Dame Barbara Windsor will be remembered next year with a memorial that will allow ‘everyone to celebrate her life together’.
The legendary actress passed away on Thursday, aged 83, following a long battle with Alzheimer’s and a funeral is expected to take place this month.
However, due to restrictions amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, only 30 people will be able to attend.
Memorial: Dame Barbara Windsor will be remembered next year with a memorial to allow ‘everyone to enjoy it together’ (pictured in 2017)
The memorial next year will be a larger public event with showbiz stars taking part to honour the Carry On star’s work on both stage and screen, The Sun reports.
A family source told the publication: ‘The memorial that will hopefully take place later next year will be a real celebration of Barbara’s life so that everyone can enjoy it together.’
Barbara played Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders for more than 20 years, and it is expected her former co-stars will help husband Scott Mitchell, 57, with the memorial.
Sad: The legendary actress passed away on Thursday, aged 83, following a long battle with Alzheimer’s and a funeral is expected to take place this month (pictured in 1963)
News of the memorial comes after it was revealed Dame Barbara will make posthumous appearances in three new Carry On films
Producers of the iconic franchise are planning to use a hologram of the star in upcoming movies.
Brian Baker, the boss of Carry On Films Ltd, told the Daily Star Sunday: ‘We have got two new stories and we are looking to do one of the old ones again to bring it up to modern day quality – probably Carry On Sergeant.
Carrying on: Barbara is set to make posthumous appearances in three new Carry On films as a hologram. Pictured in 2014
‘Barbara will be making an appearance. It will be a tilt of the head to say, “Well done”. That’s the best way to do it.
‘We are looking at using a hologram from old footage to put her in a situation like a queue for the Royal Albert Hall or serving in a shop.
‘People loved her because she was down to earth. She saw the funny side. She didn’t take offence. She had the old fashioned British seaside humour.’
Other late stars of the franchise, like Sid James and Kenneth Williams, are also set to feature in the films.
Starring role: The beloved actress is pictured in the 1972 Carry On film Carry on Abroad
Brian said: ‘We want to honour the legacy of producer Peter Rogers. He is the unsung hero of the ‘Carry On’ films.’
The late actress appeared in a host of ‘Carry On’ movies between 1964 and 1974, including Carry On Spying, Carry On Doctor and Carry On Camping.
And the new films are set to be released on a streaming platform in 2022, with Brian saying: ‘We’re talking to a new ensemble of characters. We want new idiosyncrasies and personalities. We’re not going to copy what’s gone before.’
It has also been revealed that two radio shows led by Dame Barbara will air once more in honour of the EastEnders legend.
The entertainment star, who became a household name playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC soap, died at 8.35pm on Thursday at a London care home, her husband Scott Mitchell confirmed.
Tribute: Two radio shows hosted by Dame Barbara, who became a household name as Peggy Mitchell on EastEnders, will air once more – following her death on Thursday
Scott described Barbara’s final weeks as ‘typical of how she lived her life’ and ‘full of humour, drama and a fighting spirit until the end’.
And BBC Radio 2 has announced that it will air two old programmes which Barbara presented in tribute to her extraordinary life, The Mirror reported.
The first radio show, Oh Yes It Is – Barbara Windsor on Panto, will be aired by the hit station at 9pm on Sunday, with another programme following a week later.
The radio episode, which aired in 2013, saw Barbara explore her lifelong fascination with pantomime as she discovered its origins in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The soap actress took her love of musical comedy into her successful career, as she starred as Fairy Bow Bells in Dick Whittington – her first role after leaving EastEnders.
Back on air: The first radio show, Oh Yes It Is – Barbara Windsor On Panto, will be aired on BBC Radio 2 at 9pm on Sunday and sees her explore the origins of pantomime
She took to the stage in an extravagant pink frock and clutched a magic wand for the pantomime, which ran at the Bristol Hippodrome over Christmas in 2010.
The second radio programme, Friday Night Is Music Night – A Handful Of Songs: A Tribute To Lionel Bart, will reportedly air on BBC Radio 2 at 7pm on December 20.
The 2010 show was hosted by Barbara, who first rose to fame as a buxom blonde in the Carry On films, and saw her mark the 80th anniversary of composer Lionel Bart’s birth.
The episode, which was recorded at Lionel’s beloved Hackney Empire theatre, saw Barbara joined by famous faces including Bradley Walsh, Bernard Cribbins, Kerry Ellis and Emma Barton.
