239-518: Veronica Elizabeth "Ronnie" Branning (also Mitchell ) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders , played by Samantha Womack . She and her younger sister Roxy Mitchell (played by Rita Simons ) were introduced by executive producer Diederick Santer in July 2007. Ronnie is described as the "ice" to Roxy's "fire". As an extension to the already established Mitchell family, Ronnie quickly became
478-568: A DNA test done and Archie finds the results, discovering that Amy's father is actually Suzy's brother Jack Branning ( Scott Maslen ) - whom Ronnie has already embarked on a relationship with. After catching Suzy stealing from the Mitchells' safe, Archie tells her he will keep quiet providing she makes sure Sean finds the DNA test results, proving that he is not the father. This act leads to Sean kidnapping Amy, and trying to drown her, Roxy and himself, before he
717-511: A badge of honour to join EastEnders . My roots are working class so becoming part of the Square feels right. It's like I've come full circle and am back where I started out." He also described Archie as "different [from Phil and Grant ]. He's not [...] frightened to get involved, but he's become more worldly over the years. He's made a success of his life and he's learnt a lot on the way." Archie
956-486: A car accident. She makes an enemy in Carl White ( Daniel Coonan ), when he attempts to muscle in on the businesses. When Roxy returns to the Square, she and Ronnie make peace but Ronnie becomes suspicious about Alfie's feelings for Kat. She is proved right when he leaves Roxy just after their wedding ceremony. Roxy then starts dating Carl and when Ronnie fails to pull her back together, she convinces Phil to sell The Queen Vic,
1195-693: A censorship apparatus for the inevitability of war. Due to the BBC's advancements in shortwave radio technology, the corporation could broadcast across the world during the Second World War. Within Europe, the BBC European Service would gather intelligence and information regarding the current events of the war in English. Regional BBC workers, based on their regional geo-political climate, would then further censor
1434-399: A certain extent, but it's meant to be high drama for entertainment purposes. I mean, how many murders can you have in one square? There's a nod to real life but, for the most part, soaps help take people out of the real world." On 6 January 2011, it was reported that Womack had quit her role in the series due to her unhappiness with the baby swap storyline. Her departure was later confirmed by
1673-404: A cheque of £5,000 to help look after Hannah and her sisters, but Hannah tears it up. Jack later returns after Honey persuades him to but leaves again after Ronnie tells him they would not be together again. Tim also returns and tries to kiss Ronnie. She decides she still loves Jack, but believing he is getting married, she decides to stop the wedding but when she gets there, Jack is simply a guest at
1912-478: A closer bond with Roxy, his relationship with Ronnie became volatile and tempestuous—after it had transpired Ronnie was previously forced by her father to give up her newborn baby, Amy, for adoption shortly after she gave birth to the child at the age of 14. He soon instigates trouble between his two daughters by scheming with Suzy Branning ( Maggie O'Neill ) to destroy Roxy's marriage with Sean Slater ( Robert Kazinsky ) and later manipulating Ronnie into disbelieving
2151-532: A custodial sentence. She is sentenced to three years and as she is being taken away, Kat tells her that she forgives her. Ronnie then says goodbye to Roxy, telling her that she was the one looking after her for the last few years. Ronnie sits alone in her cell, holding Danielle's locket, having finally found peace. Jack tries to visit Ronnie but she refuses to see him and in December 2011, she files for divorce. In September 2013, Roxy, Jack and Kat are notified that Ronnie
2390-488: A death threat against Ronnie, and told her that Amy had died 13 years previously. He believes Archie's relationship with Ronnie suffered when he realised that he could not control her. In the EastEnders Revealed documentary "The Secret Mitchell", an EastEnders storyliner suggested that Archie views Ronnie as damaged goods, and is somewhat disgusted by her. Santer stated that Archie told Ronnie her daughter had died as
2629-468: A few feathers." Womack filmed her first scenes in summer 2013 and returned on screen from 9 September 2013 for two three-month-long stints. She returned to filming full-time on 24 July 2014 and returned to screens on 25 September 2014. On 13 August 2016, it was reported that new producer Sean O'Connor had offered Womack a "dramatic ending" to Ronnie's storylines and that Womack had accepted. Her departure scenes were broadcast on 1 January 2017. Following
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#17328558993452868-456: A file he found in Vincent's safe, revealing he is working to take down the Mitchells. Vincent tries to blackmail her into framing Phil for drug trafficking, using a confession of her admitting to killing Carl. Phil, who has returned to drinking, disowns Ronnie, but she still protects him when Vincent plants a gun on him and calls the police. After, Ronnie destroys the copies of her confession and keeps
3107-607: A flashback episode that aired on 5 September 2022, being portrayed by Henry Garrett , with the episode focusing on the Mitchell family in the 1970s. Archie Mitchell made his first appearance when he is visited at his home in Weymouth by his estranged daughter, Ronnie ( Samantha Womack ) - whom he has not seen for just over fifteen years - and sister-in-law, Peggy ( Barbara Windsor ); they are looking for his younger daughter, Roxy ( Rita Simons ), who has disappeared after discovering she
3346-411: A further appearance on 5 January, in the wedding video which Jack watches. She was also credited in another episode on 19 January 2017, making her last appearance as a corpse when Jack says goodbye to her. Following their introductory episode in July 2007, both Mitchell sisters were received favourably by Mark Wright of The Stage . He commented that they established themselves quickly, deeming them "in
3585-434: A gift to Ronnie: the baby blanket she bought for her daughter when she was born. Peggy eventually agrees to talk to Archie and believes he is sorry for his past actions. Phil sees him and breaks into his house with a gun, but sees him and Peggy kissing. Peggy tells Phil that Archie has changed, but Phil tells Archie to stay away from his family and drops a bullet into his glass. Phil later tells Archie he's going to kill him, but
3824-439: A group of episodes filmed on-location in Weymouth , Dorset . Viewers were made aware of his feud with daughter Ronnie after he made her give her baby up for adoption as a teenager. Larry Lamb discussed Archie and Ronnie's relationship in an interview with Radio Times : "He has a very chequered past - it's gone very wrong with Ronnie, while Roxy's his blue-eyed girl [...] he's a very family-oriented character and I think he finds
4063-419: A handful, and she's definitely gonna stir things up around here. But remember, wherever Roxy Mitchell is... I'm right behind." The promotion was received favourably by Leigh Holmwood, television journalist for The Guardian , who referred to it as "a very slick marketing campaign indeed." Holmwood observed that the upbeat trailers contrasted EastEnders ' reputation for depressing storylines, writing "Maybe
4302-442: A hotel swimming pool. In August 2016, it was reported that Ronnie and Roxy would depart together in a "dramatic exit". The sisters were killed-off on 1 January 2017 after Ronnie's second wedding to Jack, although Ronnie appears on-screen for a final time when Jack visits her corpse on 19 January 2017. A younger version of Ronnie, (played by Lucia De Wan), appeared in a flashback episode broadcast on 5 September 2022, which focuses on
4541-461: A larger brand: in 2003, BBC Choice was replaced by BBC Three , with programming for younger adults and shocking real-life documentaries, BBC News 24 became the BBC News Channel in 2008, and BBC Radio 7 became BBC Radio 4 Extra in 2011, with new programmes to supplement those broadcast on Radio 4. In 2008, another channel was launched, BBC Alba , a Scottish Gaelic service. During this decade,
4780-411: A life with her daughter. After Ronnie prevents her father from visiting Danielle at the morgue and then attending her funeral, Archie is thrown out of The Queen Vic and disowned by his family - with Roxy also turning on her father for ruining her sister's life. Peggy, wanting justice for Ronnie and Danielle, orders Phil to kill Archie - so he kidnaps him and threatens to bury him in cement. Archie falls for
5019-450: A month after it began. Roxy told Ronnie that Jack cheated on her with his ex-wife, Selina , she decided not to move in with him, and punched him. In an interview in the TV Times , Womack commented, "She [Ronnie] has a problem with physical violence. Any time she's up against it or feels she's been lied to, she lashes out". Despite this, the characters' on/off romance was resurrected later in
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#17328558993455258-540: A mother who has suddenly and tragically lost a baby through cot death would react by stealing another baby to replace that loss". Kym Marsh supported Ofcom's decision to clear the storyline. Marsh wrote in her magazine section: "Last week, EastEnders was cleared of wrongdoing by Ofcom, the media regulator, over its baby swap storyline, and I think that's the right decision. It's just a storyline, like any other. I understand why people got upset about it, but no-one meant to upset anybody. Soaps are supposed to portray real life to
5497-414: A natural end later this year and she will be taking a break from the show; this has been agreed with the producers for several months. Sam has had an incredibly happy and fulfilling time on EastEnders over the last few years. She has huge respect for the show, writers and producers and has thoroughly enjoyed playing such a complex role that has been involved in so many tough and challenging storylines." It
5736-599: A news and information service. In 1978, BBC staff went on strike just before the Christmas, thus blocking out the transmission of both channels and amalgamating all four radio stations into one. Since the deregulation of the UK television and radio market in the 1980s, the BBC has faced increased competition from the commercial sector (and from the advertiser-funded public service broadcaster Channel 4 ), especially on satellite television, cable television, and digital television services. In
5975-489: A number of additional channels and radio stations have been launched: Radio 5 was launched in 1990, as a sports and educational station, but was replaced in 1994, with BBC Radio 5 Live to become a live radio station, following the success of the Radio 4 service to cover the 1991 Gulf War . The new station would be a news and sport station. In 1997, BBC News 24 , a rolling news channel, launched on digital television services, and
6214-442: A partnership with Janine to carry out his scheme. He first plans to burn the pub down and frame Billy for the incident, but Peggy discovers this - though Archie is able to convince her that he was not involved and they kiss briefly. Archie later causes his family to lose the bail money for Sam by convincing her to abscond the country. This prompts Phil to borrow money from a loan shark named Isaacs, who later assaults him for not meeting
6453-420: A phone call in half an hour when she will here some of Ian and Janine's dalliances, prompting Ian to tell Archie that he will wish he was dead should Jane find out from him about the secret. Ian then storms off as Archie gleefully watches. Sam tries to confront Archie but he shuts the door on her. Ronnie visits her father, telling Archie that he will not make her care for him anymore. Archie argues with Ronnie about
6692-405: A prominent character, taking over the square’s local nightclub. She later formed an on-off relationship with her business partner, Jack Branning ( Scott Maslen ). The character is introduced during the episode first broadcast on 24 July 2007. Her first major storyline saw Ronnie clash with her villainous father, Archie ( Larry Lamb ), after it transpired that he forced his eldest daughter — at
6931-681: A proposal to cut 4,000 jobs, and to privatise parts of the BBC, disrupted much of the BBC's regular programming. In 2006, BBC HD launched as an experimental service and became official in December 2007. The channel broadcast HD simulcasts of programmes on BBC One , BBC Two , BBC Three and BBC Four as well as repeats of some older programmes in HD. In 2010, an HD simulcast of BBC One launched: BBC One HD . The channel uses HD versions of BBC One's schedule and uses upscaled versions of programmes not currently produced in HD. The BBC HD channel closed in March 2013 and
7170-485: A psychopath!" In June 2010, Lamb revealed that he based Archie on his own father. After Lamb joined the cast, Diederick Santer commented "I've only seen a handful of scenes that Larry's done so far but I think he's giving a mesmerising and multi-layered performance. There's quite a buzz coming up from the set, and I'm really excited about him." Tim Teeman, critic for The Times , has described Archie as "a thousand times more terrifying than Nick Cotton " and "a psycho in
7409-458: A really wiry performance." Simons added, "I don't know why I've got this thing about Bob Hoskins . I've always wanted him to be my dad." Other actors mentioned by Janus and Simons include Terence Stamp , Malcolm McDowell , Michael Caine , Ian McShane and Ray Winstone . Winstone, a friend of Janus, denied claims that he would be playing Archie, joking "I'll play [Ronnie's] fella but I'm not playing her dad!" Veteran entertainer Lionel Blair
