Sam Mitchell (EastEnders)

] She has added that Sam has a problem with women, as she "finds it wuite hard to relate".

1990-2000: Off-screen controversies of actress Danniella Westbrook

1990-1993: Teen elopement

During her first stint in the soap, the character was involved in various high-profile storylines surrounding her teen elopement to Ricky Butcher (Sid Owen). Westbrook has said that within days of her first appearance, the interest in the character was "phenomenal": "The public couldn't get enough of the simmering relationship between Ricky and Sam and the show was inundated with calls from the press [...] [Sam and Ricky] were involved in a plotline about under-age sex, so the press swooped in on that."

To the anger of her family, Sam persuaded Ricky to elope to Gretna Green in July 1991. The week's worth of episodes focusing on their marriage were filmed on-location and have been described by former "EastEnders" scriptwriter, Colin Brake, as a "farce-like chase round the country". Written by Debbie Cook, the storyline saw Ricky and Sam's families, including Sam's mother Peggy (Jo Warne; introduced specifically for this plotline) attempting to stop the couple from saying "I do". The storyline climaxed in the registry office wedding, but despite the Scottish setting, the recording of the episodes took place in Hertfordshire. Later in the month, Sam and Ricky had a more official "grand church belssing" with all their family in attendance. The Butchers' blessing was screened in the same episode as the funeral of another character, Charlie Cotton.

The marriage was portrayed as problematic, frought with interference from their families, lack of money, and Ricky's jealousy of Sam's partying and her modeling career, including a topless photoshoot. The serial made use of Sam's appearance in various storylines, including a "Miss Queen Vic" public house competition in an episode that aired in April 1992 — despite the Mitchell brothers attempts to fix the competition, the honest winner was Sam. Written by Tony Jordan, Colin Brake describes it as one of 1992's most memorable episodes. However, off-screen Westbrook was battling with various problems in her personal life (including a highly publicised drug addiction), and in 1993 she left the soap, although she maintains that her addiction did not affect her work at this time. [cite news |title=The digested read: The Other Side of Nowhere by Daniella Westbrook|url= http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-61158065.html|publisher= "The Guardian"|date=3 April 2006 |accessdate=2008-07-08]

On-screen, Sam's marriage to Ricky ended following an affair with a yuppie named Clive (Sean Gallagher), and she took a job on a cruise ship. Commenting on her initial departure, Westbrook has said, "My contract was up for renewal and I thought it was time for me to move on [...] As much as I enjoyed being in "EastEnders" [...] I was also well aware of the fact that I was in danger of being type-cast forever if I carried on playing Sam. The producers didn't have a problem with me leaving. It was felt that my character had done as much as she could in the space of three years, anyway. During that time Sam had, after all, been involved in a story about underage sex, run off to Gretna Green to marry Ricky, been evicted from her home, become a squatter, tried her luck as a topless model, fought on a regular basis with Grant and Phil, and gone through a marriage break-up. I think we all agreed that the poor girl was in need of a break [...] In January 1993 I filmed my final scenes and Sam Mitchell, in true "EastEnders" style, waved goodbye to Albert Square from the back of a London taxi cab [...] Although the producers agreed that it was the right time for my character to move on, they wanted to keep the door open for her to return at a later date, as they knew how popular the Mitchell family were with viewers. I was really pleased that they decided not to kill the character off".

1995-1996: Reintroduction and axing

In 1995, following a spell in a drug rehab clinic, which first alerted the public to her drug problem, Westbrook was reintroduced into "EastEnders" by executive producer Corinne Hollingworth. She has commented, "the call from the producers couldn't have come at a more opportune moment for me. The soap was suffering from poor ratings and so they decided, as they normally do, to bring some familiar faces back onto the Square. The producers were aware of my addiction by now [...] but they had also read that I was now clean [...] once I assured them that I was well [...] they invited me back for another year." The character's "dramatic" return to "EastEnders" began when her screen brothers traced Sam to Spain and she ended up in bed with "bad boy" David Wicks (Michael French). [cite news |title=DANNIELLA; My own story|url= http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-61158065.html|publisher= "The People"|date=28 January 1996 |accessdate=2008-07-05] Several cast changes had occurred since Westbrook had last been in the soap, including a recast of her screen mother Peggy, who was now played by Barbara Windsor. As well as her former friends, Westbrook has revealed that she became particularly close to Windsor, who she says "instantly took me under her wing", and Martine McCutcheon, who played Tiffany Raymond.