The BBC also paid tribute to Barbara following her death by airing EastEnders at a later time on Friday – first airing the late star’s 2017 biopic before the soap followed at 9.05pm.
Panto: The soap actress took her love of pantomime into her successful career, as she starred as Fairy Bow Bells in Dick Whittington – her first role after leaving EastEnders
Bosses penned on the show’s official Instagram page: ‘In loving memory of Dame Barbara Windsor,@bbcone will dedicate tonight’s schedule to her. Babs will be shown at 7.35 pm followed by #EastEnders at 9.05 pm.
In true icon style, Barbara’s final TV role was starring in her own biopic, which chronicled her humble beginnings in Shoreditch up to 1993, with Jaime Winstone and Samantha Spiro playing the star at different points in her life.
The BBC film – Babs – was written by EastEnders scriptwriter Tony Jordan and broadcast on May 7, 2017, to coincide with her 80th birthday.
At the time, the actress said: ‘Tony knows the real me and what makes me tick and I was particularly taken by the way he wants to tell my tale which is not in the way people will expect it to be. I am honoured and excited that Tony and the BBC have commissioned this.’
Barbara was best-known for playing the legendary Peggy Mitchell on EastEnders, and dipped in and out of the soap since her first appearance in 1994.
Old show: The second show led by the EastEnders star, Friday Night Is Music Night – A Handful Of Songs: A Tribute To Lionel Bart, will air on BBC Radio 2 at 7pm on December 20
She first left in 2003 for two years due to a debilitating case of the Epstein-Barr virus, which put her out of action.
Once she was back to full health, she returned in the middle of 2005 on a one-year contract yet her contract was extended.
In 2009, Dame Barbara announced she would be leaving the soap again in order to spend more time with her husband Scott, who she married in 2000.
But before becoming synonymous with Albert Square, Dame Barbara delighted Carry On fans with her portrayals of a ‘good time girl,’ appearing in nine films in a series known for its bawdy humour.
She first appeared in Carry On Spying in 1964, with her final film role coming in 1974’s Carry On Dick.
Tragic: Barbara, who rose to fame as a buxom blonde in the Carry On Films, died at 8.35pm on Thursday at a London care home following a long battle with Alzheimer’s
One of her most famous scenes was in 1969’s Carry On Camping, when her bikini top flew off in the middle of an exercise class.
The legendary actress tragically died on Thursday evening, with her husband Scott describing her final weeks as ‘full of humour, drama and a fighting spirit’.
He continued: ‘Her passing was from Alzheimer’s/dementia and Barbara eventually died peacefully and I spent the last seven days by her side.
‘Myself, her family and friends will remember Barbara with love, a smile and affection for the many years of her love, fun, friendship and brightness she brought to all our lives and the entertainment she gave to so many thousands of others during her career.
‘Barbara’s final weeks were typical of how she lived her life. Full of humour, drama and a fighting spirit until the end.
Memories: The BBC also paid tribute to Barbara by airing EastEnders at a later time on Friday, first airing the late star’s 2017 biopic before the soap followed at 9.05pm
‘It was not the ending that Barbara or anyone else living with this very cruel disease deserve. I will always be immensely proud of Barbara’s courage, dignity and generosity dealing with her own illness and still trying to help others by raising awareness for as long as she could.’
Scott, who alongside his wife campaigned for greater dementia care from the Government, added: ‘Dementia/Alzheimer’s remains the UKs number one killer.
‘Although in challenging times, I urge the Prime Minister, his government and other parties to be true to their previous promises and invest more into dementia/Alzheimer’s research and care.
‘Thank you to all the doctors, nurses and carers who are angels at the care home for your kindness and care to Barbara and I throughout her stay with you. You are my heroes.
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‘And my gratitude to our family, friends and everyone in the media and the general public for all the good wishes and warm support that has been shown to Barbara over the last few years during her illness. Barbara deeply appreciated that.’
At the end of his moving tribute, he said: ‘May you rest in peace now my precious Bar. I’ve lost my wife, my best friend and soul mate and my heart or life will never feel the same without you.
‘I will be making no further statements and now need the time to grieve this painful, personal loss.’
Barbara was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2014 before making the news public in 2018.
Both Dame Barbara and her husband campaigned to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s following her diagnosis.
In August this year, Scott said his wife had been moved to a care home in London.
Dearly missed: Her husband Scott Mitchell, 57, described Barbara’s final weeks as ‘typical of how she lived her life’ and ‘full of humour, drama and a fighting spirit until the end’