Ronnie Mitchell - Misplaced Pages Continue
7648-1072: A secret relationship with Dean Wicks ( Matt Di Angelo ), and Ronnie is furious when she finds out, as Dean raped Linda Carter ( Kellie Bright ). Dean finds Ronnie's hidden cameras, and Roxy moves out, feeling violated. Ronnie kisses and sleeps with Vincent again, despite them both being married. Ronnie admits she doesn't love Charlie, and ends their marriage. Charlie and Roxy come up with a plan to flee to France with Matthew, but Roxy secretly tells Ronnie and they plan to double cross Charlie and get him arrested. However, events backfire and Ronnie nearly loses Matthew, though Charlie returns to Walford soon after. Ronnie asks Vincent to help her get rid of Charlie, and he disappears, with Roxy finding his discarded wallet. She later asks Honey Mitchell ( Emma Barton ) to move in with her. When Dean becomes increasingly controlling over Roxy, Ronnie asks Linda's help to get rid of him. Linda turns her away, but her fiancé, Dean's brother Mick Carter ( Danny Dyer ), later visits Ronnie and agrees to help her. However, he cannot go through with
7887-539: A series of strikes; however, the BBC stated that the cuts were essential to move the organisation forward and concentrate on increasing the quality of programming. On 20 October 2010, the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne announced that the television licence fee would be frozen at its current level until the end of the current charter in 2016. The same announcement revealed that the BBC would take on
8126-619: A son, Ricky . She learns that Jack is Richard's father, following a brief relationship. When Sam feels unable to cope with parenthood, they agree that Richard will live with Jack and Ronnie but, having given a child up for adoption, Ronnie can see that Sam is having doubts. Consequently, Ronnie gives her money so she and Richard can leave Walford together. She and Jack marry and prepare for the birth of their child. Ronnie bonds with Kat Moon ( Jessie Wallace ) over being abused as children and have given their first child up for adoption. When Ronnie learns that Stacey killed Archie, she allows her to leave
8365-505: A story that the child had died 13 years ago, though Ronnie does not believe him. Roxy agrees to return to London if Ronnie and Archie make up, but Ronnie whispers in her father's ear that she will kiss his gravestone when he is dead. Archie persuades Peggy to start a relationship while they can and tells Ronnie he will see her in London in a few weeks. Now engaged, Archie and Peggy return to The Queen Victoria public house . Ronnie tries to tell
8604-550: A way of controlling her. In a plot twist, it was revealed to viewers that Archie had lied, and that Amy was alive. She was introduced to the series under her adopted name, Danielle Jones, in August 2008. Danielle arrived in Walford seeking Ronnie, but kept her true identity a secret through fear of rejection. Series writer Simon Ashdown described her as "hurt and broken by her life", and hoping to charm Ronnie into liking her before revealing
8843-536: Is Tommy's birth father and tries to sabotage his relationships with Roxy and Jack so he will leave Walford but Michael convinces Jack that Ronnie is obsessed with him. Unable to explain her actions, Ronnie agrees that she needs professional help and visits a counsellor but leaves before the session and lies to Jack about it. Glenda realises that Ronnie is not attending counselling but is forced to leave Walford. Ronnie briefly goes missing, and after Jack brings her home, her behaviour becomes increasingly erratic. After visiting
9082-535: 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 state with its current name on New Year's Day 1927. The oldest and largest local and global broadcaster by stature and by number of employees, the BBC employs over 21,000 staff in total, of whom approximately 17,200 are in public-sector broadcasting. The BBC
9321-470: Is a love interest for Peggy, his brother's widow, despite reports that actress Barbara Windsor did not want any more romantic storylines. Windsor later commented that "she always thought Larry Lamb should star in the [...] soap" and that he is a "match made in heaven" for her. The character was originally intended to stay on screen only for the duration of the Danielle Jones storyline, however, following
9560-417: Is able to take him on. And one thing is for sure - it's going to be a spectacular war between these two." The arrival of Archie was anticipated ever since the arrival of his daughters in July 2007, with several actors rumoured to be taking on the role. Janus told Digital Spy , "I would love the idea that this mad, iconic male [Archie] comes back into our lives. It needs to be someone dark – someone that gives
9799-457: Is acquitted. Ronnie and Jack decide to move to Ongar , Essex, to Roxy's displeasure, as Amy would be moving with them. However, Ronnie then suggests that Roxy move to a nearby house in the same town. Roxy suspects that Jack and Honey are having an affair, and tells Ronnie, who confronts Jack. He denies this, and later, Roxy decides Amy should move without her and then asks Ronnie to adopt Amy. After an emotional discussion, Ronnie agrees, but later,
Ronnie Mitchell - Misplaced Pages Continue
10038-461: Is always going to be sad to watch and it will upset people. But at the end of the day, it's a drama and it's not real. I think it got blown out of all proportion. Unfortunately, things like that do happen in real life. Babies get swapped and snatched in hospitals. I'm sure that any parent who has lost a child will find even talking about their experience very difficult, let alone watching it being acted out on television. Even my daughter got upset but she
10277-453: Is angered by Peggy's decision not to wear the suit he chose for her. When challenged by Peggy at the altar, he decides he loves her regardless and the ceremony proceeds. At the reception, Ronnie sees Danielle about to snatch Amy and she tells her the truth. Danielle realizes Archie has lied to her, but Archie claims Danielle is mentally ill. Danielle tries to prove herself but Ronnie believes Archie and throws Danielle out. However, she later finds
10516-571: Is back and there is nothing he can do about it. At some point, Archie discovers that Peggy's daughter Sam ( Danniella Westbrook ) is back in Walford - having returned from Brazil despite being on the run for covering up the murder of the Queen Vic's original landlord and Phil's old enemy, Den Watts ( Leslie Grantham ). He soon observes a feud between Sam and Roxy, as the pair have never got on properly; with Roxy growing frustrated to learn that Sam's return has been kept from her. Archie later sees Roxy in
10755-463: Is based on controversy and sensationalism because bosses are trying to get high ratings and they can't write things like 'Ronnie had a cup of tea'. Otherwise people wouldn't watch it." On 1 August 2011, Ofcom cleared the storyline. The baby swap storyline prompted a huge 1,044 complaints reported to Ofcom. Ofcom also added that many of the complaints were made because the storyline was presented "in an offensive manner" because it "appeared to suggest that
10994-626: Is being released from prison. Roxy wants to meet her, but Tommy's stepfather Alfie Moon ( Shane Richie ) - who Roxy is now engaged to - protests. Kat goes instead and brings Ronnie back to Albert Square. Alfie insists Ronnie keep her distance, when he finds the sisters reminiscing with Tommy, nearby. As a result, Roxy cuts ties with Ronnie and spends time healing things with Alfie, away from the Square. During this time, Ronnie reconciles with Jack, but when it comes to going public, Jack cannot do it and decides to leave Walford. Ronnie's cousin, Phil, puts Ronnie in charge of his businesses, while he recovers from
11233-468: Is concerned when Roxy returns, having been beaten up. Ronnie gives Roxy cash to pay off a debt, but Roxy leaves. Andy is then seen looking at newspaper stories about Ronnie that he has collected. Andy is exposed as the stalker but also revealed as Danielle's adoptive brother, Gareth Jones; Ronnie and he make amends after a heart to heart. He remorsefully leaves Walford. Ronnie and Jack get engaged. Ronnie supports Roxy through Dean's trial, comforting her when he
11472-472: Is defined by her childhood trauma. The sisters have been compared to the Kray twins , Ronnie and Reggie. Treadwell-Collins initially intended for Ronnie to appear enigmatic, cool and guarded, hoping to intrigue viewers before introducing elements of her backstory to garner audience sympathy. Both Mitchell sisters featured heavily in a BBC marketing campaign preceding their arrival. Several promotional trailers aired on
11711-478: Is devastated, and is later seen clutching a locket containing a photograph of Ronnie, revealing herself to be Ronnie's daughter. It transpires that Danielle is the result of a teenage romance between Ronnie and her first boyfriend, Joel Reynolds ( Cavan Clerkin ). Archie disapproved of the pregnancy and put Danielle—named Amy by Ronnie—up for adoption. Danielle was adopted by Lizzie and Andy Jones ( Aneirin Hughes ), and
11950-558: Is five months pregnant with Charlie's baby. She moves back in with Roxy. Dot, disappointed about the idea of her great-grandchild being born out of wedlock, persuades Charlie to propose to Ronnie. She admits that she has killed a man and, in return, he admits that he is not a police officer and has been lying to Dot about Nick Cotton 's ( John Altman ) death. Nick returns to Walford and reveals himself to Dot. Ronnie tells Charlie that she wants him gone. She threatens Nick, saying that he doesn't know what she's capable of. She asks Phil to give her
12189-401: Is going to kill Dean. He warns Mick, and eventually Dean's parents Buster Briggs ( Karl Howman ) and Shirley, who arrive after Ronnie has given him a drink full of crushed up drugs. She reveals it was only a plan to scare him, but it is enough to make Roxy confess to Dean that Ronnie is a murderer, so he convinces Roxy to go to the police. Ronnie is seemingly arrested during a family dinner with
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#173285589934512428-509: Is her daughter and her subsequent death. In 2020, Sara Wallis and Ian Hyland from The Daily Mirror placed Ronnie 26th on their ranked list of the Best EastEnders characters of all time, calling her an "Ice queen". Womack won the 2008 Daily Star Soaper Star "Best Newcomer" award for her portrayal of Ronnie. She and Simons were awarded the "Best On-Screen Partnership" accolade at the 2008 Digital Spy Soap Awards , and were nominated in
12667-428: Is in the care of Ronnie and Roxy. Ronnie and Phil track her down and Ronnie hires Aleks Shirovs ( Kristian Kiehling ) to beat Adam up. The following month, Ronnie accidentally runs Lola over, in the same spot where Danielle died. Ronnie is full of remorse for her actions and Lola soon forgives her, realising that Ronnie never intended to harm her. Ronnie has a brief relationship with Charlie Cotton ( Declan Bennett ),
12906-468: Is nearly hit by a car. She is arrested for harassing Ronnie. However, Ronnie is still being watched by someone else. Ronnie becomes friends with Andy Flynn ( Jack Derges ), a builder who is helping Jack to renovate Max's old house into flats. Ronnie speaks in Hannah's defence in court and the charges are dropped. Hannah insists that she did not send Ronnie any death threats and she must have another enemy. Ronnie
13145-611: Is now trying to locate her birth mother. On Archie and Peggy's wedding day, Danielle tells Ronnie that she is her daughter. Ronnie does not believe her because Archie told her that her daughter is dead, and throws her out. She later realises that Danielle was telling the truth and tries to apologize to Danielle, but she is hit by a car driven by Peggy's ex-stepdaughter Janine Butcher ( Charlie Brooks ) and dies in Ronnie's arms. Danielle's adoptive father, Andy, comes to London to get her and takes Danielle's remains back to Telford and bans Ronnie from
13384-500: Is obviously of paramount importance." Reith succeeded in building a high wall against an American-style free-for-all in radio in which the goal was to attract the largest audiences and thereby secure the greatest advertising revenue. There was no paid advertising on the BBC; all the revenue came from a tax on receiving sets. Highbrow audiences, however, greatly enjoyed it. At a time when American, Australian and Canadian stations were drawing huge audiences cheering for their local teams with
13623-467: Is on holiday. Ronnie goes into partnership with businessman Jack Branning ( Scott Maslen ), purchasing a nightclub, R&R , together, and begin an on-off relationship. During a period of separation, Roxy becomes pregnant by Jack after a one-night stand. Ronnie, unaware of who the father is, offers to support her sister and they briefly return to Ibiza. After an argument, Roxy visits their father, Archie Mitchell ( Larry Lamb ), to Ronnie's horror. She
13862-494: Is only 9 so maybe I shouldn't have let her watch it. I just didn't realise it was going to be so heart-wrenching, which was down to the great acting." Womack admitted that she thought the plot was "implausible". She commented: "I thought it was implausible. Most women who lose a child would not go out and abduct one," she told the Daily Mirror . "But Ronnie is a soap character and she is not necessarily representing real life. Soap
14101-498: Is pregnant. Peggy knows that Roxy is staying with Archie in Dorset but does not tell Ronnie, worried that she will refuse to go. Ronnie is furious to see her father, wanting nothing to do with him. Archie and Peggy catch up and he tells her he has survived cancer. Ronnie had given birth at the age of 14 to a daughter, Amy, fathered by Joel Reynolds ( Cavan Clerkin ), but Archie had Amy immediately put up for adoption. Archie then fabricates
