Annette Badland, known for playing Babe Smith on EastEnders, has revealed she stopped leaving her home after receiving death threats. The actress portrayed the villainous character on the BBC soap from 2014 to 2017.
Security Red Alert Over Threats
Badland explained that as her character's storyline escalated, the threats became serious enough for BBC security to get involved. She told the podcast 'A Night In with Sally Lindsay' that she received a call from security saying they had received death threats and that they had worked for the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace. They used 'red alert' code words, indicating the threat level was high.
The police were called but could not trace the threats beyond a public computer near Liverpool. The investigation lasted about six weeks, during which Badland said she did not go out, avoided social media, and did not tell people where she was going.
Avoiding Public During Investigation
The actress recalled that the threats were linked to her character's heightened villainy in her final episodes, which included blackmail and attempting to kill her own sister. The climax involved Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) throwing Babe out of the Queen Vic pub.
Badland, now 75, noted that fame was never her goal — she just wanted to act. She spoke about the intrusiveness of fame, recounting an incident where a fan filmed her private conversation about a dying friend.
Before EastEnders, Badland appeared in shows like Bergerac, Doctor Who, The Worst Witch, and The Queen's Nose. More recently, she has had roles in Midsomer Murders and Ted Lasso.
