo Road (TV series), Waterloo Road'' (2014–2015), and his portrayal of Ben Mitch ...

) purchases drugs from Jonah's dealers and almost dies from an overdose. Phil discovers that Sam had allowed this to happen, and disowns her. Sam tries to make it up to Phil and teams up with Zack to kidnap Ben's rapist Lewis Butler (Aidan O'Callaghan), so Phil can get revenge on Lewis for raping Ben. Sam drives with Phil to an abandoned warehouse, in a rented car with Lewis tied up in the boot. Just as they proceed to untie Lewis, an argument between Phil and Sam results in Phil unknowingly leaving the boot open, enabling Lewis to secretly escape. Lewis then lures them into the warehouse and manages to steal Phil's gun and holds both Phil and Sam at gunpoint in the warehouse, until Phil attacks him, grabs the gun and almost shoots him, but he is stopped by Ben. After months of blackmail from Shirley, she finally threatens to tell Phil everything unless Sam pays her more money, but Sam rebuffs Shirley's threats. Just as Shirley plans to go to Phil's house to expose Sam, Jonah shows up and also demands money from Sam. Phil sees Jonah confronting Sam and attacks him. Just before Jonah leaves, Phil is suspicious when he calls Sam a "snake", and Shirley eventually reveals that Sam had been secretly scheming with Jonah against him. Phil then throws Sam out of his house and she also faces the wrath of both Sharon and Kat when they find out that Sam had been responsible for the threats and the siege. Jack finds out about Sam's homelessness and he lets her stay in one of his flats so that she can remain close to Ricky. Sam continues her fling with Zack in the aftermath of Nancy's departure, however, her ex-boyfriend Don (

Nick Nevern Nick Nevern (born 8 December 1980) is a British actor, screenwriter and director. He is best known for his roles in ''EastEnders,'' '' Shameless'', '' The Rise and Fall of a White Collar Hooligan'' and '' The Hooligan Factory''. Early life N ...

) arrives from Spain and tries to win her back by proposing. Sam turns him down and lies that she is pregnant with Zack's child so Don will back down and leave Walford. Sam realises that she wants a serious relationship with Zack but he rejects her. Whilst trying to spend more time with Ricky, Sam sneaks into Jack's house to bribe her cousin and Ricky's half-sister

Amy Mitchell The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders,'' which aired in 2008 (in order of first appearance). All characters were introduced by executive producer Diederick Santer, who introduced four cha ...

( Ellie Dadd) into inviting her to her birthday party so that she can be with Ricky. She accidentally walks in on Amy

self-harming Self-harm refers to intentional behaviors that cause harm to oneself. This is most commonly regarded as direct injury of one's own skin tissues, usually without suicidal intention. Other terms such as cutting, self-abuse, self-injury, and se ...

. Amy agrees to invite her if she promises not to tell her father, Jack, although Sam later does, resulting in Amy resenting her. Sam is reunited with her ex-husband,

Ricky Butcher Ricky Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Sid Owen. Introduced as a school boy in 1988, Ricky is one of the longest-running male protagonists to feature in ''EastEnders''. Owen originally left the ...

(

Sid Owen Sid Owen (born David John Sutton; 12 January 1972) is a British actor, television presenter and former singer from London, who played Ricky Butcher in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (1988–2000, 2002–2004, 2008–2012, 2022–2023). He a ...

), who has returned to Walford to visit his sister Janine (

Charlie Brooks Charlene Emma Brooks (born 3 May 1981) is an English actress, best known for her role of Janine Butcher in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Brooks has also performed in British television shows ''The Bill'', ''Wired'' and ''Bleak House'', ...

). Sam rejects Ricky after he re-develops feelings for her, but Janine's fiancé

Mick Carter Mick Carter is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' played by Danny Dyer, making his first appearance in the show in the episode originally broadcast in the United Kingdom on 25 December 2013. Dyer's casting was announce ...