14340-466: Is relieved when Roxy returns to the Square but horrified when Peggy announces that she and Archie are engaged. Roxy gives birth to a daughter, Amy Mitchell , named after the daughter Ronnie had who died. Ronnie is hurt when she learns of Amy's paternity but eventually forgives them both. Ronnie has a tumultuous relationship with employee, Danielle Jones ( Lauren Crace ), eventually leading to Danielle being sacked and Ronnie publicly berating her. Danielle
14579-418: Is responsible for operational management and delivery of services within a framework set by the board, and is chaired by the director-general , currently Tim Davie , who is chief executive and (from 1994) editor-in-chief. The corporation has the following in-house divisions covering the BBC's output and operations: Archie Mitchell Archibald Lionel "Archie" Mitchell is a fictional character from
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#173285589934514818-787: Is right behind him, overhearing Archie dismissing Ronnie's claims about him. Once he turns to face his wife, Peggy realizes that Ronnie was telling the truth about Archie all along. Equally disgusted by his lies, she screams at their guests to leave and confronts Archie for his deceit. Her family and Jack are stunned by the news that Danielle is Ronnie's daughter, and that Archie is as evil as Ronnie always claimed. As Archie desperately defends his actions in front of Peggy and their ashamed family, Ronnie rushes to find and reconcile with Danielle. However, she ends up witnessing Danielle being struck by Peggy's stepdaughter Janine Butcher ( Charlie Brooks ) in her car; Danielle dies in her long-lost mother's arms, leaving Ronnie broken-hearted as Archie had robbed her of
15057-519: Is run down by local resident Janine Butcher ( Charlie Brooks ), and subsequently dies in Ronnie's arms. Although different outcomes to the storyline were considered, Santer explained that Danielle dying best preserved Ronnie's status as EastEnders ' "tragic heroine character". Treadwell-Collins felt that to allow Ronnie to have her daughter, the "one thing that is key to her character" would serve to progressively weaken her character, and Santer agreed that while it may initially be touching, ultimately
15296-439: Is rushed to hospital in a critical condition, where her son Matthew is delivered by an emergency Caesarean section . She is revived at the last minute, but is placed in a coma for several weeks, before she is finally woken up. After two further months of rehabilitation, Vincent Hubbard ( Richard Blackwood ), a man who it is revealed Ronnie was seeing in the autumn of 2013, visits her. Roxy breaks down and admits that, while she
15535-630: Is set by the British Government , agreed by Parliament , and is used to fund the BBC's radio, TV, and online services covering the nations and regions of the UK. Since 1 April 2014, it has also funded the BBC World Service (launched in 1932 as the BBC Empire Service), which broadcasts in 28 languages and provides comprehensive TV, radio, and online services in Arabic and Persian . Some of
15774-415: Is still planning to kill Phil. She organises for men to take Vincent, lock him in the boot of his car and have it crushed. She is distracted when Jack returns to spend Christmas with Amy. When Ronnie sees Vincent and he has no knowledge of the car, she realises the men put someone else in the car boot, but finds it has already been taken to be crushed. After Ronnie tells Vincent what she had planned, he goes to
16013-440: Is stopped by Ben at the last moment. After returning from her holiday, Peggy refuses to recoup her broken marriage with Archie. Roxy invites everyone to Archie's housewarming party, but Ronnie organises a party at The Queen Vic - so nobody turns up. Janine tells Ronnie that Archie paid her to spy on her and Roxy, prompting Ronnie to tell her sister about this. In response, Roxy - furious with her father - moves out. Archie later buys
16252-472: Is stopped by Ronnie and Jack. Afterwards, Sean flees - his marriage to Roxy ruined. The discovery also leads to a huge falling out between Ronnie and Roxy, and between her and Jack, but they later reconcile. Archie realizes that Danielle is Ronnie's daughter when he sees her locket and recognizes it as the one Ronnie gave her baby before giving her up for adoption. Danielle admits to him that she came to Walford to find Ronnie, get to know her, and tell her who she
16491-477: Is the reason why she and Jack are no longer together, asks Jack to leave with Amy as she too needs to be alone. Glenda tells Ronnie that Eric could not have killed Henry and that Vincent's mother, Claudette Hubbard ( Ellen Thomas ), must be lying to him. Ronnie tells Claudette to remain civil towards the Mitchells or she will tell Vincent what she knows. Ronnie later persuades Phil to come to Billy and Honey's engagement party where he coughs up blood and in hospital,
16730-443: Is too late as James has been found and Jack has met Tommy upon returning - thinking he is his son. Ronnie struggles to bond with Tommy and refuses to let anyone see him. She is refused permission to attend James's funeral but goes anyway. At the wake, she gives Tommy to Kat but her intention is misunderstood and leads Jack to think she needs psychiatric help. Ronnie discovers that Kat's cousin-in-law Michael Moon ( Steve John Shepherd )
16969-626: The Archbishops of Canterbury and York came to St Paul's to broadcast to the UK and the world on the National Day of Prayer. BBC employees during the war included George Orwell who spent two years with the broadcaster. During his role as prime minister during the war, Winston Churchill delivered 33 major wartime speeches by radio, all of which were carried by the BBC within the UK. On 18 June 1940, French general Charles de Gaulle , in exile in London as
17208-456: The BBC soap opera EastEnders , played by Larry Lamb . He first appeared on 8 July 2008 as a newest member of the Mitchell family —who had first appeared on the soap in 1990—and became the show's main antagonist until the character was killed-off on Christmas Day 2009; with Archie making his last appearance as a corpse on 28 December 2009 and later serving as a posthumous impact throughout
17447-577: The BBC Television Service ) started from Alexandra Palace in November 1936, alternating between an improved Baird mechanical 240-line system and the all-electronic 405-line Marconi-EMI system which had been developed by an EMI research team led by Sir Isaac Shoenberg . The superiority of the electronic system saw the mechanical system dropped early the following year, with the Marconi-EMI system
17686-936: The MediaCityUK development in Salford , with BBC Three moving online only in 2016, the sharing of more programmes between stations and channels, sharing of radio news bulletins, more repeats in schedules, including the whole of BBC Two daytime and for some original programming to be reduced. BBC HD was closed on 26 March 2013, and replaced with an HD simulcast of BBC Two; however, flagship programmes, other channels and full funding for CBBC and CBeebies would be retained. Numerous BBC facilities have been sold off, including New Broadcasting House on Wilmslow Road in Manchester. Many major departments have been relocated to Broadcasting House in central London and MediaCityUK in Salford, particularly since
17925-464: The "Fatal Attraction" award in 2008, and Ronnie was nominated in the "I'm a Survivor" category in 2010. In August 2017, Womack and Simons were longlisted for Best Exit at the Inside Soap Awards , while Ronnie and Roxy's deaths were longlisted for Best Show-Stopper. Both nominations made their shortlists, but they did not win any awards. BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation ( BBC )
18164-514: The 2025–26 season of the Women's Super League campaign. The BBC is a statutory corporation , independent from direct government intervention, with its activities being overseen from April 2017 by the BBC Board and regulated by Ofcom . The chairman is Samir Shah. The BBC is a state owned public broadcasting company and operates under a royal charter . The charter is the constitutional basis for
18403-469: The BBC and she was to leave the role in May 2011. However, Womack denied that her decision had anything to do with the storyline. Her contract ends in May 2011 and she will take a break from the series that had already been agreed. Womack's agent said in a statement: "There's no truth whatsoever in any suggestion that Sam is 'quitting' Eastenders [ sic ] over the current storyline. Her contract comes to
18642-467: The BBC announced a BBC News savings target of £80 million per year by 2022, involving about 520 staff reductions. The BBC's director of news and current affairs Fran Unsworth said there would be further moves toward digital broadcasting, in part to attract back a youth audience, and more pooling of reporters to stop separate teams covering the same news. In 2020, the BBC reported a £119 million deficit because of delays to cost reduction plans, and
18881-506: The BBC has played a prominent role in British life and culture. It is sometimes informally referred to as the Beeb or Auntie . In 1923 it launched Radio Times (subtitled "The official organ of the BBC"), the first broadcast listings magazine; the 1988 Christmas edition sold 11 million copies, the biggest-selling edition of any British magazine in history. Britain's first live public broadcast
19120-565: The BBC is subject to an additional 'Agreement' between it and the Culture Secretary , and that its operating licence is to be set by Ofcom, an external regulatory body . It used to be that the Home Secretary be departmental to both Agreement as well as Licence, and regulatory duties fall to the BBC Trust , but the 2017 charter changed those 2007 arrangements. The charter, too, outlines
19359-581: The BBC network in summer 2007. Using the slogan "The square, under new management", one such trailer depicted both sisters as party girls, dancing, serving tequila in The Queen Victoria public house , shocking the older residents with their raunchy antics and squirting men with a soda syphon to the tune of " The Girls " by Calvin Harris . This scene was recreated for the sisters' final episode in 2017. Two other trailers featured Ronnie and Roxy individually. To
19598-741: The BBC released minutes of the board meeting which led to Greg Dyke's resignation. Unlike the other departments of the BBC, the BBC World Service was funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office . The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, more commonly known as the Foreign Office or the FCO, is the British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom abroad. A strike in 2005 by more than 11,000 BBC workers, over
19837-440: The BBC suddenly became the primary source of news for the duration of the crisis. The crisis placed the BBC in a delicate position. On the one hand Reith was acutely aware that the government might exercise its right to commandeer the BBC at any time as a mouthpiece of the government if the BBC were to step out of line, but on the other he was anxious to maintain public trust by appearing to be acting independently. The government
20076-477: The BBC was granted sufficient leeway to pursue the government's objectives largely in a manner of its own choosing. Supporters of the strike nicknamed the BBC the BFC for British Falsehood Company. Reith personally announced the end of the strike which he marked by reciting from Blake's " Jerusalem " signifying that England had been saved. While the BBC tends to characterise its coverage of the general strike by emphasising
20315-531: The BBC", was priced at tuppence (two pence ) on newsstands, and quickly sold out its run of a quarter of a million copies. Mid-1925 found the future of broadcasting under further consideration, this time by the Crawford committee. By now, the BBC, under Reith's leadership, had forged a consensus favouring a continuation of the unified (monopoly) broadcasting service, but more money was still required to finance rapid expansion. Wireless manufacturers were anxious to exit
20554-459: The BBC's airwaves. In 1937, a MI5 security officer was given a permanent office within the organisation. This officer would examine the files of potential political subversives and mark the files of those deemed a security risk to the organisation, blacklisting them. This was often done on spurious grounds; even so, the practice would continue and expand during the years of the Cold War. There
20793-535: The BBC's censorship office, which surveilled and edited American coverage of British affairs. By 1940, across all BBC broadcasts, music by composers from enemy nations was censored. In total, 99 German, 38 Austrian and 38 Italian composers were censored. The BBC argued that like the Italian or German languages, listeners would be irritated by the inclusion of enemy composers. Any potential broadcasters said to have pacifist, communist or fascist ideologies were not allowed on
21032-512: The BBC's revenue comes from its commercial subsidiary BBC Studios (formerly BBC Worldwide ), which sells BBC programmes and services internationally and also distributes the BBC's international 24-hour English-language news services BBC News , and from BBC.com, provided by BBC Global News Ltd. In 2009, the company was awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise in recognition of its international achievements in business. Since its formation in 1922,
