Sam Mitchell

Creation and development

Casting

The character Sam Mitchell was introduced in July 1990 by EastEnders' executive producer Michael Ferguson as the young sister of the Mitchell brothers, Phil (Steve McFadden) and Grant (Ross Kemp). Sam was one of several characters introduced by the producer in the summer of 1990. Others included Eddie Royle (Michael Melia), and three generations of the Tavernier family.

As the casting team had successfully cast the actors who were playing Sam's brothers, they already knew what facial attributes they needed for Sam to create a similar family resemblance. Producer Corinne Hollingworth has commented, "we'd decided on Steve [McFadden] and Ross [Kemp] and we knew the sort of round, open face we needed. We saw Danniella (Westbrook) first and liked her, then saw some others, but came back to her." The actress, a graduate of the Sylvia Young Theatre School, had already appeared in the soap aged 11, as an extra who rollerskated across the soap's fictional setting of Albert Square in front of the characters Den and Angie Watts. At the time, Westbrook's local paper ran a story on her with the punchline, "who knows, one day she might be the show's star". Eighty girls auditioned for the part of Sam, but these eighty were eventually whittled down to four. On her final casting callback, Westbrook bumped into actors Michelle Gayle and Sid Owen, who were already on the EastEnders cast as Hattie Tavernier and Ricky Butcher respectively. Westbrook already knew Gayle, whose character was to be Sam's screen best friend, and she introduced her to Owen, whose character was scripted to be Sam's boyfriend. According to Westbrook, she liked Owen right from the start and was amused by his response of "You're a bit of alright. You can be Sam!". On Westbrook's last audition, she and the other hopefuls were forced to stand for a lengthy period in front of a panel of the show's producers, directors, and writers while they continuously compared images of the auditionees to images of Kemp and McFadden, looking for a resemblance. Westbrook was given the part. She has commented, "they told me they were looking for someone bright and bubbly, who could be the sister of Phil and Grant, and my round face fitted." In the character's first scene, Sam walked past Ricky Butcher and gave him a "flirty backward glance", causing him to walk into a lamp-post. Westbrook was initially given a three-month contract with the soap, but halfway through her contract the producers extended it as they felt "the character of Sam had gelled well with the others and they wanted to include her in more storylines".

Westbrook has said that the cast and crew became like a second family to her, with the roles in the soap mirroring their relationships off-screen. In her autobiography she comments, "Sid [Owen] and I became very close [...] we were as thick as thieves. When we weren't shooting together we'd hang out [...] Once Sid and I got so bored hanging around on set that we decided to take the milk float for a spin around Albert Square, but Sid drove it too fast and turned it over [...] we couldn't stop laughing, but the producers didn't seem to share our amusement. We were seriously told off that day." She has described other actors such as Michelle Gayle, Letitia Dean, Adam Woodyatt and Nick Berry as brothers and sisters, and has said she was very close to older cast members such as June Brown, Wendy Richard, Mike Reid and Gillian Taylforth. She has also revealed that her off-screen relationship with actors McFadden and Kemp mirrored her character's on-screen one: "In the soap they were my older brothers, always looking out for me, making sure I didn't get into trouble, and off set they were exactly the same."

Personality and characterisation

The character has been described by Hilary Kingsley, author the EastEnders Handbook, as a "tease [...] a pretty girl who thinks she can get anything she wants, thanks to her own brand of sexy wheedling." She adds that Sam is "a lot sharper than her brothers [...] and contrives to do just what she wants in the face of their attempts to stand in for their dead father [...] Sam loves excitement and doesn't frighten easily. She's a user, able to get almost anyone to do what she wants." Kate Lock, author of EastEnders Who's Who, has described Sam as "Headstrong, streetwise and pretty [...] a chip off the old Mitchell block, though her methods of manipulation are marginally more subtle than [her brothers]. One bat of a sooty eyelash is enough to charm most men into submission and she can wind doting mum Peggy round her little finger [...] [when] she returned to the Square [in 1999], Sam had lost her kittenish cuteness and hardened up, becoming more EastEnd moll than Barbie doll."