Though Westbrook initially enjoyed her time back at the soap, she was unable to keep her working life and private life separate. Off-screen, her partying and drug-use (both in and out of work) began to affect her performance. Her cast mates attempted to curtail the problem. Actors such as Wendy Richard and Mike Reid requested that Westbrook's dressing room be situated near theirs and away from the younger cast, because they could see she was "vulnerable". They attempted to talk to her about her drug problem, but Westbrook ignored their concerns and continued using. She has revealed that she became so affected by cocaine that she would continuously mess up her lines, had to do take after take, was constantly late and needed prompts, and spontaneously fell asleep, once even passing out while she stood at the top of the Queen Vic stairs during filming, and was only saved from harming herself by Ross Kemp who caught her in his arms. She has commented, "When I watch re-runs of those scenes now I can't believe how out of it I look." Many of the newer, younger cast members began to shun her, laughing at her and throwing peanuts at her during filming everytime she attempted to deliver her lines. Eventually, the producers tired of Westbrook. She has revealed: "the producers now had serious doubts about my future on the soap. I was proving to be a liability. My behaviour was interfering with the schedule. It was interfering with other cast members' work. There were days when I just didn't bother showing up for work at all. The dilemma they faced was what to do with me. They had only just written [Sam] back into the soap; now, within months, they were having to write her out of it all over again. They felt bad about getting rid of me, too. I could tell they felt responsible for me but of course ultimately there wasn't much they could do to help [...] Within a couple of weeks I was called into a meeting and told very politely that they were going to let me go early and terminate my contract. They would, they explained, gradually write my character out of the scripts again, which would take a couple of months to do."

In February 1996, Westbrook's axing was reported in the press. According to press reports, producers had tired of her off-screen antics and were angered that she had appeared on the Channel 4 chat show, "The Girlie Show", and had given away the outcome of a storyline she was involved with, a love-triangle between Sam, Ricky and his new girlfriend Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer). The character departed for Spain in March 1996 after falling for a Spanish tourist. [cite news |title=Danniella gets the chop from Albert Square|url= http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-61157276.html|publisher= "The People"|date=4 February 1996 |accessdate=2008-07-05] [cite news |title=Eastender Danniella faces boot|url= http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-61279868.html|publisher= "Daily Record"|date=19 February 1996 |accessdate=2008-07-05] Westbrook has since commented, "The producers were very nice about it all. Rather than killing [Sam] off they sent her to Spain, once again leaving the door open for her to return [...] There was no official line as to why I was leaving, and when the announcement was made [...] they were kind enough to let me say in interviews that I was going because I wanted 'a change of direction'. 'Hopefully, one day I'll return to the show', I told journalists".

1999-2000: Second reintroduction and axing

In November 1998, Westbrook revealed to "Hello!" magazine that she was "desperate" to return to "EastEnders", because she was in need of the money. According to Westbrook, actors Mike Reid and Barbara Windsor who both appeared as Frank and Peggy Butcher were keen to have her back on the cast too. [cite news |title=Danniella desperate for Albert Square return|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/221695.stm|publisher= "BBC News"|date=25 November 1998 |accessdate=2008-07-05] Her plea came at a time when executive producer Matthew Robinson had already considered bringing Sam back, but because of Westbrook's past problems, he wanted to recast the role to another actress.cite episode |title=Danniella Westbrook: My Nose and Me|network=Channel 4 |date=31 October 2005] However, the BBC's "Controller of Continuing Drama Series", Mal Young, thought they were judging Westbrook unfairly, believing a lot of the stories printed about her in the tabloid press. On his say so, Westbrook was offered another contract to reprise the role of Sam. In May 1999, Westbrook said, "It's my dream come true. Sam is a great character and I'm thrilled to be given another chance to play her. The storyline is excellent and I think it's safe to say there'll be a few family fireworks once I'm back in town."cite news |title=Sam's back in the Square|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/341174.stm|publisher= "BBC News"|date=11 May 1999 |accessdate=2008-07-05] Executive producer Matthew Robinson said, "We are delighted to be welcoming back the popular character of Sam Butcher to the Square for storylines that are certain to intrigue our viewers."

