Dame Barbara Windsor death: Oliver Dowden makes ‘Old Vic’ blunder while paying tribute to EastEnders star

Culture secretary made gaffe while speaking of his personal connection to BBC soap

Culture secretary Oliver Dowden made a blunder while paying tribute to EastEnders star Barbara Windsor, who has died at the age of 83.

Windsor, who shot to fame in the Carry On films before playing Peggy Mitchell on EastEnders, died yesterday (10 December), her husband confirmed. Windsor was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2014.

Asked for his thoughts on Windsor’s passing while appearing on Nick Ferrari’s LBC radio show, Dowden appeared confused about her most beloved character, while talking about his personal connection to EastEnders.

“As a member of parliament for BBC Elstree, I say I’m the MP for Albert Square, and I think I can safely proclaim that Barbara Windsor was the finest landlady the Old Vic ever saw,” Dowden declared.

Dowden’s gaffe appeared to confuse The Queen Vic, the fictional Albert Square pub formerly run by Peggy Mitchell, with the famed theatre The Old Vic, which is located in Lambeth, London.

Dowden added that he believed Windsor was “a national treasure”, saying: “I grew up on the Carry On films, as I’m sure many of your listeners did, and they brought so much joy to so many people.”

Windsor’s death has led to a number of tributes from friends and family, including her EastEnders co-stars. A representative for actor Steve McFadden, who played her on-screen son Phil, said that he was “devastated”.

Oliver Dowden MP on LBC Radio, and Barbara Windsor in 2017 (LBC/Stuart C Wilson/Getty Images)

Stories from Windsor’s past have also been unearthed in the wake of her death, including Windsor’s dissatisfaction with an EastEnders story in which Peggy was depicted as discriminatory towards a character with HIV.