21271-510: The BBC, and sets out the BBC's Object, Mission and Public Purposes. It emphasises public service , (limited) editorial independence , prohibits advertising on domestic services and proclaims the BBC is to "seek to avoid adverse impacts on competition which are not necessary for the effective fulfilment of the Mission and the promotion of the Public Purposes". The charter also sets out that
21510-575: The British government's asylum policy on social media. Lineker was suspended from his position on Match of the Day before being re-instated after receiving overwhelming support from his colleagues. The scandal was made worse due to the connections between BBC's chairman, Richard Sharp, and the Conservative Party. In April 2023, Richard Sharp resigned as chairman after a report found he did not disclose potential perceived conflicts of interest in his role in
21749-500: The CBBC Channel and CBeebies Channel. In addition to the television channels, new digital radio stations were created: 1Xtra , 6 Music and Radio 4 Extra . BBC 1Xtra was a sister station to Radio 1 and specialised in modern black music, BBC 6 Music specialised in alternative music genres and BBC7 specialised in archive, speech and children's programming. The following few years resulted in repositioning of some channels to conform to
21988-532: The CD to Jane - despite Ian's compliance. Archie later convinces Janine to skip Christmas dinner as he has a surprise treasure hunt for her. She eventually finds an envelope containing a one-way ticket to Gdańsk in Poland , and discovers that Archie has packed a bag for her to move out of the Queen Vic. Archie tells Janine that he is aware that she had been planning to defraud him in a conspiracy with Ryan, before taunting her with
22227-676: The Corporation's governance and regulatory arrangements as a statutory corporation, including the role and composition of the BBC Board. The current Charter began on 1 January 2017 and ends on 31 December 2027; the Agreement being coterminous. The BBC Board was formed in April 2017. It replaced the previous governing body, the BBC Trust, which itself had replaced the board of governors in 2007. The board sets
22466-642: The GPO and the BBC had become deadlocked and the Postmaster General commissioned a review of broadcasting by the Sykes Committee. The committee recommended a short-term reorganisation of licence fees with improved enforcement in order to address the BBC's immediate financial distress, and an increased share of the licence revenue split between it and the GPO. This was to be followed by a simple 10 shillings licence fee to fund broadcasts. The BBC's broadcasting monopoly
22705-509: The Mitchell family in the 1970s. Having been running a bar in Ibiza , Ronnie Mitchell and her younger sister Roxy ( Rita Simons ) visit Walford to support their cousin Phil ( Steve McFadden ) on his wedding to his fiance Stella Crawford ( Sophie Thompson ). It discloses that the sisters have also come to see their aunt Peggy Mitchell ( Barbara Windsor ) and stay to run The Queen Victoria while she
22944-474: The Mitchell family. As such, Archie lied that Ronnie was suffering from depression and convinced Danielle not to reveal the truth for the sake of her mother's mental well-being. Danielle accepted the lie, believing it to explain Ronnie's "hot and cold" reaction to her, and attempted to care for Ronnie and help her recover. Crace explained that despite their turbulent relationship, Ronnie was all Danielle had ever wanted. The ultimate revelation of Danielle's identity
23183-507: The Mitchells are told Phil will be dead within twelve months unless he stops drinking and has a liver transplant. Ronnie then discovers that Joel has died. Ronnie learns that Phil must remain sober for at least six months before he can undergo the liver transplant, so she vows to help him regain his sobriety. She is stunned when Joel's daughter, Hannah Reynolds (Mia Jenkins), arrives, accusing her of killing Joel. Feeling remorseful, Ronnie tries to give Hannah's uncle Tim Reynolds (Charlie Baker)
23422-408: The Mitchells. However, Ronnie realises they aren't police, and they drop her off in a wasteland, only for her to be picked up by Vincent. He tells her the police are going to charge her for Carl's murder, and she needs to get out of the country. She decides to confess to the police, but Vincent admits that he is a police informant, and Ronnie agrees to leave. However, Fatboy ( Ricky Norwood ) gives her
23661-489: The New Year's Day episode in which Ronnie and Roxy were killed off after drowning in a swimming pool, the BBC released a 10-second alternate ending clip on their Snapchat account, in which Ronnie survives, finding Roxy's corpse on a pool table with Jack. It then cuts to a hospital, where Ronnie is shown grieving when Roxy dies in hospital from a suspected drug overdose. Ronnie's death episode aired on 1 January 2017, but she made
23900-498: The Prime Minister, maintained the censorship of editorial opinions on public policy, but allowed the BBC to address matters of religious, political or industrial controversy. The resulting political "talk series", designed to inform England on political issues, were criticised by members of parliament, including Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George and Sir Austen Chamberlain . Those who opposed these chats claimed that they silence
24139-595: The Square, following a row, and she tells him. He also learns of Sam's engagement to Janine's brother Ricky ( Sid Owen ) and gives them a gift - which they decline. When Sam is arrested, Archie puts up her bail money on the condition he can have his family back. He and Peggy celebrate, but their children return the money and their cousin Billy ( Perry Fenwick ) makes it clear to Archie that his family - including Peggy - still do not trust him. Outraged, Archie vows to get revenge on his family by taking The Queen Vic from them. He forms
24378-492: The UK's first Independent local radio station, LBC came on-air in the London area. As a result of the Pilkington Committee report of 1962, in which the BBC was praised for the quality and range of its output, and ITV was very heavily criticised for not providing enough quality programming, the decision was taken to award the BBC a second television channel, BBC2 , in 1964, renaming the existing service BBC1 . BBC2 used
24617-573: The United States, the GPO proposed that it would issue a single broadcasting licence to a company jointly owned by a consortium of leading wireless receiver manufacturers, to be known as the British Broadcasting Company Ltd , which was formed on 18 October 1922. John Reith , a Scottish Calvinist , was appointed its general manager in December 1922 a few weeks after the company made its first official broadcast. L. Stanton Jefferies
24856-412: The age of 14 — to give up her newborn baby just moments after she gave birth. This escalates in " The Secret Mitchell " and " Who Killed Archie? " scenarios, wherein the former explores Ronnie's friendship with her employee Danielle Jones ( Lauren Crace ) — who later turns out to be her long-lost daughter — and the latter reveals that Archie had raped Ronnie when she was 13. Soon afterwards, Ronnie becomes
25095-622: The air and forced the British government finally to regulate radio services to permit nationally based advertising-financed services. In response, the BBC reorganised and renamed their radio channels. On 30 September 1967, the Light Programme was split into Radio 1 offering continuous "Popular" music and Radio 2 more "Easy Listening". The "Third" programme became Radio 3 offering classical music and cultural programming. The Home Service became Radio 4 offering news, and non-musical content such as quiz shows, readings, dramas and plays. As well as
25334-414: The arrival of Roxy and Ronnie will herald a new golden age for the soap? Or maybe the BBC marketing department is just very good at putting a trailer together..." In addition to the trailers, the BBC planned a "glitzy" EastEnders BBC Radio 1 competition to promote the sisters' arrival, called "I love R&R" (Ronnie and Roxy). It ran from the end of June 2007, and included online promotion and video via
25573-493: The bar during an argument. Archie is later murdered and Ronnie is arrested as a suspect but released without charge. Ronnie learns that Archie raped Stacey, and Ronnie tells a disbelieving Roxy that he also did the same to her when she was 13. Stacey's late husband Bradley Branning ( Charlie Clements ) is posthumously assumed guilty of the murder after falling from the roof of the Queen Vic while trying to evade police arrest. On Ronnie's birthday, Jack proposes and she accepts. When
25812-508: The bar. Roxy angrily tells him that Ronnie is pregnant, but the damage is done and Ronnie later miscarries. Peggy tells Archie that he killed another of Ronnie's children and warns him to stay away from her, but later invites him and Janine to The Queen Vic during a Christmas Eve party and gives them the keys; Archie and Janine celebrate as his family move out of the pub in defeat, though not before Phil warns Archie that he will be coming for him. On Christmas Day 2009, Archie tells Ian he will give
26051-410: The blackmail and begs for his life, offering Phil money. However, the cement mixer only contains water. Phil tells Archie to leave, saying if he returns, he will be killed for real. Archie soon returns on 10 July 2009, seeking to reclaim Peggy and reconcile with Roxy. He is revealed to have bought Suzy's old house on the Square, and refuses to leave at his family's insistence. Archie asks Roxy to pass on
26290-458: The broadcast of baseball, rugby and hockey, the BBC emphasised service for a national rather than a regional audience. Boat races were well covered along with tennis and horse racing, but the BBC was reluctant to spend its severely limited air time on long football or cricket games, regardless of their popularity. John Reith and the BBC, with support from the Crown , determined the universal needs of
26529-451: The car lot from Jack, upsetting Ronnie further. Danielle's biological father, Joel, comes to Walford and he and Ronnie rekindle their relationship. This irritates Archie, who later bribes Joel to leave Walford and never return. Joel refuses, saying he can stand up to him now. Archie then resorts to blackmail by proclaiming knowledge of his family. Joel leaves in response, but later returns at Ronnie's request. She later tells her father that Joel
26768-437: The casting of Lamb in the role, Santer commented: "Larry Lamb is an immensely talented, experienced and charismatic actor. [...] Barbara [Windsor] , Rita [Simons], Sam [Janus] and I are very excited to be working with Larry." Lamb said: "I'm absolutely delighted to be joining the Mitchell clan and working with [...] Barbara Windsor and my new-found daughters Ronnie and Roxy. I can't wait to step into Archie's shoes – frankly, it's
27007-606: The challenge of better reflecting and representing a changing UK". Since 2017, the BBC has also funded the Local Democracy Reporting Service , with up to 165 journalists employed by independent news organisations to report on local democracy issues on a pooled basis. In 2016, the BBC Director General Tony Hall announced a savings target of £800 million per year by 2021, which is about 23% of annual licence fee revenue. Having to take on
27246-473: The character's departure, it was confirmed he would return due to his popularity with viewers. Again, this appearance lasted for a single storyline, and Archie departed again at its conclusion. Archie returned in an attempt to win Peggy back. Lamb commented on his character's part in the storyline, saying "I do know this dream family is a figment of his imagination. Archie thinks he will prevail, but that's because he's
27485-418: The character. Ronnie is in her thirties, and the elder of the two sisters. Prior to her début, Womack described Ronnie as the more sensible and intelligent sister, stating that she has a "caustic tongue" and trust issues. She commented that the sisters are loyal to each other to the point that Ronnie would kill for Roxy, and attributed her "darker side" to her troubled childhood. A BBC source described Ronnie as
27724-441: The children. The following morning, police find their bodies in the pool, and inform Jack's brother Max Branning ( Jake Wood ), who then breaks the news to a devastated Jack. A few days later, Jack receives their wedding video, and watches Ronnie saying how much she loves him; he is emotional watching it. Jack later visits her body in the chapel of rest, a day before her and Roxy's funerals, and says an emotional farewell to her. At
27963-464: The closure of BBC Television Centre in March 2013. On 16 February 2016, the BBC Three television service was discontinued and replaced by a digital outlet under the same name, targeting its young adult audience with web series and other content. Under the new royal charter instituted in 2017, the corporation must publish an annual report to Ofcom, outlining its plans and public service obligations for
28202-406: The closure she needs in order to move forward with her life. Stacey does so by telling Archie off for his actions against her and ruining her life, before concludingly telling him he cannot hurt her anymore - nor does he deserve any sympathy from her or anybody else. From then onwards, Stacey appears to have vanquished her trauma from Archie once and for all. The character of Archie was introduced in
28441-479: The complex and darkly-veiled Mitchell world [...] apart." He is also described as "charismatic, authoritative, smart and proper old-school London" and an "archetypal Mitchell", and according to Digital Spy, his arrival will "shed new light on what made Ronnie and Roxy into the women they are and [...] provide some new insights into Peggy [Mitchell] 's history." Santer promised EastEnders' audience "stacks of excitement and drama" upon Archie's arrival. Speaking of
