Anita Dobson compares secret EastEnders return to being in a James Bond film
Anita Dobson has compared her return to 'EastEnders' to being in a James Bond film given the secrecy that went into keeping her appearance as Angie Watts for the soap's 40th anniversary under wraps.
Anita Dobson has likened the secrecy surrounding her 'EastEnders' return to being in a James Bond film.
The 75-year-old actress reprised her role as Angie Watts for the BBC soap's 40th anniversary earlier this year and has detailed the extreme lengths she went to keep her appearance, which only her husband Sir Brian May and her agent knew about, under wraps.
Asked if she had told her Queen guitarist spouse about her Albert Square return, Anita told the Metro newspaper's 60 Seconds column: "I did tell him and, of course, my lovely agent knew.
"But I kept that secret really well. We filmed it just before Christmas and it didn't come out until February, so it was a long time to hold on to it.
"Getting in and out of the studios was such fun – it was like a spy thriller. They said, 'Would you wear a hood, please? And dark glasses.' I huddled down in the back of the car. It was like something out of a Bond film."
Anita revealed that she had to stay tight-lipped about the prospect of coming back to the soap when she appeared on 'EastEnders' actress Lacey Turner's 'We Started Here' podcast.
She said: "I kind of headed her off at the pass. She said, 'What would you come back as if you did come back?' Quick as a flash I said the first thing that came into my head: 'Bag lady.' That put an end to that!"
Dobson was proud of the reaction to the episode, in which Angie appeared as a ghost and urged her daughter Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) to call for help in the wreckage of the exploded Queen Vic pub.
The star said: "I was very proud and I'm glad I did it. It was a lovely piece of closure for Angie and me.
"This was a finale – and that one moment was to save her daughter's life."
Anita will play the role of the mysterious character Mrs. Flood in the new series of 'Doctor Who' and is delighted with what's in store for her alter ego.
She explained: "'Doctor Who's' showrunner Russell T Davies had hinted that I had a bit more coming than just popping in and saying hello as Mrs. Flood, but I didn't know what to expect.
"I was very pleased and excited when I saw the scripts. I was quite shocked too – I'm sure the audience are in for a lot of surprises."
