Michelle Fowler
Michelle Fowler (also Holloway) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera "EastEnders", played by Susan Tully from the first episode in 1985 until the character's departure in 1995. In December 2016, it was announced Michelle would be returning to the show after 21 years, with actress Jenna Russell taking over the role making her first appearance on 24 December 2016. In her first stint Michelle made some huge mistakes during her time in Albert Square mainly through having a habit of choosing the wrong men and her stubborn nature meant that she rarely accepted help or listened to good advice. Being determined and outspoken, she has never been afraid to defend herself or her beliefs. Since the recast to Russell in 2016, Michelle's storylines have revolved around her having had an illegal relationship with her student, Preston Cooper (Martin Anzor) in America, a love triangle involving her niece Bex Fowler (Jasmine Armfield), crashing Phil Mitchell car into the local chip shop and being stalked by Tom Bailey (Daniel Casey). Russell's departure from the show was announced in March 2018, and Michelle departed on 17 April 2018.
Queen Vic Fire Week
In October 2009, actress Barbara Windsor's decision to leave "EastEnders" after sixteen years of portraying the character Peggy Mitchell was announced. The show's executive producer, Bryan Kirkwood, said it was a massive honour for him to be responsible for the character's exit, but explained that as she has become the "quintessential matriarch of the show", they had to get the exit storyline right, which he said would be "both epic and poignant". Windsor gave one year's notice of leaving, giving the production team time to come up with a storyline, and was asked to keep her decision a secret until the announcement was made. Kirkwood looked at Windsor's first episode and decided her exit should be about Peggy and her son Phil, as Peggy's arrival came at a time when Phil needed her most, and since then, she had believed that Phil still needed her. Peggy's exit came when she realised his mother was not what Phil needed. Windsor did not want to know in advance how her character would leave, but hoped she would not be killed off. She commented: "My exit was beautifully written and I really couldn’t have asked for a better send-off for Peggy."