28680-408: The corporation began to sell off a number of its operational divisions to private owners; BBC Broadcast was spun off as a separate company in 2002, and in 2005, it was sold off to Australian -based Macquarie Capital Alliance Group and Macquarie Group Limited and rebranded Red Bee Media . The BBC's IT , telephony and broadcast technology were brought together as BBC Technology Ltd in 2001, and
28919-410: The country after the police are called, feeling that Stacey has suffered enough. With Jack abroad on business, Ronnie gives birth to a boy called James Branning but he dies of sudden infant death syndrome within days of being born and as Ronnie seeks help, she swaps her child with Kat's newborn son - Tommy . Almost instantly, Ronnie regrets her actions. She then tries to swap the babies back, but it
29158-417: The daughter she had lost. The animosity between Ronnie and her father was explored in July 2008, when Lamb made his first appearance as Archie. Womack believes that the introduction of Archie was "fundamental to Ronnie and how she was perceived by the audience. This was the underbelly of why everything had gone wrong in her life, and so these scenes were always going to be really, really important." Archie made
29397-402: The day they were reunited. And yes, her baby James tragically died very soon after birth. And yes, she was eventually sent to jail for nicking off with Kat's [child], Tommy. But on the day that prison door slammed shut, Ronnie sat down, sighed and finally smiled. She'd found her peace at last." In April 2013, Womack said that she would not rule out a return to EastEnders , and even though Maslen
29636-403: The debt that basically grants Archie ownership of the pub. The Mitchells are outraged, but try to carry on as normal - prompting Archie to replace Peggy's name as licensee with his own; Archie then makes his ownership of the Queen Vic clear by telling his family that they are trespassing on his property. Ronnie later confronts and stands up to her father, which provokes Archie into slamming her into
29875-1009: The debt to Archie, whom she claims to be in a relationship with; Ian is forced to agree when he fears the pair will expose the recording to his wife Jane ( Laurie Brett ) and threaten Ben should the latter get involved. Archie later proposes to Janine for her efforts, and she accepts. Billy soon discovers Archie's plot upon hearing him and Janine talking about their engagement. After discovering that Billy had overheard their plans, they convince Billy to let them make him an offer so he could be on their side; Billy reluctantly agrees when they persuade his ex-wife Honey ( Emma Barton ) to bring their children over for Christmas and New Year to spend time with their father. When Archie and Peggy's divorce papers come through, Archie tells Peggy that he still loves her and wants her back. Peggy's employee and Janine's flatmate Ryan Malloy ( Neil McDermott ) soon overhears them, prompting him to inform Janine about it. Janine then shows her engagement ring to Peggy, who recognizes it as
30114-481: The dissent between him and Ronnie a little bit tough to take." He has also said: "Ronnie brings out the worst in Archie, and he gets vicious. Archie wants to put right these long-standing problems he has with Ronnie. But things just get worse." An EastEnders source said of their relationship: "At the moment she has to play the game to get what she wants. But she is more than a match for Archie - and with Phil as back-up she
30353-553: The division was later sold to the German company Siemens IT Solutions and Services (SIS). SIS was subsequently acquired from Siemens by the French company Atos . Further divestments included BBC Books (sold to Random House in 2006); BBC Outside Broadcasts Ltd (sold in 2008 to Satellite Information Services ); Costumes and Wigs (stock sold in 2008 to Angels Costumes ); and BBC Magazines (sold to Immediate Media Company in 2011). After
30592-435: The episode, Danielle announces that she is Ronnie's daughter in front of the entire wedding reception party. She is met with disbelief, and thrown out by Ronnie. Soon thereafter, however, Ronnie discovers that Danielle has an identical locket to her own. Having given the matching locket to her daughter, Ronnie realises that Danielle was telling the truth. She hurries to find her, but just as they are about to be reunited, Danielle
30831-407: The facilitation of a loan to Prime Minister Boris Johnson . Dame Elan Closs Stephens was appointed as acting chairwoman on 27 June 2023, and she would lead the BBC board for a year or until a new permanent chair has been appointed. Samir Shah was subsequently appointed with effect from 4 March 2024. In October 2024 it was announced that the BBC along with Sky Sports signed a deal to broadcast
31070-458: The fact that her employee Danielle Jones ( Lauren Crace ) is actually her long-lost daughter Amy—the latter of which consequently resulted in Danielle being killed in a hit and run on the day Archie married his sister-in-law Peggy ( Barbara Windsor ). He was then kidnapped by Peggy's son Phil ( Steve McFadden ) and subsequently forced to leave Walford for good, but Archie ended up returning with
31309-429: The fact that she is the reason why her father Frank ( Mike Reid ) always ran away and tells here that if she was his daughter he'd have run away too. He then proceeds to evict Janine out of the pub, leaving her upset and seething. Shortly afterwards, Archie is visited by a number of people whom he had antagonized throughout the year. Jack is the first to confront Archie, threatening to kill him if he hurts Ronnie again. At
31548-410: The family that Archie is evil, but only succeeds in turning them against her. At a family meal, Archie impresses Peggy when he helps her son Phil ( Steve McFadden ) mediate his relationship with his son Ben (Charlie Jones) - after Phil ends up revealing that his father, Eric ( George Russo ), had previously abused him back when he was a child; Archie calms Phil down by telling him of his own abuse at
31787-447: The first fully electronic television system in the world to be used in regular broadcasting. The success of broadcasting provoked animosities between the BBC and well-established media such as theatres, concert halls and the recording industry. By 1929, the BBC complained that the agents of many comedians refused to sign contracts for broadcasting, because they feared it harmed the artist "by making his material stale" and that it "reduces
32026-520: The first place. Eventually, the Mitchells and their neighbors all learn from Janine that Stacey was the one who killed Archie. The police are promptly called in to arrest Stacey, but Ronnie - knowing that Stacey has suffered just as she did through Archie's evil deeds - allows her to leave the square; Stacey manages to flee the country, though her mother Jean ( Gillian Wright ) is left devastated by this and she blames Archie for Stacey's departure. In 2014, Stacey returns to Walford and ends up confessing to
32265-429: The following year, BBC Choice was launched as the third general entertainment channel from the BBC. The BBC also purchased The Parliamentary Channel, which was renamed BBC Parliament . In 1999, BBC Knowledge launched as a multimedia channel, with services available on the newly launched BBC Text digital teletext service (later rebranded as BBC Red Button), and on BBC Online . The channel had an educational aim, which
32504-453: The forthcoming ending of the remaining £253 million funding towards pensioner licence fees would increase financial pressures. In January 2021, it was reported that former banker Richard Sharp would succeed David Clementi , as chairman, when he stepped down in February. In March 2023, the BBC was at the centre of a political row with football pundit Gary Lineker , after he criticised
32743-499: The four national channels, a series of local BBC radio stations were established in 1967, including Radio London . In 1969, the BBC Enterprises department was formed to exploit BBC brands and programmes for commercial spin-off products. In 1979, it became a wholly owned limited company, BBC Enterprises Ltd. In 1974, the BBC's teletext service, Ceefax , was introduced, created initially to provide subtitling, but developed into
32982-612: The full cost of running the BBC World Service and the BBC Monitoring service from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and partially finance the Welsh broadcaster S4C . Further cuts were announced on 6 October 2011, so the BBC could reach a total reduction in their budget of 20%, following the licence fee freeze in October 2010, which included cutting staff by 2,000 and sending a further 1,000 to
33221-484: The funeral. Despite this, Ronnie goes to Telford and Danielle's best-friend Stacey Slater ( Lacey Turner ) convinces Andy to talk to Ronnie about Danielle. Grieving for the daughter she was not allowed to raise, Ronnie becomes obsessed with having a baby. She tries tricking Jack into getting her pregnant and rekindles her romance with Joel until she learns that he has had a vasectomy . She gets pregnant by Owen Turner ( Lee Ross ), but miscarries when Archie pushes her into
33460-633: The government. Throughout the 1930s, political broadcasts had been closely monitored by the BBC. In 1935, the BBC censored the broadcasts of Oswald Mosley and Harry Pollitt . Mosley was a leader of the British Union of Fascists , and Pollitt a leader of the Communist Party of Great Britain . They had been contracted to provide a series of five broadcasts on their parties' politics. The BBC, in conjunction with The Foreign Office of Britain, first suspended this series and ultimately cancelled it without
33699-404: The grandson of local gossip Dot Branning ( June Brown ), after confiding to him about her ordeal with Danielle's death. Ronnie and Roxy buy 27 Albert Square, after deciding that Phil's house is too crowded, but after revealing that she is pregnant to Phil, Ronnie decides to leave. Ronnie returns several months later, as requested by Peggy to try to stop Phil and Sharon's wedding, revealing that she
33938-482: The gun, threatening to kill Vincent if he threatens her again. Ronnie learns that Vincent is seeking revenge on Phil because Phil's father Eric ( George Russo ) killed Vincent's father Henry. The tensions between the Mitchells and the Hubbards increase when Phil snatches Vincent's infant daughter, Pearl Fox-Hubbard . Ronnie helps negotiate what she thinks is a truce between the two men, but Fatboy informs her that Vincent
34177-446: The hands of his own father, which also impacted Eric, and that Eric loved another woman. While happy to have Archie part of the family, Peggy realizes she needs to question his motives and tests him by sending texts from a mobile phone that belonged to Phil's girlfriend - Suzy Branning ( Maggie O'Neill ). When Archie learns about this, he postpones the wedding and considers ending his relationship with Peggy; however, they later reorganize
34416-414: The head injury, but not before blurting out "Veronica, I'm sorry." His body is taken away the next day. Archie's will is read, revealing that he has left: A pathologist's report shows that Archie had terminal cancer and only had weeks to live anyway. On 19 February 2010, the killer is revealed to be Stacey - just moments after Bradley died while trying to evade police capture due to him being implicated as
34655-405: The higher resolution 625-line standard which had been standardised across Europe. BBC2 was broadcast in colour from 1 July 1967 and was joined by BBC1 and ITV on 15 November 1969. The 405-line VHF transmissions of BBC1 (and ITV) were continued for compatibility with older television receivers until 1985. Starting in 1964, a series of pirate radio stations (starting with Radio Caroline ) came on
34894-463: The hospital where James was born, she finally admits the truth and returns Tommy to Kat. Questioned at the police station about her mental health, Ronnie admits that she has been having flashbacks since Danielle's death. She is remanded in custody and asks Jack to move on. Roxy convinces Ronnie to apply for bail, which she is granted. Jack forgives her and they resume their relationship. Michael attempts to frame Ronnie for kidnapping Tommy so she will get
35133-509: The hotel; precariously perched on the hotel roof, still drinking champagne, they discuss their time in the square and the start of a new era. Looking for Ronnie's lost bridal shoe, they accidentally find the hotel swimming pool, and Roxy jumps in. Ronnie is unable to remove her wedding dress, and sees Roxy motionless, having sunk to the bottom of the pool. Ronnie jumps in to rescue her, but is entangled by her wedding dress and drowns alongside her sister just before midnight as Jack reads Cinderella to
35372-436: The ice to Roxy's fire, and Simons deemed her "armoured", as well as the "less flamboyant, darker" sister, with a more controlling nature. Womack feels that Ronnie is "deeply damaged", describing her as unable to be honest with herself or others as a result of her guarded personality. She explained that she has been taught to hide her feelings and to be a survivor, which she accomplishes by controlling others, concluding that Ronnie
35611-460: The inquest into Ronnie and Roxy's deaths, their deaths are ruled as misadventure . Womack (called Janus until May 2009) and Simons were cast as Ronnie and Roxy respectively. They were the first major signings made by executive producer Diederick Santer , who told the Daily Mirror that the sisters were intended to bring "sexy, dramatic excitement" to the show. He stated, "They may be glamorous young women, but these girls are Mitchells and have all