The character made her return on-screen in the summer of 1999 and was involved in the storyline relating to actor Ross Kemp's departure, and romances with her brothers' enemies Beppe di Marco (Michael Greco) and Steve Owen (Martin Kemp). Despite Westbrook's claims that her close friend Mike Reid had backed her decision to return, he and other "EastEnders" actors later publicly denounced the BBC's decision in a documentary about Westbrook, as they had first hand experience of Westbrook's addiction on set and were concerned for her welfare. It was reported that Westbrook underwent constant drug tests to keep her job, [cite news |title=DANNIELLA FACES DAILY DRUG TESTS AT BEEB|url= http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-60148414.html|publisher= "The People"|date=3 October 1999 |accessdate=2008-07-05] but at this time, her excessive use of cocaine had completely eroded away her nasal septum. In order to hide this from the audience, she was only filmed in ways that would keep her septum hidden from view. However, Westbrook's drug-use continued, and following more press speculation about her private life, the BBC announced in January 2000 that she was being axed from the soap once again.cite news |title=EastEnder Danniella axed again|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/608290.stm|publisher= "The People"|date=18 January 2000 |accessdate=2008-07-05] A BBC spokesman said: "Danniella Westbrook's contract has not been renewed. Her character Sam Mitchell will move to north London, leaving the door open for her to return in the future." Westbrook added: "I will always love working on "EastEnders", especially with the cast. Sam's departure to north London gives me the chance to explore more opportunities." Speaking to London's radio station Capital 95.8, Westbrook denied she had been sacked, saying she decided to leave because she was getting married and she wanted to spend time with her husband. She added, "I'll maybe go back to "EastEnders" in six months, so it's an amicable split."

Westbrook did not return and made her final appearance as Sam on 24 January 2000. [cite news |title=Sam Mitchell|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20010821004737/www.bbc.co.uk/eastenders/characters/sam_m_fact.shtml|publisher= "BBC"|accessdate=2008-07-05] She has since confessed that her drug taking was the reason why she was written out. [cite news |title=PRICE OF COCAINE; |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-62485798.html|publisher= "The Mirror"|date=5 June 2000|accessdate=2008-07-05] In her autobiography she comments, "I wasn't fired this time, but let's just say when they gave me the opportunity to walk I took it. I was no longer interested in acting and that had become blatantly obvious to everyone on set. The soap was now being shown four times a week and it was impossible to balance the workload with my addiction [...] Not only had [cocaine] destroyed my nose, but it was about to destroy my career again as well [...] The producers were tiring of my behaviour [...] When I did leave the production at the end of 1999 it was in fact a fairly mutual decision. I admit that had I begged the producers to let me stay this time I doubt if they would have allowed me to. But I was happy to go [...] Looking back to that point now it fills me with shame that I could have behaved in that way and let down so many people". Following her axing, Westbrook's eroded nasal septum was revealed to the public by the press, after she was photographed at the 2000 British Soap Awards. [cite news |title=SHE SWALLOWED SIX PACKETS OF PARACETAMOL|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4161/is_20001203/ai_n14516240|publisher= "The People"|date=3 December 2000 |accessdate=2008-07-05]

