Veteran British actress Annette Badland, known for playing Aunt Babe on EastEnders, has disclosed that she faced death threats during her tenure on the soap. The BBC security team warned her not to leave her home after receiving the threats, which contained 'red alert' code words.
Death Threats Traced to School Computer
Speaking on Sally Lindsay's A Night In podcast, Badland explained that as her character's villainy escalated before her exit, she began receiving death threats. The BBC security team, consisting of former Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace staff, took the threats seriously. Over a six-week investigation, the threats were traced to a public computer at a school near Liverpool, but the user could not be identified.
Memories of Danny Dyer and EastEnders
Despite the frightening experience, Badland said she enjoyed her time on the soap. She praised co-star Danny Dyer as 'bright, kind-hearted…and daft' and credited him with teaching her to say the C-word, which later helped her when filming the foul-mouthed script for Ted Lasso. She joked that she told herself, 'I’ve worked with Danny Dyer, I can do this.' However, that scene was cut and never aired.
An improvised moment early in her run made writers realize Babe could be a classic villain. In a scene with Timothy West, Badland, unscripted, turned off the television, delivered a line, turned it back on, and left. The writers thought, 'Ooh, she can be nasty.'
Babe's Dramatic Exit
Badland's three-year stint on EastEnders included Babe being locked in a freezer by Abi Branning, stealing from the Queen Vic's safe, and calling Linda Carter a 'stuck-up cow' before Mick Carter escorted her out of Walford forever.