(

Danny Dyer Danial John Dyer (born 24 July 1977) is an English actor and presenter. Dyer's breakthrough role was as Moff in ''Human Traffic'' (1999), with other notable roles Billy the Limpet in ''Mean Machine (film), Mean Machine'' (2001) and as Tommy J ...

) persuades her to go on a date with him. Sam later agrees to be Ricky's plus-one at Mick and Janine's wedding. When Phil's nemesis Keanu Taylor ( Danny Walters) returns to Walford, Sam is initially hostile towards him. It is later revealed that they previously had a fling whilst in Spain together. Sam is suspicious of Keanu's reasons for coming back and investigates his behaviour. She follows him to a car park and catches him meeting with Phil's other nemesis DCI Samantha Keeble ( Alison Newman). She reports this to Phil and reveals that Keanu is an informer, but when Phil refuses to take action, Sam lures Keanu to Peggy's and attempts to seduce him to gain a confession. Sam goes on another date with Ricky on New Year's Eve. He then asks her to move to Germany with him once he secures sole custody of his niece Scarlett (Tabitha Byron), but she does not respond immediately. Sam then abandons Ricky when she receives a text from Phil, inviting her to join him and the rest of the family in Peggy's bar to welcome in the New Year, and to make amends. Soon afterwards she agrees to move to Germany with Ricky. However, it is revealed that twelve-year-old resident

Lily Slater Lily Slater (also Branning and Fowler) is a fictional character in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and is played by Lillia Turner. Lily's first appearance in the serial is in episode 4023, originally broadcast on 23 June 2010, in which her b ...

(Lillia Turner) has fallen pregnant and she names Sam's son Ricky as the father following a

one-night stand A one-night stand is a single sexual encounter in which there is no expectation that there shall be any further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single night performanc ...

. As Sam tells Ricky Jnr that she is moving to Germany, he reveals to Sam that he has impregnated Lily and could face police questioning. Sam tells Jack and Denise, making Ricky Jnr furious. He later confides in Sam about becoming a father and asks her to remain in Walford and not move away with Ricky Butcher. Sam breaks the news to Ricky that she cannot leave her son again, and he leaves for Germany with Scarlett. Sam later tells the Brannings that she has decided to stay in Walford and vows to support her son. Lily chooses to keep her baby and Jack intervenes by trying to manipulate Lily into changing her mind, but upon Lily's mother

Stacey Slater Stacey Slater (also Branning and Fowler) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Lacey Turner. She first appears in episode 2826, originally broadcast on 1 November 2004. The character is introduced as a feis ...

(

Lacey Turner Lacey Amelia Turner (born 28 March 1988) is an English actress. She gained prominence in the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' for her portrayal of Stacey Slater, a role she initially played between 2004 and 2010 before returning in 2014 an ...

) finding out, she bans the Brannings and Mitchells from having anything to do with Lily's baby. An upset Ricky Jnr decides to move in with Sam. Soon after, Sam receives a text from the Sexual Health Clinic, informing her that a previous partner has tested positive for an STI. She makes an appointment at the clinic and it is confirmed that she is negative. Sam then discovers that the text was about Zack and he opens up to her about his HIV diagnosis. In April 2023, Sam receives a call from Don, offering her the opportunity to manage his luxurious new bar in a hotel in Spain. Sam is tempted by the offer but is unsure whether to take it because she does not want to leave Ricky once again. Honey Mitchell (

Emma Barton Emma Louise Barton (born 26 July 1977) is an English actress. She is known for her role as Honey Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', which she has portrayed since November 2005. Before her role in ''EastEnders'', Barton appeared in ...

