Patsy Kensit has said she would love to be the next Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders.

The actress has been been in soaps such as Emmerdale and Holby City but has designs on being a character in the BBC programme, particularly “a really strong matriarch” like Peggy, who was played by Dame Barbara Windsor for 22 years.

Kensit, 51, told RadioTimes.com: “I’d love to do EastEnders, my father was involved in organised crime in the East End, so I grew up around villains and that kind of backdrop. And I can pull a pint and say, ‘You’re barred’.”

Asked whether she thought she could be the next Peggy, the actress said: “I do think that!

“I’m not insulting Barbara Windsor because I think she’s so wonderful.

Dame Barbara Windsor
Dame Barbara Windsor (Ian West/PA)

“But I would like to play a really strong matriarch.

“I’ve got a good bit of energy in me, so I’d like to go out with a real bang and play someone like that.”

She added: “I’ve always loved the divas of continuing dramas, like Doris Speed on Coronation Street. Those shows are wonderful.”

Kensit has been acting since she was a child, but says she now picks parts she is really keen to do.

“The time’s flown by,” she said.

“I’ve done everything that it’s possible to do in the entertainment business.

“And I now take jobs that I know I’m going to love.”