Barbara Windsor has played the Albert Square matriarch since 1994 An explosive EastEnders storyline which could see the end of Peggy Mitchell, played by Barbara Windsor, begins on Thursday.
Peggy will watch the famous Queen Vic pub go up in flames, marking the end of 16 years of brawls and bust-ups behind the bar during her tenure on the show.
Windsor, 73, announced she was leaving the show last October, so she could spend more time with her husband.
Soap bosses will not confirm whether Peggy perishes in the fire.
In a statement released last year, Windsor said: “I’ll be so sad to leave Peggy behind. EastEnders has been wonderful to me and it’s no secret that it changed my life all of those years ago.”
The inferno begins after her son Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), who has become a drug addict, sets fire to the pub.
Dramatic pictures released in advance of transmission show the moment Peggy realises he is trapped by the flames.
Stacey Branning (Lacey Turner) and her baby Lily are also stuck upstairs during the blaze.
But writers have refused to disclose whether any characters will perish in the fire.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.