35850-433: The instrumental sound of " Little Green Bag " by George Baker , each sister discussed their sibling, giving snippets of information on their personality and the dynamics of their relationship. Discussing Ronnie, Roxy stated that her sister would go to great lengths to prevent her from getting hurt. In turn, Ronnie said "Roxy will always be my kid sister. Fights, broken hearts, over the years we've had them all. She can be quite
36089-429: The intent of getting revenge on his family. His plans gradually came to light when Archie forged a romantic partnership with Peggy's hated stepdaughter Janine Butcher ( Charlie Brooks ); exploited Phil's sister Sam ( Danniella Westbrook ) while she was on the run for her involvement in the murder of the siblings' old enemy Den Watts ( Leslie Grantham ); and blackmailed Phil's stepson Ian Beale ( Adam Woodyatt ) with
36328-505: The issue of Archie raping Ronnie arises again, Peggy refuses to believe it but later learns that Ronnie is telling the truth and that Ronnie and Roxy's mother, Glenda ( Glynis Barber ), knew but did not stop it. Ronnie learns of this and disowns her, though later when Ronnie reveals to a departing Peggy that she is pregnant with Jack's child, Peggy advises Ronnie to give Glenda another chance. Ronnie's cousin Sam ( Danniella Westbrook ) gives birth to
36567-608: The killer; Bradley would later be posthumously found guilty of murder. Prior to Bradley's death, Ronnie learns that Archie raped Stacey and tells Roxy this when the two siblings have an argument over their father's murder. When Roxy asks her sister how she could be sure that Archie raped Stacey in the first place, Ronnie admits that their father had also raped her as a child. Months later, Ronnie recaps on this after walking into Roxy and their mother Glenda ( Glynis Barber ) watching old videos of them together with Archie. She soon explains to Roxy how Archie sexually molested her back when she
36806-509: The knowledge that he cheated on his wife Jane ( Laurie Brett )—which were all part of his scheme to successfully swindle his family from their beloved home, The Queen Victoria public house . He thereupon caused the death of Ronnie's unborn child and later betrayed Janine by leaving her temporarily homeless upon finding out that she and her boyfriend Ryan Malloy ( Neil McDermott ) plotted to defraud his wealth in their get-rich-quick scheme . Shortly afterwards, Archie got his comeuppance when he
37045-424: The last time he sees them. At the wedding, Roxy begins to break down, says she cannot give Ronnie away, and runs out. Ronnie is unable to face Jack and runs off in tears, later revealing she wishes Roxy to move with them, and will not accept any other outcome. Jack eventually accepts, and they marry on New Year's Day 2017, after Roxy gives her away. Later, the two sisters get drunk after a happy day and wander outside
37284-534: The late 1980s, the BBC began a process of divestment by spinning off and selling parts of its organisation. In 1988, it sold off the Hulton Press Library, a photographic archive which had been acquired from the Picture Post magazine by the BBC in 1957. The archive was sold to Brian Deutsch and is now owned by Getty Images . In 1987, the BBC decided to centralize its operations by the management team with
37523-665: The leader of the Free French, made a speech, broadcast by the BBC, urging the French people not to capitulate to the Nazis. In October 1940, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret made their first radio broadcast for the BBC's Children's Hour , addressing other children who had been evacuated from cities. In 1938, John Reith and the Government of the United Kingdom , specifically the Ministry of Information which had been set up for WWII, designed
37762-477: The local gym. She learns that Sharon Rickman ( Letitia Dean ) and Shirley Carter ( Linda Henry ) know what happened to Carl and tells Roxy the truth, who accepts Ronnie's explanation of the incident. Carl's family put pressure on Ronnie as they ask about Carl's whereabouts. When they realise that Ronnie has something to do with his disappearance, Carl's brother, Adam White (Ben Wigzell), snatches Lola Pearce 's ( Danielle Harold ) daughter, Lexi Pearce , while she
38001-458: The locket upon toasting her father's marriage to Peggy - which causes Ronnie to realize that Danielle was telling the truth and that Archie had in fact been lying to both of them. Ronnie quickly goes to find Danielle, ignoring her father's efforts to stop her as she is disgusted by his lies. In response, Archie insists that her chance to get Danielle back is meaningless and that it will not affect his marriage to Peggy - not realizing that Peggy herself
38240-441: The loss of baby James was a catalyst, Ronnie's reaction was born out of extreme personal trauma in her life and not as the direct and sole consequence of losing her baby. It is Ofcom's view that the broadcaster did not intend the storyline to suggest that her actions were a typical response of a mother who had experienced SIDS and therefore sufficient editorial context was provided to viewers." —Ofcom's broadcast bulletin clearing
38479-489: The loss-making consortium, and Reith was keen that the BBC be seen as a public service rather than a commercial enterprise. The recommendations of the Crawford Committee were published in March the following year and were still under consideration by the GPO when the 1926 United Kingdom general strike broke out in May. The strike temporarily interrupted newspaper production, and with restrictions on news bulletins waived,
38718-465: The majority of 2010, which involves making a brief voice appearance on 19 July 2010 on a family video tape overheard by his ex-wife Glenda ( Glynis Barber ) and their two daughters Ronnie ( Samantha Womack ) and Roxy ( Rita Simons ) respectively. The character's story arc began with Archie being reunited with both his daughters in Weymouth. While it quickly grew evident that Archie had seemingly shared
38957-754: The material their broadcasts would cover. Nothing was to be added outside the preordained news items. For example, the BBC Polish Service was heavily censored due to fears of jeopardising relations with the Soviet Union . Controversial topics, i.e. the contested Polish and Soviet border, the deportation of Polish citizens, the arrests of Polish Home Army members and the Katyn massacre , were not included in Polish broadcasts. American radio broadcasts were broadcast across Europe on BBC channels. This material also passed through
39196-530: The modest, church-going elderly or a member of the Clergy . Until 1928, entertainers broadcasting on the BBC, both singers and "talkers" were expected to avoid biblical quotations, Clerical impersonations and references, references to drink or Prohibition in the United States , vulgar and doubtful matter and political allusions. The BBC excluded popular foreign music and musicians from its broadcasts, while promoting British alternatives. On 5 March 1928, Stanley Baldwin,
39435-415: The moment she leaves. Later on, Jack's nephew Bradley ( Charlie Clements ) visits Archie and punches him - hurting his fist and loosening one of Archie's teeth. Bradley warns him to stay away from his fiancee and Danielle's best-friend Stacey Slater ( Lacey Turner ); a couple of months ago, Archie raped Stacey and became the reason why she ended up getting sectioned in the first place. Once Bradley has left
39674-417: The money stolen from her and Roxy so she can get rid of Nick, but he refuses. Ronnie steals all the money in his safe. On their wedding day, Phil finds out about the money, and agrees to kill Nick. He overhears this and angrily cuts the brakes on Ronnie's car. She goes into labour during the wedding reception, and Roxy and Charlie rush her to hospital, but crash the car in the square due to the cut brakes. Ronnie
39913-421: The more sensible of the Mitchell sisters, Ronnie has spiralled into instability since daughter Danielle's death, becoming E20's own succubus, trying to trick any man into getting her pregnant." They commented on the fact she has tried to fall pregnant with Jack, Ryan, Joel and Owen and joked that she should try it on with Darren Miller . Holy Soap recall Ronnie's most memorable moment as being finding out Danielle
40152-413: The new corporation adopted the coat of arms , including the motto "Nation shall speak peace unto Nation". British radio audiences had little choice apart from the upscale programming of the BBC. Reith, an intensely moralistic executive, was in full charge. His goal was to broadcast "All that is best in every department of human knowledge, endeavour and achievement.... The preservation of a high moral tone
40391-473: The next year. In its 2017–18 report, released July 2017, the BBC announced plans to "re-invent" its output to better compete against commercial streaming services such as Netflix . These plans included increasing the diversity of its content on television and radio, a major increase in investments towards digital children's content, and plans to make larger investments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to "rise to
40630-413: The notice of the public. Less radical politicians faced similar censorship. In 1938, Winston Churchill proposed a series of talks regarding British domestic and foreign politics and affairs but was similarly censored. The censorship of political discourse by the BBC was a precursor to the total shutdown of political debate that manifested over the BBC's wartime airwaves. The Foreign Office maintained that
40869-457: The notion that Danielle might be her daughter. In the aftermath of her abortion, Danielle was depicted as being increasingly emotionally unstable and angry with Ronnie, believing that she deserved to belong to the Mitchell family. The writers had Archie discover her secret as a test of his character, experimenting with whether he would be despicable enough to conceal the truth. Lamb deemed Danielle "a huge threat" to Archie's position as patriarch of
41108-541: The opinions of those in Parliament who are not nominated by Party Leaders or Party Whips, thus stifling independent, non-official views. In October 1932, the policemen of the Metropolitan Police Federation marched in protest at a proposed pay cut. Fearing dissent within the police force and public support for the movement, the BBC censored its coverage of the events, only broadcasting official statements from
41347-407: The people of Britain and broadcast content according to these perceived standards. Reith effectively censored anything that he felt would be harmful, directly or indirectly. While recounting his time with the BBC in 1935, Raymond Postgate claims that BBC broadcasters were made to submit a draft of their potential broadcast for approval. It was expected that they tailored their content to accommodate
41586-502: The plan at the last minute. Dean and Roxy decide to move away, upsetting Ronnie, so she gets Billy to rob his salon. However, Dean realises she was behind it, so proposes to Roxy in front of Ronnie. She tries to pay him off to leave, but he realises she is recording their conversation, so plays it to Roxy at their engagement party. They argue, and Ronnie smashes up the Albert bar, before she tells her relative Billy Mitchell ( Perry Fenwick ) she
41825-511: The police that she killed Archie - in order to clear Bradley's name. She is sentenced to five years in prison, but later appeals the sentence on her mother's urging; Stacey is soon released due to her bipolar disorder , thus appearing to have put her ordeal with Archie to rest for good. In 2019, while Stacey's old friend Ruby Allen ( Louisa Lytton ) tries to find some closure after being raped, she learns what Archie did to Stacey and they visit his grave together - with Ruby convincing Stacey to get
42064-435: The positive impression created by its balanced coverage of the views of government and strikers, Seaton has characterised the episode as the invention of "modern propaganda in its British form". Reith argued that trust gained by 'authentic impartial news' could then be used. Impartial news was not necessarily an end in itself. The BBC did well out of the crisis, which cemented a national audience for its broadcasting, and it
42303-476: The post, with a note saying 'We regret, etc.'" In the 1930s music broadcasts also enjoyed great popularity, for example the friendly and wide-ranging BBC Theatre Organ broadcasts at St George's Hall , London by Reginald Foort , who held the official role of BBC Staff Theatre Organist from 1936 to 1938. Television broadcasting was suspended from 1 September 1939 to 7 June 1946, during the World War II , and it
42542-718: The preparations after she accepts his proposal. Archie soon begins controlling his daughters by persuading Ronnie's employee, Danielle Jones ( Lauren Crace ), to steal a letter from Joel that he later burns in front of Ronnie. Archie is still unhappy that his younger daughter Roxy is married to Sean Slater ( Robert Kazinsky ) – he feels that Sean is not good enough for Roxy. He causes trouble by manipulating both of them and stops Sean being there when Roxy prematurely gives birth to her daughter, Amy , by deliberately failing to phone him when Roxy goes into labour. He also controls Peggy, changing how she dresses and distancing her from her friends. Worried about her daughter's paternity, Roxy has
42781-495: The pressure from these quarters and uneasiness among the staff of the licensing authority, the General Post Office (GPO), was sufficient to lead to a ban on further Chelmsford broadcasts. But by 1922, the GPO had received nearly 100 broadcast licence requests and moved to rescind its ban in the wake of a petition by 63 wireless societies with over 3,000 members. Anxious to avoid the same chaotic expansion experienced in