Recast

In 2001, executive producer John Yorke decided to reintroduce the character once again. The decision was made to recast the role to another actress, Kim Medcalf. [cite news |title=Ender musicals for soap’s Kim|url=http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/article195957.ece|publisher= "The Sun"|date=10 October 2001 |accessdate=2008-07-05] During the audition process, "EastEnders" have said that they had to keep the part they were casting for "top secret", meaning auditionees were not told about the part they were auditioning for until their actual interview. In the documentary, "EastEnders Revealed - A Year In The Life Of Sam Mitchell", Medcalf has explained the audition process: "They kind of sat me down and said 'actually we haven't been 100% truthful here, this [audition] is not for...a new character at all, it's for the part of Sam Mitchell. Do you know who she is?' and I said, 'yes of course I do!' [...] Because my attitude was so laid back, it helped me a lot."cite episode |title= "EastEnders Revealed - A Year In The Life Of Sam Mitchell"|series= EastEnders Revealed|network=BBC |station=BBC Three |airdate=2003-12-17] Producer Paul Annett has revealed: "I saw [Kim Medcalf] along with two other actresses that had been short-listed, and I think almost immediately I knew that she was the right one." Medcalf was an inexperienced actress, and her casting has been described as a "big risk" because of this. Annett has commented, "she'd done...no television, secondly, she was coming into an immensely popular and beloved show, and the third thing was that she was taking over a role played by Danniella Westbrook...for [a decade] ." Medcalf revealed that she had reservations about taking on a role that was associated with another actress: "I said 'that's going to be hard' [...] but they said 'we think we can do it, we're going to write it in quite cleverly, and part of it will be that we meet Sam away from Walford'." She added, "It was scary finding out I'd be taking over someone else's character because you wonder whether the public will accept it. I loved the show so I just decided to go for it".cite news |title=Kim Medcalf (Sam Mitchell) Live Chat|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/eastenders/backstage/cast/interviews/interview_content/interview_kim_medcalf_livechat_p2.shtml|publisher= "BBC"|accessdate=2008-07-05] Commenting on Medcalf's casting, Sam's original actress Danniella Westbrook said, "I wish her all the luck in the world. It's a great part and I'm sure she'll be great." [cite news |title=My nose is just a disgrace..I hate it and I'm finally having it fixed|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4161/is_20020203/ai_n12835130|publisher= "Sunday Mirror"|date=3 February 2002 |accessdate=2008-07-05]

The character was reintroduced in January 2002 in a set of episodes filmed on-location in Spain. In the storyline, Sam's mother Peggy (Barbara Windsor) had flown to Spain for the supposed funeral of her former husband and Sam's former father-in-law, Frank Butcher. Here she found Sam, who was working as a table dancer in a nightclub; Peggy brought Sam back to Walford. Annett has praised Medcalf's introduction, saying she was confident and that Barbara Windsor found her impressive.

2002-2004: Men and business

Sam's return to Walford saw her reignite an affair with her former, now married lover Steve Owen (Martin Kemp), who was embroiled in a feud with her brother Phil. Medcalf has revealed that she was extremely nervous when she was informed that she would have to enact love scenes with Kemp, who aside from his part in "EastEnders", was renown to viewers as a member of the 1980s pop band Spandau Ballet. Speaking about the characters' affair, Medcalf has said, "Steve Owen basically made a play for her because he was using her to get back at Phil. He knew that Phil would hate it [as] they were rivals. But then, in her defence, he was a charmer, and he managed to keep it all from his wife. He just played the game very well." The relationship ended in "tragedy" when Steve, in an attempt to kidnap Phil's daughter Louise, was killed in a road accident. Medcalf has suggested that Sam was "devastated" by Steve's death: "She fell for [his game] hook, line and sinker. She really believed that he was going to be the man." She subsequently moved on to her former lover Beppe di Marco, but according to Medcalf, that relationship finished because Beppe "thought [Sam] was a bit full on [...] she was so deperate for a relationship that I think it just scared [Beppe] ." Another fling followed with abusive Trevor Morgan, played by Alex Ferns. According to Ferns, the relationship started because Trevor wanted to make his wife, Little Mo (Kacey Ainsworth) jealous. In the storyline, the romance ended when Trevor's true aggressive self emerged.

