Sam Mitchell (EastEnders)

Sam Mitchell
EastEnders character
Kim Medcalf as Sam Mitchell (2022)
Portrayed by	Danniella Westbrook (1990–2000, 2009–2016) Kim Medcalf (2002–2005, 2022–2024) Laila Murphy (2022, flashback)[1]
Duration	1990–1993 1995–1996 1999–2000 2002–2005 2009–2010 2016 2022–2024
First appearance	Episode 569 19 July 1990 (1990-07-19)
Last appearance	Episode 6841 18 January 2024 (2024-01-18)
Classification	Former; regular
Introduced by	Michael Ferguson (1990) Corinne Hollingworth (1995) Matthew Robinson (1999) John Yorke (2002) Diederick Santer (2009) Bryan Kirkwood (2010) Dominic Treadwell-Collins (2016) Kate Oates (2022)
Spin-off appearances	Comic Relief 2003: The Big Hair Do (2003) Marsden's Video Diaries (2010)
Danniella Westbrook as Sam Mitchell (2016)
In-universe information Other names Samantha Mitchell Sam Butcher Sam Hunter Occupation Barmaid Lapdancer Businesswoman Bar manager Family Mitchell Father Eric Mitchell Mother Peggy Mitchell Brothers Phil Mitchell Grant Mitchell Husband Ricky Butcher (1991–1996) Andy Hunter (2004–2005) Sons Ricky Branning Granddaughters Charli Slater Uncles Archie Mitchell Clive Mitchell Aunts Sal Martin Nephews Ben Mitchell Mark Fowler Raymond Dawkins Albie Watts Nieces Courtney Mitchell Louise Mitchell First cousins Ronnie Mitchell Roxy Mitchell Lenny Martin Loretta Martin Other relatives Billy Mitchell Jamie Mitchell Danielle Jones Amy Mitchell Lola Pearce Lexi Pearce Matthew Mitchell Cotton Will Mitchell Janet Mitchell Stevie Mitchell Charlie Mitchell

Sam Mitchell (also Butcher and Hunter) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. The third member of the Mitchell family to appear on the soap, Sam was introduced as a 15-year-old schoolgirl in July 1990, originally played by Danniella Westbrook. Westbrook quit in 1993, but Sam reappeared from 1995 to 1996 and from 1999 to 2000. In both stints, Sam was written out earlier than the producers intended due to off-screen controversies surrounding Westbrook. In January 2002, Sam was introduced for a fourth time, but the role was recast to Kim Medcalf, who stayed in the role until November 2005. Diederick Santer later decided to reintroduce Sam for a brief stint in 2009 and opted to bring Westbrook back. Westbrook briefly reprised the role once again in 2016 for the funeral of Sam's mother Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor). In January 2022, it was announced that Sam would be returning to the show, this time played by Medcalf again. Medcalf’s return scenes aired on 18 April 2022. Medcalf took an extended break from the show in 2023, with Sam departing on 13 April 2023 and returning seven months later on 21 November 2023. On 18 January 2024, Sam made an unannounced departure from the show following Medcalf's decision to leave indefinitely.

Sam was initially portrayed as a young, naïve girl who had initially relied less upon her mother Peggy than her older brothers Phil (Steve McFadden) and Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp), although she gradually evolved into becoming more flirty, headstrong, and charismatic, with a penchant for dating the wrong men and a determination to be taken more seriously. As a teenager, Sam falls in love and elopes with Ricky Butcher (Sid Owen) to marry him. Her stint between 2002–2005 focused on Sam becoming a stronger character and taking control of the Mitchell empire, leading to a feud with the Watts family. She feuds with Den Watts' (Leslie Grantham) wife Chrissie (Tracy-Ann Oberman) after she incriminates both Sam and Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) for Den's murder. As a result, Sam suffers a mental breakdown and subsequently flees Walford to escape punishment for perverting the course of justice.

Amongst various feuds with many characters, other storylines have seen her become involved in love triangles with Ricky and Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) and Steve Owen (Martin Kemp) and his wife Mel (Tamzin Outhwaite), being conned out of all the Mitchell businesses by family lawyer Marcus Christie (Stephen Churchett) and Den Watts, key involvement in Den's and her uncle Archie's (Larry Lamb) murders, an affair with Jack Branning (Scott Maslen), as well as struggling to cope with motherhood after giving birth to Jack's son Ricky Branning (Henri Charles/Frankie Day). Sam's return in 2022 saw her clash with Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace), and Denise Fox (Diane Parish), her struggle to be taken more seriously by her family - causing her to scheme with Phil's nemesis Jonah Tyler (Mark Mooney) in taking over Phil's assets, discovering that her son Ricky is becoming a father at twelve years old, a failed reunion with Ricky Butcher, and publicly revealing Phil’s one-night stand with Lola Pearce’s (Danielle Harold) mother, Emma Harding (Patsy Kensit), which leads to her departure from the show. According to internal sources Sam Mitchell will be making a short stint return this autumn when she returns to the square, she will come face to face with a face from the past and wanting to build bridges with Phil and the extended Mitchell family.