) encourages Sam to take the job temporarily so she can financially support Ricky when his baby is born. Sam promises Ricky that she will be back to support him and that she is not abandoning him again. She then bids an emotional goodbye to Ricky, Jack and Honey before departing for Spain once again. One month later, Jack receives a call from Sam and she tells him the hotel staff are inundated and they need her to stay on for at least the summer. Several months later, Sam returns to the square when she is thrown out of a white van by a henchman whose boss she owes money to; she tells Phil that she has 24 hours to come up with £100,000 after she became involved in drug dealing whilst in Spain. Sam later meets up with the kingpin Camillo (Marco Zingaro) and he threatens to kill her if she does not pay him. Kat sees him trying to bundle Sam into his car and immediately tells Phil and

Billy Mitchell William Lendrum Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was a United States Army officer who had a major role in the creation of the United States Air Force. Mitchell served in France during World War I and, by the conflict's end, ...

(

Perry Fenwick Perry Fenwick (born 29 May 1962) is an English actor. He is known for portraying the role of Billy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', a role which he has played since 1998. Career Television Fenwick's first regular television rol ...

), who rush to Sam’s aid. Phil later agrees to pay Camillo the £100,000 and tells Sam she can pay him back by working in Peggy’s for free until the debt is cleared. Sam once again throws herself into the middle of proving herself to her family, but Phil does not show her any respect or affection. In January 2024, the Mitchells find out that their

Aunt Sal Aunt Sal is a recurring fictional character in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Anna Karen Introduced in 1996, she appeared sporadically from 21 March 1996 until 29 December 1997, then from 28 September 2001 until 17 September 2004, ...

(

Anna Karen Ann Harrison McCall (19 September 1936 – 22 February 2022), professionally known as Anna Karen, was a British actress best known for playing Olive Rudge in the ITV sitcom ''On the Buses'' from 1969 to 1973 including its film spin-offs and st ...

) has passed away. At her wake, Sam discovers that Sal left her £33,000 in her will and is furious when Phil refuses to give her the money. Unfortunately for Phil, Sam finds out from

Alfie Moon Alfie Moon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Shane Richie. He made his first appearance on 21 November 2002, and left on 25 December 2005. He returned on 21 September 2010, following the return of his on ...

(

Shane Richie Shane Patrick Paul Roche (born 11 March 1964), known as Shane Richie, is an English actor, comedian, presenter and singer. Following initial success as a stage and screen performer, he became best known for his portrayal of the character Alfie ...

) that Phil had slept with Emma Harding (

Patsy Kensit Patricia Jude Francis Kensit (born 4 March 1968) is an English actress and singer. Beginning her career as a child actor, Kensit gained attention when she acted in a string of commercials for Birds Eye frozen peas. She went on to appear in films ...

), the mother of their dead relative

Lola Pearce-Brown Lola Pearce (also Pearce-Brown) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BB ...

(

Danielle Harold Danielle Amy Harold (born 30 May 1992) is an English actress and producer. She rose to prominence playing Lola Pearce in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Her portrayal of Lola's glioblastoma brain tumour storyline, that ultimately resulted i ...

), days before marrying Kat. Sam uses this information to blackmail Phil into giving her the money, otherwise she will tell Kat. Phil eventually gives her the money but belittles her in the process, and tells her to leave Walford. Sam then reveals everything to a packed pub, which is celebrating Kat and Phil's joint birthday. Kat declares that she is leaving Phil, while Phil disowns Sam once again and threatens her to leave the Square. Having been ousted by her family, Sam steals money from Phil’s safe and leaves it in an envelope for Ricky and then departs Walford for Canada.

Reception

Westbrook has said that within days of her first appearance as Sam in 1990, the public and media interest in her character was 'phenomenal'. The character has been reintroduced multiple times, with producer Matthew Robinson referring to her as 'popular'.

Kim Medcalf Kim Louise Medcalf (born 8 December 1973) is an English actress and singer. She is best known for portraying the role of Sam Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2002–2005, 2022–2024). Career ''EastEnders'' In late 2001, Kim Med ...

as Sam Mitchell won a National TV Award in 2002 for most popular newcomer. The direction taken with the character was viewed critically in 2004, with Paul Clark of ''

The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. Founded in 1880, ''The Stage'' contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at thos ...