Describing the character in 2002, actress Kim Medcalf said, "She wears her heart on her sleeve. She so wants to settle down that she doesn't select men well. She goes for people too quickly. She likes the danger aspect – the thrill of the chase. She loves guys with a dangerous edge [...] She's had a tough upbringing. She didn't know her dad and her older brothers bossed her around. She needed to find herself and has done it by being independent and going away. She's headstrong and has a definite independent streak." She has added that Sam has a problem with women, as she "finds it quite hard to relate".

When Westbrook regained the role in 2009, she compared the differences between how she and Medcalf played the character: "When Kim was playing Sam she was quite hard, but [the Sam who returns in 2009] is more the Sam I've always played. She's bright, colourful, flirtatious – and trouble. The only difference is she's more tanned, more blonde and more wrinkled!"

When Medcalf returned to the role in 2022, she was asked if Sam had changed since she last played her. Medcalf responded: "She is a little bit harder, she has had to really toughen up and grow up. She's lost her mum which has devastated her and I think she's really feeling that she has to up her game." In an interview in 2023, Medcalf expressed her "enjoyment" of playing the role: "Sam is a joy to play — although she does say things that you read on paper and you think, "Oh my god, really? You are really going to say that, Sam?" But the reason I love this character so deeply is that I don't think she's a nasty person. She doesn't think about things, and she's got very little filter. She will defend herself, and if someone goes for her or her family, she'll go for them. She's strong like that. She's made some really stupid decisions, but I believe she's a good person and capable of being really empathetic."

Westbrook's initial stint (1990–2000)

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 onlocation 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 getting married. The storyline climaxed in a 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 blessing" with their families 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, fraught with interference from their families, lack of money, and Ricky's jealousy of Sam's partying and modelling career, including a topless photo shoot. 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.

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 under-age 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". Her departure scenes aired on 4 February 1993.

Medcalf's initial stint (2002–2005)

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, as Danniella Westbrook was still overcoming her drug problems at this time. 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." 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". 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." In an interview in 2021, Westbrook revealed that she met Medcalf at an award ceremony in 2009 and thanked her for "keeping Sam alive".

Medcalf has revealed to the Walford Gazette how she prepared for the role: "I actually watched the show a bit when Danniella had been on so I had a distinct memory of her to work with. What I basically did was to read a prepared, detailed biography of the character which was provided by the production office. I did sit down to watch a five-minute clip of Danniella but I quickly realised I didn't want to carry on watching because I was afraid of falling into doing an imitation of her, d'ye know what I mean? I'll tell you something weird-when I first started getting the scripts I used to hear the lines first in my head with HER voice saying them! But that changed over time, thank God, as I hopefully made the character my own and I gave her my voice." Medcalf added that contrastingly to Westbrook, who played Sam as a young girl who was overprotected by her brothers and sheltered, she played Sam as a young woman "trying to find her place both in a career and in relationships with the opposite sex."

Westbrook's return (2009–2010)

Westbrook returned to the show in 2009 in part of a shock storyline. Speaking of her comeback, she said, "I'm really happy to be coming back, it feels just like coming home. I'm really looking forward to working with Barbara [Windsor], Steve [McFadden], Sid [Owen] and Patsy [Palmer] and I'm over the moon to be working with the new boss Diederick Santer. I can't wait to get the scripts to see what Sam Mitchell has been up to since she was last in the Square."

Executive Producer Santer said, "With all the turmoil facing the Mitchells this year, it feels like a great time to bring back Sam, the original Mitchell sister. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Kim Medcalf for her great work playing Sam Mitchell for three years and welcome Danniella back to pick up the baton once again." In an interview with media website Digital Spy, Santer discussed the reasoning behind his decision to reintroduce Sam: "What makes Sam interesting for me is that she's Ricky's first love and first wife. As Bianca and Ricky spend more time together [...] the inevitability of them at some point coming together increases. What's stopping them? Well, it's Sam. Sam and Ricky had a good thing going all those years ago. All Ricky ever gets off Bianca is indifference, whereas Sam – and who knows quite why – is less than indifferent towards him and it makes a nice change".

Santer acknowledged that Sam's return posed a problem for the show, because when the character was last seen, she was "on the run" in Brazil. However, he indicated that the storyliners had found a way to get around this. Westbrook later admitted she was not nervous about her return. She filmed her first scenes in the first week of June, for episodes that were broadcast on 4 September 2009. On 26 August a trailer was released to promote the character's return, noted for its similarity to the opening credits of Secret Diary of a Call Girl. 7.6 million viewers watched her return episode.

Westbrook was contracted for three months, and although it was extended slightly, she departed from the show at the end of her storyline in the episode broadcast on 11 January 2010. In an interview given with Digital Spy, Diederick Santer said: "When Danniella and I first sat down to talk about her return, we discussed a particular storyline with a specific length of contract. These plans haven't changed. Danniella has done brilliantly and I hope that she will be back with us at some point in the future." Westbrook filmed her final scenes at the end of October 2009.

Medcalf's return (2022–2026)

On 29 January 2022, it was announced that Medcalf would reprise the role once again, taking over from Westbrook for the second time. Upon her return, Medcalf said "When the BBC approached me last year to reprise the role of Sam I was thrilled," said Medcalf. "She's a brilliant character and I can't wait to get back in the Square and work with the amazing cast of both familiar and new faces." Producer Kate Oates said: "The Mitchells are one of the most iconic families in soap, and I have long wanted to bring Sam back into the family fold." Westbrook reacted to Medcalf reprising the role by threatening to sue the BBC. Medcalf returned to filming on 8 February 2022. Her return scenes aired in the United Kingdom on 18 April 2022.

In August 2022, executive producer Chris Clenshaw revealed that a "face from Sam past would crop up down the line". It was later announced that Nick Nevern had been cast as Sam's ex-boyfriend Don, whom Sam had been in a relationship with while living in Spain.

In December 2022, following the return of Sid Owen as Sam's ex-husband Ricky, it was announced that Sam and Ricky's romance would be revisited. Sam and Ricky reunited with Sam being offered the chance to go and live in Germany with Ricky and his family; however, Sam chose to stay in Walford with Ricky going to Germany alone, signalling the departure of Owen once again. On 13 April 2023, EastEnders aired a temporary exit for Sam. Radio Times confirmed that Medcalf was on an extended break and that she would be returning.

Executive producer Chris Clenshaw confirmed Sam's return: "Sam will be making her way back to the Square this autumn, actually, and in typical Sam Mitchell fashion, she finds herself in a troublesome place and has to ask big brother Phil to help her out of a sticky situation. Lots has happened since she's been away – obviously she's got a grandchild, Charli, but Ricky Jr. isn't happy that his mum has been so absent. I think the great thing about Sam is that she's very much a character that can kind of turn up at the Mitchells at any time, cause mayhem and leave them to sort out her mess every time. There's a lot of fun with Sam." Her onscreen return aired on 21 November 2023.

Medcalf left the role in the episode broadcast on 18 January 2024 in an unannounced departure, with the "door being left open" for her to return in the future.

Storylines

Backstory

Sam Mitchell is the youngest child and only daughter of Peggy (Jo Warne/Barbara Windsor/Jaime Winstone) and Eric (George Russo). For years, Eric spoiled Sam and treated her like a princess, while Sam idolised her brothers Phil (Steve McFadden/Daniel Delaney) and Grant (Ross Kemp/Teddy Jay). By the time Eric died when Sam was ten, she was subsequently on the receiving end of her two older brothers' heavy-handed paternalism.

1990–2000

Fifteen-year-old Sam follows her brothers to Walford, unhappy at home because she dislikes their mother's boyfriend, Kevin Masters (Colin McCormack). She becomes friends with Hattie Tavernier (Michelle Gayle) and dates Ricky Butcher (Sid Owen). Sam's family disapproves of the relationship, so Ricky and Sam decide to elope to Gretna Green; they marry despite the Mitchells trying to stop the nuptials. Peggy admits defeat and attends their more formal blessing in Walford a month later. Sam fails to earn schooling qualifications and starts to believe that she can have a career in modelling, but when she attempts to get a portfolio done by a professional photographer, he persuades her to do a topless shoot and the photos are then published in a pornographic magazine. This causes problems in Ricky and Sam's relationship, and after just a year of marriage, Sam grows bored and begins lusting after a playboy named Clive (Sean Gallagher) whom she meets at a New Year's Eve party with her friend Mandy Salter (Nicola Stapleton). After having a brief affair, Sam thinks she has fallen in love with Clive, but he makes it clear that he is only interested in sex when he tries to coax her into having a threesome. Realising that her marriage with Ricky is over, Sam leaves her husband and Walford.

Sam returns after her brothers, on a boy's holiday in Spain, catch her in bed with David Wicks (Michael French), and force her to return. Fearful of being alone, Sam tries to come between Ricky and his girlfriend, Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer). Initially, Ricky thinks he still has feelings for Sam and delays divorcing her, but eventually realises he is better off with Bianca. Soon after, she meets a Spanish man named Guillermo (Robert Reina), who is holidaying in England. When he invites her to join him in the Spanish costas she leaves Walford again.

Sam returns for a fleeting visit but decides that she wants to settle down in Walford once more. During this time, she embarks on a relationship with Beppe di Marco (Michael Greco). However, Sam takes things more seriously than Beppe does. After he ends the relationship, Sam looks for comfort elsewhere, turning to local club owner and Phil's adversary Steve Owen (Martin Kemp) for support. They have a one-night stand, but he is only using her to make his fling Mel Beale (Tamzin Outhwaite) jealous. When Beppe also makes it clear that he is not interested in taking her back, a hurt Sam leaves Walford once again.

2002–2005

Peggy finds Sam, working in a lap-dancing club in Spain; ashamed and penniless, Sam returns to Walford with her mother. Sam has another brief relationship with Steve Owen; however, he is using her again as a final act of revenge against Phil. Following Steve's untimely death, Phil then humiliates Sam by revealing the affair in front of Steve's widow Mel and Phil's ex-girlfriend Lisa Shaw (Lucy Benjamin). Sam then proceeds to have flings with Trevor Morgan (Alex Ferns) and Dennis Rickman (Nigel Harman), respectively – as well as briefly having a relationship with her ex-lover Beppe. Sam moves in with Ricky and she redevelops feelings for him. When he ends his relationship with Natalie Evans (Lucy Speed), they have sex. She is left embarrassed when her feelings are not reciprocated by Ricky, who returns to Natalie. Sam begins a fling with Dennis' father Den Watts (Leslie Grantham) but is left humiliated after he sacks her from her job at his family's club.

When her brother Phil goes on the run after escaping prison for an armed robbery, for which he has been set up for by Den, Sam avenges him by attempting to outbuy his former wife Kate Mitchell (Jill Halfpenny) out of her business in an attempt to leave her penniless. She hires Minty Peterson (Cliff Parisi) to smash up the salon as revenge on Kate for giving up Phil's daughter Louise (Rachel Cox) to her unstable mother Lisa, and later persuades Billy to torch Phil's snooker club in an insurance scam, an act that results in Den's nightclub burning down and his daughter Vicki Fowler (Scarlett Alice Johnson) nearly perishing in the fire. She clashes with Den's adoptive daughter Sharon (Letitia Dean) over the insurance of the nightclub and Dennis vows revenge, and he is only warned off when his friend Andy Hunter (Michael Higgs), Walford's gangland kingpin, begins a relationship with Sam. She falls in love with Andy and he manages to turn her against her allies. Sam is unaware of Andy's true colours and she disowns her cousin Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick) when he tries to warn her about Andy's devious intentions and his affair with Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace). They marry, and soon after the wedding, Sam's world crumbles when she discovers that Paul Trueman (Gary Beadle) has been secretly selling drugs for Andy. Sam also finds out that Andy had beaten up Minty for trying to stop their wedding. Despite this, she takes him back when he promises to change. Andy later fools Sam into signing over control of Phil's house, and she is then conned out of all the Mitchell businesses by family lawyer Marcus Christie (Stephen Churchett) and Den. Andy, realising Sam is no use to him, throws her out of their house – leaving her penniless. A destitute Sam is later taken in by Minty.

2009–2016

Phil sends Ricky to Brazil on an errand where he meets Sam, and she returns with him to London, using a fake passport. She immediately causes a stir by drawing attention to herself and reignites her old feud with Bianca. The Mitchells try to keep her hidden, but Bianca, jealous of Ricky's renewed feelings for Sam, calls the police and informs them that Sam is back in the country. Sam is eventually arrested while trying to flee but is later released on bail when her cousin Ronnie (Samantha Janus) pays the surety. Sam and Ricky get engaged, but Sam has an affair with Ronnie's fiancée Jack Branning (Scott Maslen). Her uncle Archie (Larry Lamb) tells Bianca about Sam and Jack's affair, who tells Ricky, and after a showdown, Ricky ends the engagement. With Jack also deserting her, Sam takes Archie's money and flees, causing the Mitchells to lose the pub. She returns to Walford on Christmas Day, hoping to make amends. On that same day, Archie is murdered and Sam becomes one of the suspects after a confrontation with Archie prior to his death. Phil, Peggy and Ronnie also have motives, and in order to stop the police from framing them, they decide Sam should take the blame and leave the country. Sam overhears their plan and in a rage turns herself in, implicating Peggy for Archie's murder as revenge. Sam is then arrested and sentenced to 18 months in prison for her role in Den's murder, five years earlier. When Peggy attempts to visit, Sam is hostile and rejects her mother, as well as dismissing the Mitchell name.

Seven months later, Peggy visits Sam in prison and discovers she is heavily pregnant. Sam does not know if Ricky or Jack is the father and she refuses to reconcile with Peggy; however, when she is hospitalised and goes into labour, she reconsiders, requesting Peggy's help. Sam gives birth to a boy, Richard, but announces that she is giving him up for adoption. She only reconsiders as a means to reconcile with Ricky; she returns to Walford, having been released from prison early, but struggles with motherhood after Peggy decides to move away from the square. Ricky and Jack pester Sam to get a paternity test, and she lies about the results, claiming Ricky is the father; however, Bianca discovers the truth and Sam confesses that she had lied because Ronnie asked her to. Ronnie does not want Sam or Richard near Jack and manipulates her into leaving Walford and offers Sam money to do so. Sam decides to leave but, fearful of bringing up her baby alone, she seduces Minty into leaving with her. He soon realises Sam is using him and turns her down. Sam departs with Richard, alone, moving to Portugal to live with Grant.

Almost six years later, Sam briefly returns to Walford alongside Richard, now nicknamed Ricky (Henri Charles), to attend Peggy's funeral. Jack decides that he wants to meet Ricky, so Sam allows this to happen. She then reveals to her cousin Roxy (Rita Simons) that she has been struggling to look after Ricky in Portugal and that he is better off with Jack. Sam secretly abandons Ricky at Jack and Ronnie's house and leaves in the back of a taxi, returning to Portugal.

2022–2026

Sam, now living in Spain, returns to visit Phil in prison after he summons her back to the UK on business. When Sam arrives back in Walford, Sharon, and Kat are unhappy to see her, and she reveals that Phil has left her in charge of his assets again, while he is in prison. Sam is then reunited with her son Ricky (now played by Frankie Day), much to the consternation of Jack and his civil partner Denise Fox (Diane Parish). Phil asks Sam to attend a business meeting with his money laundering associate Jonah Tyler (Mark Mooney). Sam agrees but fails to negotiate a deal with Jonah due to interference from Sharon, and in retaliation, Jonah threatens to launch a rivalry against Phil's businesses if she cannot fund protection. Feeling defeated, Sam prepares to go back to Spain, but when she sees how close Jack is with Ricky, she lies by threatening to take Ricky with her unless Jack helps her find incriminating information on Jonah. Jack accompanies Sam to meet with Jonah and she uses Jack's position as a Detective Inspector to blackmail Jonah into ending his threats and doing exactly what she wants; by accepting her offer of a higher markup percent on their business deal. Sam discovers that Jonah is planning on buying Ruby Allen's (Louisa Lytton) nightclub, and she convinces Phil that they should buy the club and run it together. However, Jonah ends up buying the club after Sam misses a meeting with Ruby's solicitors. Sam then proceeds to blackmail Denise by threatening to tell the police that Denise knew the truth about Vincent Hubbard's (Richard Blackwood) death, if she does not give Sam back the money that Phil had paid for her to open her salon, "Fox & Hair". After receiving the money, Sam succeeds in outbuying Jonah and decides to turn the club into a wine bar renaming it "Peggy's". She sacks staff members Dotty Cotton (Milly Zero) and Vinny Panesar (Shiv Jalota) in the process, leading to Phil replacing Sam with Sharon as bar manager. Sam is unimpressed by Phil's decision to demote her, and after a failed attempt to reason with him, she attempts to blackmail Sharon by threatening to tell Kat about her secret prison visits with Phil, if she does not reinstate her back as bar manager. Sharon reminds her of the consequences of crossing Phil, so Sam begrudgingly backs down. She later sleeps with Sharon's younger half-brother Zack Hudson (James Farrar), who is cheating on his girlfriend Nancy Carter (Maddy Hill). Just before the opening of Peggy's, Sam, Kat, Sharon, and Nancy's grandmother Shirley Carter (Linda Henry) are all held hostage by robbers who attempt to rob the bar, under the presumption that they have been sent by Jonah. The incident results in Sam getting shot, as a result of saving Kat, though it is later revealed that Sam had orchestrated the siege as revenge on Sharon and Kat for her downfall in the Mitchell empire. Shirley later discovers what Sam has been up to, and blackmails her for a share of the bar.

Reception

Westbrook has said that within days of her first appearance as Sam in 1990, the public and media interest in her character was 'phenomenal'. The character has been reintroduced multiple times, with producer Matthew Robinson referring to her as 'popular'. Kim Medcalf as Sam Mitchell won a National TV Award in 2002 for most popular newcomer.

The direction taken with the character was viewed critically in 2004, with Paul Clark of The Stage using Sam as an example of how EastEnders had become unbelievable. He commented, 'The rot set in around the time when one of the show's female leads, Sam, metamorphosed from introspective beauty into oestrogen-fuelled Al Caponette, making Billy burn down Den's club.' The Guardian claimed in 2004 that the soap opera had come under 'heavy fire' for 'poor storylines', among them Sam's wedding to gangster Andy Hunter.

Stuart Heritage, of The Guardian, commented on the recasting of Sam in June 2010, saying 'Medcalf lacked Westbrook's obvious aura of constant threat, but still managed to help bludgeon Dirty Den's head in with a metal dog before leaving so that – in a bonkers soap twist – Westbrook could return again.' Kevin O'Sullivan, writing for the Sunday Mirror, was critical of Danniella Westbrook's return in 2009, highlighting an 'inexplicable personality transplant' in Sam and decrying the 'homecoming' storyline as 'an insult to long-suffering viewers' intelligence'. Comparatively, Virgin Media have rated Sam/Westbrook's return in 2009 as the tenth greatest soap comeback of all time, saying 'She was only on screen for five seconds before the famous 'Enders drums signalled the return of Walford's much-missed Mitchell sister. It may not have been a big surprise to see Sam back, but those scriptwriters sure know how to leave us gasping for more.'

Ruth Deller, of entertainment website lowculture.co.uk, criticised Sam's return in 2009, branding it as unsuccessful and also stating: 'Danniella Westbrook is doing her best, but the scriptwriters don't seem to know who Sam is any more. Sam mark 1 and Sam mark 2 were very different, and Sam mark 1 rebooted seems to be a third person altogether. Is she a canny businesswoman or completely thick? Is she ugly or attractive? Are we supposed to be rooting for her or rallying against her?' She further faulted her story-'lining adding: 'Her storylines don't seem to be going anywhere and the whole return seems like it was concocted purely for headlines and not at all for story development.'