43020-420: The promotion as a "precautionary measure". Winners were instead told that they would receive a tour of the EastEnders set, and the website was closed down on 26 July 2007. Upon her introduction, Ronnie's loss of a child was initially kept a secret. She was depicted reacting with jealousy to Roxy's pregnancy. The secret was linked to a photograph carried in Ronnie's locket, which was revealed in May 2008 to be of
43259-493: The pub that Kat and Alfie lease from him, to force them out of Walford. However, Roxy continues to see Carl and Ronnie decides to take Roxy and Amy to Ibiza. When Carl learns about this, he threatens to rape Ronnie and, when he attacks her, she kills him in self-defence by slamming the boot of the car onto his head. She and Roxy then leave for Ibiza, after disposing of the body and only Phil is aware of her actions. When they return, two months later, Ronnie reveals that she has bought
43498-477: The pub tonight, or he will regret all the evil things he had done to their family. Peggy further states that she is not just some sweet, little old lady and that Archie has no idea who he is messing with. Archie responds by telling Peggy to spend Christmas Night in bed together, otherwise he will have the pub converted to flats - leaving Peggy horrified. She leaves the pub distraught, though not before Archie emotionally tells her that he will be waiting for her to return
43737-425: The pub, Archie picks up the snowglobe from the floor and shakes it around. As he does this, Archie does not notice the bust of the Queen Vic being pushed from the bar and coming straight towards him. Archie is struck on the head by the falling bust, and is left fatally injured. Moments later, his daughters find him - with Roxy arriving in the pub to see Ronnie crouching down behind their dying father. Archie then dies of
43976-459: The public should not be aware of their role in the censorship. From 1935 to 1939, the BBC also attempted to unite the British Empire's radio waves, sending staff to Egypt, Palestine , Newfoundland , Jamaica, India, Canada and South Africa. Reith personally visited South Africa, lobbying for state-run radio programmes which was accepted by South African Parliament in 1936. A similar programme
44215-423: The radio and television divisions joining forces together for the first time, the activities of the news and currents departments and coordinated jointly under the new directorate. During the 1990s, this process continued with the separation of certain operational arms of the corporation into autonomous but wholly owned subsidiaries , with the aim of generating additional revenue for programme-making. BBC Enterprises
44454-405: The relationship would become boring. In December 2009, Archie was murdered in a " whodunit " storyline. Santer hoped that his death would bring Ronnie closure, but suggested conversely that it might damage her further. Jack Branning was introduced in October 2007, and his association with Ronnie was developed after he became her business partner at the soap's club, "R&R". A flirtatious romance
44693-471: The repayments; in response, Phil gets a loan from his stepson Ian Beale ( Adam Woodyatt ) - which is secured on The Queen Vic, thereby meaning that ownership of the pub would pass to Ian if Phil does not repay him in two weeks. Archie uses this opportunity to try and secure the Queen Vic by convincing Ian to sell the debt to him, but Ian refuses. Janine carries out Archie's scheme by seducing Ian, and recording them having sex. She then blackmails him into selling
44932-577: The role of Ronnie for the next six months. Ronnie is coming out of prison and her reappearance in [Albert] Square is going to create havoc. I can't wait to be a Mitchell once again!" EastEnders ' executive producer Lorraine Newman added: "We're delighted to announce Samantha Womack's return to Albert Square. The Mitchell sisters are a fabulous pairing and it will be an absolute delight to have Ronnie and Roxy back together on screen. However, Ronnie's departure wasn't without controversy for many residents in Walford, and her return will be sure to ruffle quite
45171-443: The sales of OBs and costumes, the remainder of BBC Resources was reorganised as BBC Studios and Post Production , which continues today as a wholly owned subsidiary of the BBC. The 2004 Hutton Inquiry and the subsequent report raised questions about the BBC's journalistic standards and its impartiality. This led to resignations of senior management members at the time including the then Director General, Greg Dyke . In January 2007,
45410-553: The same category at The British Soap Awards , where the following year, Womack was nominated "Best Actress". Ronnie and Danielle's relationship was named "Best Storyline" at the 2009 Inside Soap Awards , and "Best Soap Storyline" at the TV Quick and TV Choice Awards, where Womack was additionally shortlisted for the "Best Soap Actress" accolade. At the All About Soap Bubble Awards, Ronnie and Jack were nominated for
45649-441: The same ring that belonged to Archie's mother. Upon realizing that she had been manipulated again, Peggy confronts Archie and signs the divorce papers and the Mitchells celebrate in the pub. However, their celebrations are cut short when Ryan alerts them to the fact that Archie and Janine are behind the bar. Their scheme is soon unraveled when Archie tells his family that the deadline has been overdue, and that Ian has already sold them
45888-443: The same time, Ian breaks into the pub to extract the CD. Archie later catches him out and plans on calling the police. When Ian pleads for Archie to not get the police involved, Archie tells him that the CD containing his one-night stand with Janine does not exist but that there is a file on his laptop - which he then reveals he can make copies of anytime he likes. Archie then chucks Ian out of the pub and tells him that Jane will receive
46127-455: The same tradition of strong soap women that ' Enders seems to have been lacking since the exit of Kat Moon", a popular character who left the serial in 2005, but returned along with Alfie Moon in 2010. He added that Womack "brings a calm but firm presence to the table as Ronnie." Radio Times included Ronnie in their November 2009 feature profiling bunny boilers . As Ronnie's behaviour has grown more desperate on-screen they stated: "Initially
46366-456: The scrapyard and finds Fatboy is dead. He decides not to tell Ronnie this, and lies that the boot was empty. Ronnie then rekindles her relationship with Jack. She learns from Mick of Dean's attempted rape of Roxy, and Roxy plans to move to Portugal. Glenda returns and tells Ronnie to stop Roxy from leaving but they are unsuccessful when Roxy says Ronnie has controlled her and she needs to be alone. Ronnie re-evaluates her life and, believing that this
46605-399: The show saw Ronnie involved in storylines such as killing Carl White ( Daniel Coonan ) in self-defence, marrying Charlie Cotton ( Declan Bennett ) and having a child with him, having an affair with Vincent Hubbard ( Richard Blackwood ), attempting to poison Dean Wicks ( Matt Di Angelo ), being stalked by Andy Flynn ( Jack Derges ), and remarrying Jack before drowning along with Roxy in
46844-494: The sisters secretly plan for Roxy to join the couple in Essex. However, on her wedding day, Roxy packs her things, as she reveals she is moving away to live with Glenda and Danny, feeling as if she will ruin Ronnie's happiness. After an argument, Ronnie convinces Roxy to give her away, and she agrees. While on the way to the wedding, Ronnie and Roxy visit Phil for a final time and take a picture with him, unbeknownst to him that it will be
47083-421: The storyline At the end of 2010, Kat Moon ( Jessie Wallace ) and Ronnie both give birth on the same day, but Ronnie's baby, James, dies and while Kat is in hospital and her baby, Tommy, is unattended, Ronnie swaps the infants. The storyline received over 6,000 complaints, making it the second most complained about EastEnders storyline. It was then decided to end the storyline earlier than originally planned. It
47322-407: The storyline, Roxy and Jack agreed to keep their affair secret, while Roxy appropriated Sean Slater as the father, and married him. "The storyline presented Ronnie with grief, disbelief and anger and the temporary breakdown of her relationship as well as her gradual coming to terms with her loss and the efforts to re-build her life following the tragedy. This underlined the fact to viewers that whilst
47561-459: The storyline. Marc Elliott added: "The storyline got whipped up into a massive frenzy. It's not representative in any way, shape or form of mothers who have lost their babies." EastEnders actress Patsy Palmer has also praised the plot for its "great acting". In an interview with Take It Easy , asked whether the show's bosses handled the storyline well, Palmer replied: "I think they did. I know there's been loads of bad press, but something like that
47800-427: The strategy for the corporation, assesses the performance of the BBC's executive board in delivering the BBC's services, and appoints the director-general. Ofcom is responsible for the regulation of the BBC. The board consists of the following members: The executive committee is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the broadcaster. Consisting of senior managers of the BBC, the committee meets once per month and
48039-449: The strength of character and unique moral code the name implies." Simons deemed the two "the next generation" of the Mitchells, "A newer, younger, slightly more modern type". The characters were created by EastEnders ' story producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins , who always intended for Ronnie to be played by Womack. In the 2009 documentary "The Secret Mitchell", he cited the actress' beauty, toughness and fragility as facets suitable for
48278-616: The subject of a controversial storyline where she swaps her dead baby with that of Tommy Moon — the son of her close friend Kat Moon ( Jessie Wallace ). This contributes to the development of Womack leaving the role in 2011, with the character departing in the episode shown on 7 July 2011. In May 2013, show bosses announced that Womack would return to EastEnders as Ronnie for six months. Womack returned on screen for two three-month-long stints, from 9 September 2013 to 1 January 2014 and from 3 March to 23 June 2014. She then returned full-time to screens on 25 September 2014. Womack's second stint on
48517-412: The truth. Crace observed that Danielle was intrigued by Ronnie and the Mitchells, but also worried that she was too different from them and might be a disappointment to Ronnie. Danielle became pregnant, which was used as a plot-device to bring the two closer together, with Ronnie supporting her when she chose to have an abortion. The writers deliberately played on the tragedy of Ronnie being unaware that she
48756-563: The value of the artist as a visible music-hall performer". On the other hand, the BBC was "keenly interested" in a cooperation with the recording companies who "in recent years ... have not been slow to make records of singers, orchestras, dance bands, etc. who have already proved their power to achieve popularity by wireless." Radio plays were so popular that the BBC had received 6,000 manuscripts by 1929, most of them written for stage and of little value for broadcasting: "Day in and day out, manuscripts come in, and nearly all go out again through
48995-443: The way he treated her, explaining that his father had never once smiled at him during childhood. Unmoved by her father's story, Ronnie tells Archie that she would be glad if he were to die right now. Archie throws her out, reminding her of the exact spot she pushed Danielle onto the night she died. Shortly afterwards, he starts drinking until Peggy visits him. Archie lets her in the pub, and she delivers an ultimatum; either Archie leaves
49234-472: The website Iloverandr.com . The prize consisted of VIP tickets to a special party, which was to be attended by EastEnders actors and Radio 1 DJ Dave Pearce . Despite inviting the winners to attend, Radio 1 cancelled the event due to orders from BBC director general Mark Thompson , who called a halt to all BBC radio, TV and online competitions following a review of its programming, which uncovered scores of editorial breaches. Radio 1 reportedly decided to cancel
49473-500: The wedding. Jack and Ronnie have sex but she returns to Walford alone, fearing she will break Jack's heart. However, Jack follows her and says he wants to spend his life with her. Unknown to Ronnie, a stalker leaves a wreath outside her house saying "RIP Ronnie Mitchell". Funeral director Les Coker ( Roger Sloman ) informs Ronnie that someone emailed him that she had died, so Jack wonders who might want revenge on her and Sharon tells him she killed Carl, which angers him until Ronnie says it
49712-450: The year, facilitating a plot twist whereby Jack, angered after another break-up with Ronnie, was seduced by Roxy as revenge for Ronnie interfering in her love life. This resulted in a "who's the daddy?" storyline, which began in April 2008 and continued throughout the year, with both Jack and Sean Slater ( Robert Kazinsky ) potential candidates for the father of Roxy's unborn child, though Ronnie remained unaware of Jack and Roxy's liaison. In
49951-556: The year. However this was not the case and Ronnie departed on 7 July 2011 after being sent to prison for kidnapping Tommy. In April 2013, Womack said of her departure, "I think it was definitely the right time to give the character a break. The danger is that if you get one character who is subject to so much trauma, angst and depression, it becomes difficult to play it realistically." In September 2012, Inside Soap named Ronnie's exit as their number 8 happy ending, "Bit of an odd [exit] this. Yes, Ronnie's first child died in her arms on