torylines

Sam first appeared in the show in July 1990, as the teenage sister of the Mitchell brothers, Phil and Grant. She would often run away to Walford to stay the night in her brother's garage because she disliked her mother's boyfriend, Kevin. Sam's father had died when she was only ten and she was generally on the receiving end of her brothers' heavy-handed paternalism. [cite news |title=Sam Mitchell|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20010811130832/www.bbc.co.uk/eastenders/characters/sam_m_biog.shtml|publisher= "BBC"|accessdate=2008-07-05] In her first year, she made strong friendships with Hattie Tavernier and later with the wayward Mandy Salter, and even got involved with a dodgy modelling agency, who were more interested in taking shots of her naked body than her modelling capabilities.Sam soon set her sights on local heartthrob Ricky Butcher, and the two soon began seeing each other. Sam had Ricky well and truly under the thumb, and he was willing to do exactly what she wanted. So when she decided that she wanted to get married at 16, he was powerless to stop it. Both the Mitchells and the Butchers were furious and tried to put a stop to their relationship, but this made Sam all the more determined and in June 1991 she and Ricky eloped to Gretna Green and tried to seal their union in secret. However, dozy Ricky wasn't very good at hiding his tracks and it didn't take Sam's mother Peggy long to discover where they were. Luckily for them, they managed to complete their nuptials before they were caught and even managed to persuade Peggy to attend a formal blessing back in Walford the following month. After just a year of marriage, Sam grew bored and began lusting after a playboy named Clive, who she met at a New Years Eve party with Mandy. After having a brief affair Sam thought she had fallen in love with Clive, but he soon made it clear that he was only after her for sex when he tried to coax her into having a threesome. Realising that her marriage was over, Sam left her husband and Walford in 1993 to take a job as a holiday rep on a cruise ship.

Sam returned a few years later, in 1995, after her brothers, on a boys holiday in Spain, caught her in bed with David Wicks, and forced her to return. Sam had tried to build herself a career as a model, but it had not gone to plan and she had ended up working as a hostess in a seedy bar. Back in Walford Sam tried to continue her fling with David and when this went nowhere she tried to come between Ricky and his girlfriend, Bianca Jackson. Initially Ricky thought he still had feelings for Sam, but eventually realised he was better off with Bianca and tried to let Sam down gently. However Sam wouldn't take no for an answer and purposefully kissed an innocent Ricky in front of Bianca, causing them to split. Despite this Ricky would not reconsider getting back with Sam and opted to try and make amends with Bianca. Sam was forced to admit defeat. Soon after, she met a Spanish man named Guillermo, who was holidaying in England. When he invited her to join him in the Costas she leapt at the chance and she left Walford again in March 1996.

In 1999, Sam decided that she wanted to settle down in Walford once more. During this time she embarked on a stormy relationship with Beppe di Marco, but Sam took things more seriously than Beppe. After Beppe finished the relationship, a heartbroken Sam looked for comfort elsewhere. She turned to local club owner Steve Owen, but Steve was only using her to make Melanie Healy jealous, so a hurt Sam decided to leave Walford once again in 2000.

In 2002, while Peggy was in Spain for the supposed funeral of her estranged husband, Frank Butcher (who turned out to be alive after all, as the funeral was a scam to avoid repaying debts), Sam was caught working in a lap-dancing club by her mother Peggy. Ashamed and penniless, Sam decided to return to Walford with her mother. On her return, Sam began a fling with her old boyfriend Beppe, and reignited her affair with her brothers' enemy, Steve Owen. It turned out that Steve was just using Sam again, this time as a final act of revenge against Phil. Steve was eventually killed in a car crash when he and his wife Mel planned to flee to the USA with Phil's ex-girlfriend Lisa and their daughter Louise.

