A First Look at the BBC Babs!

 

The Radio Times has revealed the first official photos of both Jaime Winstone and Samantha Spiro in character as Barbara Windsor in the BBC's new biopic of the famous Carry On and EastEnders star. 

Looking scarily the part as Barbara in her youth is Jaime, pictured on the left while Samantha picks up the story of Windsor's eventful life when she reaches her fifties. I'm impressed with both of these transformations and it bodes well for the production. In other news, legendary actress Zoe Wanamaker has joined the cast to play another big character - theatre director Joan Littlewood. Joan ran the Theatre Royal at Stratford East where Barbara got her big break. 

And playing Barbara's parents in the drama will be Nick Moran, as John Deeks while Leanne Best will play her mother, Rose. 

Entitled "Babs" the drama will tell the story of Windsor's life both in front of and behind the camera. It will be written by former EastEnders scriptwriter Tony Jordan, someone Barbara knows well. Barbara has said she is thrilled the BBC are telling her story. It seems that while Dame Babs is interested in what the production will bring and what slant it will take, she is taking care to stay back from the decision making and let the production team get on with it.

As with Cor Blimey! Barbara herself will have a cameo in the new BBC drama. There will also be a couple of child actors portraying Barbara in her early years. The Radio Times reports that the 90 minute drama will focus on Barbara's story from 1943 until 1993. This time period will take in her childhood during the war, her rise to fame on stage and through the Carry Ons right up until she was about to taste new levels of fame and success as part of the EastEnders cast as legendary matriarch Peggy Mitchell.

 

So what do you think of the two actors' transformations?

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