EastEnders should go all in and bring back Roxy Mitchell full-time

Bringing glamour, strong performances, and one of the soap’s most charismatic pairings, the sisters had what it took to be long-term matriarchal figures in the soap, particularly following the loss of Peggy Mitchell (the late great Barbara Windsor).

However, a short-term shock value twist with a lack of foresight proved to be arguably the biggest mistake the soap has ever made.

Despite the powerful performances that followed – particularly from Scott Maslen as grieving Jack Branning – the consequences of Ronnie and Roxy’s deaths were just not worth losing two iconic characters, and there has been a distinct lack of their je ne sais quoi ever since.

Many former EastEnders viewers on social media and in real life will say they stopped watching when the pair were killed off and it remained hard to stomach for those who continued.

Arguably, the two characters needed a rest from the non-stop drama but the desire to nail the coffin shut on them felt mean-spirited and unnecessary, taking away the opportunity for a future executive producer to bring the pair back.

Or has it?

It would certainly be the most outlandish resurrection for EastEnders so far. 'Dirty' Den Watts (Leslie Grantham) appeared to be shot off-screen in 1989 and was later identified by daughter Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) after being fished out of a canal. Of course, we didn’t see the body and so a loophole was available for when Den strutted back into Walford to say “Hello, Princess” to Sharon in 2003 – even if he did end up being murdered for good in 2005. Den had covered up his survival and fled the country.

In 2006, Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) discovered his mother Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) had died in a car crash in South Africa, prompting her younger son Ben Mitchell (then Charlie Jones) to return to Walford and live with his family there. However, in 2014, Kathy stepped out of a black cab to say “Hello, Phil” to her ex-husband Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden). Kathy had been coerced into faking her death by her evil husband Gavin Sullivan (Paul Nicholas).

So, we did see Roxy underwater in the swimming pool back in 2017 and floating lifeless at the conclusion of the episode but we never saw her body again after this, as everything related to her body being identified, funeral, autopsy etc all took place off-screen.

Sadly, the same cannot be said for tragic Ronnie who we saw struggling in the water and then when Jack visited her coffin in the funeral parlour.

Of course, the biggest question is whether the general public would accept a storyline that brought back Roxy Mitchell full-time. The incredibly moving imagined reunion between Roxy and her struggling daughter Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd) felt like a taster of what it would be like to have Roxy back and interact with her on-screen daughter now she is old enough to have storylines of her own.

At this stage, we would not put it past the incredibly inventive team of writers under executive producer Chris Clenshaw to pull off a halfway believable way of bringing Roxy back, and many EastEnders fans would be willing to accept any excuse to get Roxy back in Albert Square (yes, me personally, too). Not afraid to be bold – see the brilliant flashback episode from last year and the recent theory-inducing flashforward storyline – EastEnders continues to surprise us.

The helpful addition of actress Rita Simons claiming that she avoided filming scenes as a corpse and portrayed her death scene differently from how others intended also adds some leeway for a comeback.

The other question remains: would viewers want Roxy without big sister Ronnie? Well, it wouldn’t be the first time that Roxy has been on the Square without her icy and tragic sister, as she was on the soap from 2011 to 2013 while Ronnie was in prison and had some strong storylines in the interim – including a bitter custody battle and a love triangle with Alfie (Shane Richie) and Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace).

The difference here is that Roxy has a whole new list of potential stories as a mother to a troubled teenager and with the absence of a wildcard female character like herself, she would bring her own distinct energy to proceedings.

It would also be interesting to see how Roxy could play off of the brilliant Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf), with whom she would share much in common – namely, letting down Jack Branning’s children – and could find either an ally or bitter enemy.

Hell, get John Partridge back as Christian Clarke and give Roxy and Christian a night out on the tiles.

Would it be a stretch of credibility? Absolutely, but this is a soap opera and the same complaints were thrown around for both Den and Kathy’s returns – but in the end, most were just pleased to have them back. Even now, it remains a pleasure to see Kathy in Walford where she belongs and we welcome any big storylines heading her way.

As ever, much of this also rests with the viewers, but if the strong reactions to Roxy’s appearance are anything to go by, the love of the Mitchell sisters still burns bright.

EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer. Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.

Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.