Peggy returns home

EastEnders favourite Peggy Mitchell is set to return to the Square after more than two years away.

10:36 28 January 2005

EastEnders favourite Peggy Mitchell is set to return to the Square after more than two years away.

The character, played by Carry On star Barbara Windsor, has been off work with a virus since 2002.

She was also said to be unhappy with the show's new producer, Kathleen "The Hatchet" Hutchinson, who was brought in four months ago to try and revive the ailing soap.

But in a storyline worthy of the soap itself, Hutchinson was axed last night after a series of blunders led to EastEnders nearly being taken off the air.

Babs has now agreed to come back in what is likely to be a massive boost for the show.

"I'm over the moon to be coming back. The Square is where I feel at home," the 67-year-old told the Daily Mirror.

The actress, who plays Phil Mitchell's mum, has been battling chronic Epstein-Barr syndrome, which left her weak and depressed.

"It's fantastic she's decided to come back," a BBC insider told the newspaper.

"It was always made clear to her that whenever she felt well enough she'd be welcomed back with open arms.

"There was concern that she might not want to return after such a long absence. So everyone's thrilled she's felling so well."