50190-509: The £700 million cost for free TV licences for the over-75 pensioners, and rapid inflation in drama and sport coverage costs, was given as the reason. Duplication of management and content spending would be reduced, and there would be a review of BBC News . In September 2019, the BBC launched the Trusted News Initiative to work with news and social media companies to combat disinformation about national elections. In 2020,
50429-479: Was "just doing her job". Wallace told Bang Showbiz :"I stand by it. We're actors at the end of the day, we do our job and then we go home. It's drama, that's it." She also praised Womack's acting and vowed to move on to "bigger and better things" after she departed. She added: "[Samantha is] a fantastic actress who played a brilliant role in a fantastic storyline so I wish her all the best." Co-star Nina Wadia praised Womack and Wallace for their "acting skills" during
50668-789: Was - only Ronnie has ended up rejecting her and she cannot get close to anyone; with Ronnie secretly feeling guilty for giving Danielle away. Archie realizes that he will be disowned from the family when they find out he lied to Ronnie about her daughter, so he tells her that Ronnie suffers from depression and to let him tell her that Danielle is her daughter when the time is right - wanting to protect himself from Ronnie finding out about his lies. He tells Danielle that he will tell Ronnie, but later contemplates strangling her. Unable to go through with it, he leaves Danielle heartbroken by telling her that Ronnie knows and had decided that she wants nothing to do with her - going as far as to get Archie to pay Danielle in leaving Walford for good. On his wedding day, Archie
50907-402: Was 13, how he raped Ronnie on many occasions, and how he intended to do the same to Roxy had Ronnie never resolved to be in the same room as her sister - to protect her from the same fate that their father had put her through. At first both Roxy and Peggy refuse to believe this, but they realize that Archie had indeed raped Ronnie upon finding out that Glenda knew about it without telling anyone in
51146-486: Was a relationship on the show I really enjoyed. There are no plans [for Ronnie to return] at the moment but I definitely wouldn't rule it out. I love the show and I love the character. I miss the character enormously." On 17 May 2013, show bosses announced that Womack would return to EastEnders as Ronnie for six months. It was said that Ronnie's return will form a major part of summer and autumn storylines. Speaking of her comeback, Womack said: "I am thrilled to be returning to
51385-442: Was a widely reported urban myth that, upon resumption of the BBC television service after the war, announcer Leslie Mitchell started by saying, "As I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted ..." In fact, the first person to appear when transmission resumed was Jasmine Bligh and the words said were "Good afternoon, everybody. How are you? Do you remember me, Jasmine Bligh ... ?" The European Broadcasting Union
51624-495: Was adopted in Canada. Through collaboration with these state-run broadcasting centres, Reith left a legacy of cultural influence across the empire of Great Britain with his departure from the corporation in 1938. Experimental television broadcasts were started in 1929, using an electromechanical 30-line system developed by John Logie Baird . Limited regular broadcasts using this system began in 1932, and an expanded service (now named
51863-428: Was also rumoured to be playing Archie, but this was denied. The character's imminent arrival was announced in early March 2008, with Larry Lamb being cast in the role. The character has been described by EastEnders executive producer Diederick Santer as "a Mitchell through and through, possessing the unique moral code which that legendary name implies", who will "set the cat amongst the Mitchell pigeons" and "[blow]
52102-513: Was divided on how to handle the BBC, but ended up trusting Reith, whose opposition to the strike mirrored the PM's own. Although Winston Churchill in particular wanted to commandeer the BBC to use it "to the best possible advantage", Reith wrote that Stanley Baldwin 's government wanted to be able to say "that they did not commandeer [the BBC], but they know that they can trust us not to be really impartial". Thus
52341-415: Was due to leave, she said that Ronnie would still have reasons to return with Roxy still in the cast. She said, "I think she could go back if Jack wasn't there, because it was always the Mitchell sisters. I know Ronnie had a love affair and she got married, but what I loved about the character was her relationship with her sibling. It was nice being with another woman and doing most of our scenes together. That
52580-462: Was encouraging the abortion of her own grandchild. Ronnie failed to attend Danielle's second clinic appointment, which Crace stated left her character "hurt and distraught" and less willing to confide the truth in Ronnie than ever. On Ronnie's part, Womack assessed that her character was unaware why she had bonded with Danielle. She deemed her totally unaware of any physical resemblance between herself and Danielle, and stated that she had never entertained
52819-463: Was established under a royal charter , and operates under an agreement with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport . Its work is funded principally by an annual television licence fee which is charged to all British households, companies, and organisations using any type of equipment to receive or record live television broadcasts or to use the BBC's streaming service, iPlayer . The fee
53058-461: Was established, which led to the start of a relationship in early 2008. The on-screen affair between Ronnie and Jack has reportedly been hard for actors Samantha Womack and Scott Maslen , as off-screen they are close friends – Womack's husband is best friends with Maslen, and Womack is best friends with Maslen's wife. Womack has commented, "I was very honest and verbal about [being freaked out] [...] Our first kissing scene felt really uncomfortable, it
53297-441: Was followed by the Government's acceptance of the recommendation made by the Crawford Committee (1925–26) that the British Broadcasting Company be replaced by a non-commercial, Crown-chartered organisation: the British Broadcasting Corporation. The British Broadcasting Corporation came into existence on 1 January 1927, and Reith – newly knighted – was appointed its first director general. To represent its purpose and (stated) values,
53536-425: Was formed on 12 February 1950, in Torquay with the BBC among the 23 founding broadcasting organisations. Competition to the BBC was introduced in 1955, with the commercial and independently operated television network of Independent Television (ITV) . However, the BBC monopoly on radio services would persist until 8 October 1973 when under the control of the newly renamed Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA),
53775-500: Was in fact Sean's younger sister and Danielle's best friend: Stacey Slater ( Lacey Turner ) —whom he had raped on 6 October 2009 to cover-up his revenge scheme by escalating her bipolar disorder trauma, which led to Stacey being sectioned as a result of Archie raping her. During that same live episode, it also transpired that Archie had previously raped Ronnie back when she was 13; Ronnie would eventually describe this to her family on 20 July 2010. A younger version of Archie appeared in
54014-473: Was in her coma, she slept with Charlie in their upsets. Ronnie forgives her and tries to move forward, but has doubts about her marriage. When Vincent's wife Kim Fox-Hubbard ( Tameka Empson ) discovers that Ronnie and Vincent had dated before, she accuses Ronnie of having an affair with him, but she assures her that they are no longer together. On returning home, Ronnie sets up cameras to spy on Charlie and Roxy, paranoid they might sleep together again. Roxy starts
54253-453: Was its first director of music. The company was to be financed by a royalty on the sale of BBC wireless receiving sets from approved domestic manufacturers. To this day, the BBC aims to follow the Reithian directive to "inform, educate and entertain". The financial arrangements soon proved inadequate. Set sales were disappointing as amateurs made their own receivers and listeners bought rival unlicensed sets. By mid-1923, discussions between
54492-406: Was left to BBC Radio broadcasters such as Reginald Foort to keep the nation's spirits up. The BBC moved most of its radio operations out of London, initially to Bristol , and then to Bedford . Concerts were broadcast from the Bedford Corn Exchange ; the Trinity Chapel in St Paul's Church, Bedford was the studio for the daily service from 1941 to 1945, and, in the darkest days of the war in 1941,
54731-486: Was made explicit for the duration of its current broadcast licence, as was the prohibition on advertising. To avoid competition with newspapers, Fleet Street persuaded the government to ban news bulletins before 7 pm and the BBC was required to source all news from external wire services. The Radio Times , the world's first and longest-running radio and television listings magazine, was launched by Reith in September 1923. The first edition, subtitled "The official organ of
54970-533: Was made from the factory of Marconi Company in Chelmsford in June 1920. It was sponsored by the Daily Mail ' s Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe and featured the famous Australian soprano Dame Nellie Melba . The Melba broadcast caught the people's imagination and marked a turning point in the British public's attitude to radio. However, this public enthusiasm was not shared in official circles where such broadcasts were held to interfere with important military and civil communications. By late 1920,
55209-400: Was modified later on in its life to offer documentaries. In 2002, several television and radio channels were reorganised. BBC Knowledge was replaced by BBC Four and became the BBC's arts and documentaries channel. CBBC , which had been a programming strand as Children's BBC since 1985, was split into CBBC and CBeebies , for younger children, with both new services getting a digital channel:
55448-401: Was murdered on Christmas Night 2009 after an unknown assailant pushed the Bust of Queen Victoria onto him. This had both ended the character's reign of terror in 2009 and triggered the events of his own whodunit storyline, dubbed Who Killed Archie? , that occurred in early 2010. It was soon revealed two months later in the show's first live episode, " EastEnders Live ", that Archie's murderer
55687-410: Was reorganised and relaunched in 1995, as BBC Worldwide Ltd. In 1998, BBC studios, outside broadcasts, post production, design, costumes and wigs were spun off into BBC Resources Ltd. The BBC Research & Development has played a major part in the development of broadcasting and recording techniques. The BBC was also responsible for the development of the NICAM stereo standard. In recent decades,
55926-479: Was replaced by BBC Two HD in the same month. On 18 October 2007, BBC Director General Mark Thompson announced a controversial plan to make major cuts and reduce the size of the BBC as an organisation. The plans included a reduction in posts of 2,500; including 1,800 redundancies, consolidating news operations, reducing programming output by 10% and selling off the flagship Television Centre building in London. These plans were fiercely opposed by unions, who threatened
56165-433: Was reported by the Daily Star Sunday that Ronnie experiences a change of heart after visiting relatives in hospital and seeing the midwife who delivered her son. An EastEnders spokesperson said, "We do not comment on future storylines but we have always said Ronnie will do the right thing and Tommy will be reunited with Kat." Wallace revealed that she doesn't regret her involvement of the baby-swap storyline, saying that she
56404-488: Was reported by the Daily Star Sunday that when Max Branning ( Jake Wood ) and his daughter Abi ( Lorna Fitzgerald ) are injured in an accident, Ronnie visits Max in the hospital where she gave birth to James, sees the midwife who delivered the child and it triggers the start of the baby swap reveal storyline. It was reported that her last storyline would evolve around Michael Moon becoming obsessed with her and stalking her, which will build up to her on-screen exit later in
56643-401: Was self-defence. Ronnie receives flowers with a card reading "RIP", and discovers the person who sent them gave their name as Danielle Jones. Ronnie confronts Hannah, who denies it all and Ronnie believes her, but Jack discovers Hannah's name was on the credit card that paid for the flowers, so Ronnie tells Hannah she knows she sent the flowers. Hannah steps into the road while holding Matthew and
56882-438: Was set at Archie's wedding to Peggy. Santer explained: "Weddings are great because they bring the community together. A wedding gives you a stage, it gives you an event, the context to play things out, so it felt right that these big Mitchell stories would collide at Peggy's wedding." Writer James Payne concurred that setting the reveal at the wedding helped to make the moment "as dramatic and sensational" as it could possibly be. In
57121-430: Was terrible, but we're over it now [...] Both our sons are slightly freaked out that one mummy seems to be kissing the other daddy, but they've been on so many film sets that they're used to us doing ludicrous things." In the storyline, Ronnie's association with Jack caused aggravation with her family, due to Jack's rivalry with her cousin Phil, and resentment from her sister, Roxy. However, the relationship ended less than
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