'' using Sam as an example of how ''EastEnders'' had become unbelievable. He commented, 'The rot set in around the time when one of the show's female leads, Sam, metamorphosed from introspective beauty into oestrogen-fuelled

Al Capone Alphonse Gabriel Capone ( ; ; January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947), sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American organized crime, gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-foun ...

tte, making Billy burn down Den's club.' ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' claimed in 2004 that the soap opera had come under 'heavy fire' for 'poor storylines', among them Sam's wedding to gangster Andy Hunter. Stuart Heritage, of ''The Guardian'', commented on the recasting of Sam in June 2010, saying 'Medcalf lacked Westbrook's obvious aura of constant threat, but still managed to help bludgeon Dirty Den's head in with a metal dog before leaving so that – in a bonkers soap twist – Westbrook could return again.' Kevin O'Sullivan, writing for the ''Sunday Mirror'', was critical of

Danniella Westbrook Danniella Westbrook (born 5 November 1973) is an English actress and television personality. She is best known for playing Sam Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Westbrook has also presented various television shows and was a conte ...

's return in 2009, highlighting an 'inexplicable personality transplant' in Sam and decrying the 'homecoming' storyline as 'an insult to long-suffering viewers' intelligence'. Comparatively,

Virgin Media Virgin Media Limited is a British telecommunications company which provides telephone, television and internet services in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are at Green Park in Reading, England. It is owned by Virgin Media O2, a 50:50 ...

have rated Sam/Westbrook's return in 2009 as the tenth greatest soap comeback of all time, saying 'She was only on screen for five seconds before the famous 'Enders drums signalled the return of Walford's much-missed Mitchell sister. It may not have been a big surprise to see Sam back, but those scriptwriters sure know how to leave us gasping for more.' Ruth Deller, of entertainment website '' lowculture.co.uk'', criticised Sam's return in 2009, branding it as unsuccessful and also stating: 'Danniella Westbrook is doing her best, but the scriptwriters don't seem to know who Sam is any more. Sam mark 1 and Sam mark 2 were very different, and Sam mark 1 rebooted seems to be a third person altogether. Is she a canny businesswoman or completely thick? Is she ugly or attractive? Are we supposed to be rooting for her or rallying against her?' She further faulted her story-'lining adding: 'Her storylines don't seem to be going anywhere and the whole return seems like it was concocted purely for headlines and not at all for story development.' In 2020, Sara Wallis and Ian Hyland from The ''

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily Tabloid journalism, tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is part of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the tit ...

'' placed Sam 84th on their ranked list of the best ''EastEnders'' characters of all time, calling her a "wildchild". After Medcalf reprised the role in 2022, viewers were in agreement that her return to playing Sam "was a real coup". Viewers have said that Medcalf "makes the character so watchable and multi-layered". Following Medcalf's break from the series, viewers and critics were glad to have her back and missed her on the series. ''

Metro Metro may refer to: Geography * Metro City (Indonesia), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban area with high ...

''s Maisie Spackman said that she "can't wait to see Sam back on our screens" and hoped that Medcalf would be given a huge storyline.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Sam EastEnders characters Fictional bartenders in soap operas Fictional businesspeople in soap operas Fictional models Fictional British criminals Fictional criminals in soap operas Television characters introduced in 1990 British female characters in soap operas English female characters in television Teenage characters in soap operas Female villains Fictional blackmailers Fictional outlaws Mitchell family (EastEnders) Butcher family (EastEnders) Fictional managers

Creation and development

Casting

Personality and characterisation

Westbrook's initial stint (1990–2000)

Teen elopement

Reintroduction and axing (1995–1996)

Second reintroduction and axing (1999–2000)

Medcalf's initial stint (2002–2005)

Men and business

Murder of Den Watts and departure

Westbrook's return (2009–2010)

Brief return (2016)

Medcalf's return (2022–2024)

Storylines

Backstory

1990–2000

2002–2005

2009–2016

2022–2024

Reception

See also

References

External links