Loss of the Mitchell empire

At one point, she was left in charge of the Mitchell empire when her brother, Phil, went on the run after escaping prison for an armed robbery. Her responsibilities included the Bridge Street Café, The Arches, the Snooker Hall and The Queen Vic pub. Her long-term family lawyer, Marcus Christie, told Sam that Phil had contacted him and wanted Sam to sell everything and give the cash to him via Marcus, so that Phil could go abroad. It turned out that it was a lie, and once Marcus had the cash, he fled. By this point, she had sold the café and The Arches to Ian, and The Snooker Hall to an unknown character.When Sam was tricked out of all the Mitchell assets (including the pub to Den Watts, who was also in on the scam with Marcus), her husband, Andy Hunter, threw her out of their house. He revealed to her that he had only married her for her money, and now that she didn't have any, she was worthless.

She struggled to get back on her feet, even taking a job working in Ian Beale's chip shop. However, a bigger shock came after Andy's death when she found out he had left her nothing in his will, apart from the engagement ring. His note read out: 'To my wife, I leave her the engagement ring so she can sell it, get her roots done, and still be the dumbest blonde I had ever known.'

Den's death

Sam later teamed up with Zoe Slater and Chrissie Watts to get revenge on Den. However, things turned ugly when Den attacked Chrissie, leading to Den being hit over the head with Pauline Fowler's doorstop by Zoe. After Den was hit on the head, he was thought to be dead but minutes later, when Chrissie was left alone with him, he shockingly cheated death yet again and grabbed Chrissie's ankle. Chrissie reached for the doorstop and delivered the fatal blow which finally killed him. Sam witnessed this but kept quiet, while Zoe believed she had killed him. Chrissie, Sam and Zoe then buried Den in the cellar of The Queen Vic. On the same night of Den's murder, Sam's husband Andy Hunter was also killed after he was thrown off a motorway fly-over by gangster Johnny Allen, after his bid to cheat Johnny out of a large fortune backfired. His death was wrongly thought to be suicide until Johnny was finally brought to justice a year later.Subsequent to Den's death, Sam enjoyed a romance with Danny Moon and often used the knowledge of knowing what Chrissie had done to blackmail her for money. With no way out, Chrissie submitted and began handing over large amounts of cash. Eventually, after trading bitchy remarks and psychological games with each other, Chrissie and Sam realised they needed each other to avoid prison for Den's murder. They both agreed to call a truce and co-run the pub.

This lasted briefly, as Sam still couldn't trust Chrissie, leading to the former being sacked. Sam then had to face the humiliation of grovelling to Ian for her old job at the chip shop. Also, when she realised Zoe was cracking up over thinking she was the real murderer of Den, Sam confessed to her that in fact Chrissie was the killer. Zoe's mother, Kat, also forgave Sam and promised to leave her alone.

Sam had believed that Den had still owned the pub, until Sharon let slip that in fact Chrissie was the manager. This enraged Sam as she quickly clicked on that Chrissie would set about selling the pub to leave Walford. As she tried to have it out with Chrissie, she got drunk and began making threats which led to a catfight between the two. Chrissie then dragged her out of the pub and told her she was on her own.Depleted, Sam stuck to drinking and lost her job. In a drunken rage, on the wedding of Dennis Rickman and Sharon Watts, she smashed up Den's grave and dug him up in the hope of Chrissie finally being caught out. The plan backfired, and all evidence pointed to Sam, who was quickly charged with murder and remanded in custody.

In October, her brothers Phil - who had been released from prison - and Grant (who had come back from Brazil) returned to Walford to try to secure her release by proving that it was Chrissie who killed Den.

In November, Johnny Allen got CCTV footage of Chrissie confessing to Den's murder in his nightclub, and the Mitchell brothers stole the tape and turned Chrissie in to the police. Chrissie was quickly arrested on a murder charge, while Sam was released from custody. But she still faced a charge of perverting the course of justice, and faced a prison sentence up to four years. This prospect was too daunting for Sam, and she fled to Brazil while on bail.

In March 2006, Grant returned to Walford along with Courtney, leaving Sam in Brazil with his wife, Carla, mentioning to Phil that she had found a new man. Grant eventually moved to Portugal, and Carla's whereabouts are unknown, meaning Sam's the only Mitchell left in Brazil.

References

External links

*EEcharlink|sam_m|Sam Mitchell