Sam Mitchell's EastEnders timeline: From biggest storylines to actress changes

Danniella Westbrook originated the role in 1990 but off-screen controversies for the actress led to Kim Medcalf replacing her in 2002. Westbrook reprised the role in 2009 but Medcalf is now playing her again for the first time in 17 years. If your memory needs jogging as to the character’s backstory, and you need reminding about who played her and when then read on as RadioTimes.com relives the chaotic history and changing faces of Samantha Margaret Priscilla Mitchell.

Danniella Westbrook's first decade (1990 - 2000)

Schoolgirl Sam, played by 16-year-old Danniella Westbrook, was introduced as the kid sister of newly-arrived tough guys Grant and Phil. Nowhere near as sweet as she looked, she was a little madam who could wrap her bruiser brothers, and protective mum Peggy, around her little finger.

She eloped to Gretna Green with gormless boyfriend Ricky Butcher in 1991 but the marriage went into meltdown two years later when she began modelling and left Walford (and her husband) to see the world. She got as far as Spain, where Phil and Grant found her in 1995 working in a seedy bar while on holiday, and they dragged her back to Albert Square to keep an eye on her.

By now Ricky was dating gobby Bianca Jackson and a long-running rivalry between the women began as Sam tried to entice her ex back into her bed. Ricky chose B (he was probably too scared not to), and Sam left again in 1996 when she fell for handsome Spanish holidaymaker Guillermo and followed him home.

Single and ready to mingle by 1999, Sam returned looking for love and had stormy flings with Italian stallion Beppe di Marco and suave gangster Steve Owen. Deciding she was better off alone, she left again six months later.

Off-screen, the controversies surrounding Westbrook’s tumultuous private life, particularly in regard to her high-profile drug addiction issues, was in danger of eclipsing her acting career so ‘Enders bosses wrote her out of this third stint earlier than planned.

Kim Medcalf takes over (2002 - 2005)

While Westbrook stepped away from the spotlight to concentrate on her recovery, producers felt the time was right to reintroduce Sam and so opted to for the recast route. This meant when Peggy unexpectedly bumped into her daughter in Spain (where else?) in 2002 she got a double dose of shocks – not only was Sam a professional lap dancer, she also had a completely different face.

Newcomer Medcalf’s eventful three-and-a-half-year tenure saw the flighty, flirty character calm down and step up with a mature, softer vibe and more serious storylines, including a breast cancer scare and an attempted sexual assault from a menacing punter at the pub.

But Sam’s efforts to be taken more seriously by her faaaaamily failed when Phil’s nemesis Andy Hunter conned the gullible girl into tying the knot so he could get his mitts on the Mitchell empire while Phil was on the run for armed robbery, and an ill-fated fling with the resurrected Lothario Dirty Den Watts ended with him stealing the Queen Vic from under naieve Sam’s nose.

To get revenge on Den, Sam teamed up with his scorned wife Chrissie Watts and mistress Zoe Slater, who was forced into an abortion when she fell pregnant by her older lover. An explosive showdown took place in the Vic between the three women (dubbed ‘the Witches of Walford’ at the time) and even though it was Chrissie who dealt the fatal blow to Den’s bonce with Pauline Fowler’s doggy doorstop (don’t ask) she shifted the blame to Sam, framing her for his murder.

Sam was seriously haunted by Den’s death and psychologically unravelled, realising she was out of her depth until she went completely out of her mind and dug him up from beneath the barrel store, where Chrissie had hidden the body, on Sharon Watts and Dennis Rickman’s wedding day (at least the father of the bride got to attend in some form).

Chrissie was eventually caught but in 2005 Sam fled to Brazil to dodge prison for perverting the course of justice and covering up the killing. Until…

Danniella Westbrook returns (2009 - 2010, 2016)

A decade after her last appearance, Westbrook was invited to reprise the role and Sam was back to her bad girl ways. Sneaking into the UK using a fake passport she tried to steal Ricky from Bianca (again), bedded cousin Ronnie’s fella Jack Branning and was manipulated by evil uncle/step-dad Archie Mitchell, who turned her against the family (to spite estranged wife Peggy) to the point where they tried to fit her up for his murder.

Still technically on the run, Sam handed herself into the cops and was released nine months later with a big secret and a big belly: she was heavily pregnant. She gave birth to a baby boy called Richard – but who was the daddy?

Sneaky Sam lied it was Ricky hoping he’d leave Bianca to play happy families with his childhood sweetheart, but Jack turned out to be the real father. Jealous Ronnie paid Sam to disappear with the love child, so mother and son moved to Portugal to live with Grant.

Six years later in 2016, Sam and little Ricky returned for Peggy’s funeral, but the single mum confessed to cousin Roxy that parenthood is no picnic and abandoned her son, leaving him with Jack and speeding off in the traditional black cab.

Kim Medcalf makes her comeback (2022)

With bucketloads of bad blood and old scores galore that need settling, what kind of a welcome will Sam receive when she returns to Walford? And will anyone question why she suddenly looks like she did 15 years ago…?

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.

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