Eastenders flashback episode: What the Mitchells really looked like when they were young

The highly anticipated flashback episode of EastEnders airs tonight as fans get taken back in time to 1979.

The one-off special episode will give viewers and insight into the backstory of one of the most renowned EastEnders families, the Mitchells.

Viewers can expect to how the family’s past made them who they are in modern day as the episode shows them being hit hard by “economic turmoil” while the cracks in Peggy’s marriage to Eric start showing.

The Mitchell’s are an iconic EastEnders family and have been at the heart of many of the soap’s biggest storylines over the years.

Younger versions of the Mitchell family have been cast for the flashback episode, including Jaime Winstone as Peggy Mitchell, Daniel Delaney as Phil Mitchell, Teddy Jay as Grant Mitchell, George Greenland as Billy Mitchell, Henry Garret as Archie Mitchell and Rose Reynolds as Glenda Mitchell.

But how much do the flashback cast really look like the younger Mitchell’s? Here’s what the Mitchell actor’s looked like back in the day.

Phil Mitchell

Phil Mitchell was the first of the Mitchell family to be introduced to EastEnders, making his first appearance in 1990.

The character, who is played by Steve McFadden, went on to become an integral part to the soap as storylines involving the Mitchell’s dominated the soap during the 90s.

Steve, 63, has now been acting on the show for over three decades but started his career in his 20’s after studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where he graduated from in 1987.

Prior to his EastEnders career he also made appearances on The Bill, Screen Two, Minder and Hard Cases.

Grant Mitchell

Grant Mitchell, played by Ross Kemp, also made his first appearance on EastEnders in 1990 and quickly became the second half of the notorious Mitchell brothers.

Ross left the show in 1999 but has since returned on a number of occasions, including appearing in 12 episodes in 2016.

He’s set to return again for the flashback episode but speaking recently about the chances of him returning to the soap on a more permanent basis, he teased: “You never say never”.

While Ross Kemp is well-known for his EastEnders role, the actor actually rose to prominence on Emmerdale, playing the role of Graham Lodsworth from 1986 to 1987.

Although he is known for playing fictional characters, Ross has now established a career in documentary film-making and investigative journalism with documentaries including Ross Kemp on Gangs and Ross Kemp in Afghanistan.

Billy Mitchell

Perry Fenwick first joined the cast of EastEnders as Billy Mitchell back in 1998.

He was originally introduced as a guest character and was only meant to be on the show for a few episodes, however he reappeared on the soap the following year and has now been a regular for over two decades.

Speaking about his time on EastEnders Billy previously told Digital Spy: “I do really enjoy working at EastEnders, and to think that I only signed up for three episodes back in 1998, to still be here now I’ve not done too badly, have I?”

Perry is now 60 years old but the actor first appeared on TV screens at a much younger age.

Perry’s first acting role came in 1980 when he starred in TV series The Squad. He then went on to appear in shows including Play for Today, Inspector Morse, The Thin Blue Line, The Bill and more before landing his role as Billy Mitchell on EastEnders.

He might have only been 18-years-old when he first started acting, but Perry hasn’t changed much.

Peggy Mitchell

Barbara Windsor first started playing Mitchell family matriarch Peggy Mitchell in 1994, taking over from Jo Warne, who initially played Peggy when she was first introduced to the soap in 1991.

Barbara played Peggy for 15 years before announcing that she was leaving the soap to spend more time with her husband. However she returned for a few episodes from 2013 to 2016 when she officially left the show for good as Peggy was killed off.

In 2020, Barbara passed away at the age of 83 after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

Barbara started her acting career on stage in the 1950s when she was just a teenager.

While the actress is also known for her role in EastEnders, she rose to fame starring in the Carry On films during the 1960s and 70s and starred in nine of the films in total.

While Peggy Mitchell was busy keeping her family running in 1979, Barbara was busy releasing her Book of Boobs, which featured a collection of boobs of every kind.

Archie Mitchell

Larry Lamb joined the cast of EastEnders as Archie Mitchell, who made his entrance on the soap in 2008.

Archie Mitchell soon became the show’s main antagonist but his time on the show didn’t last very long as his character was killed off on Christmas day 2009, being murdered by Stacey Slater.

Larry is known for his role as Archie Mitchell on EastEnders as well as his iconic role as Mick Shipman on Gavin and Stacey.

However, he’s also had a long-running acting career that started in 1975 and saw him appear in Superman in 1978 as well as TV series including Armchair Thriller, Fox, Triangle and The Bill.

In 1979 Larry was welcoming his first son into the world, George Lamb, who he had with his second wife Linda Martin.

Glenda Mitchell

Glynis Barber started playing Glenda Mitchell on EastEnders in 2010 and she departed the show in 2011.

However, she returned a few times in 2017 before leaving the show again in 2017 after the death of her daughters Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell.

Barber’s soap career didn’t end there though and earlier this year the 66-year-old actress joined the cast of Hollyoaks as Norma Crow.

Glynis has been acting for over four decades now, after beginning her career in 1978 when she played the role of Soolin on the TV series Blake’s 7, which ran until 1981.

From there, she went on to star in The New Adventures of Lucky Jim, Love and Marriage, Turbocharged Thunderbirds, Family Affairs and more.

Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk