EastEnders’ former executive producer, Dominic Treadwell-Collins, has slammed the decision to kill off Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell.
The soap sisters died in dramatic fashion after they drowned on Ronnie’s wedding day on 1 January, after the characters were axed by new boss Sean O’Connor in a show shake-up.
Having created the Mitchell sisters when they were first introduced back in 2007, Dominic admitted it made him “really sad” to see them meet such a grisly end.
“They were my inventions when I was story producer and I loved them,” he told Radio Times.
Sean recently defended the decision to kill the siblings off, telling the Royal Television Society (via Metro): “They were not the sort of characters that would leave in the back of a taxi - we wanted to give them an operatic ending.”
Dame Barbara Windsor, who played Ronnie and Roxy’s aunt Peggy, previously called the move a “mistake”, telling The Sun last October: “It wasn’t the girls’ choice. It’s the new producer’s decision. I’m sure he’ll be good for the show, but that is a mistake. When I heard I was shocked.”
Actress Rita Simons, who played Roxy, later threw shade at the soap after her departure, admitting she no longer watches it.
She tweeted: “Don’t watch Enders anymore so forgive me if I’m misinformed. But from what I hear..is ANYONE mourning Roxy on the square? Poor cow.”
Ronnie actress Samantha Womack also shared Rita’s post on her Twitter account, having also retweeted a number of messages from fans who suggested it was the wrong decision to bump the pair off.
However, it has been rumoured Rita and Samantha could be reunited on our screens before long, albeit on a different show...
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