BBC security forced into ‘red alert’ as EastEnders star hit by shocking death threats

EASTENDERS star Annette Badland has revealed she received such vile death threats that it put BBC security on “red alert”. The 75-year-old – who played supervillain Babe Smith from 2014 to 2017 on the BBC soap – revealed she was put on “house arrest” for six weeks. Annette Badland faced death threats because of her EastEnders character Credit: X Sally Lindsay was shocked to learn she was put on house arrest for six weeks Credit: X Annette shared her ordeal on the A Night In With Sally Lindsay podcast. “People think your [character is] real, don’t they?” Coronation Street star Sally, 53, remarked. Sign up for the Eastenders newsletter Thank you! “I don’t think you had a really good experience with that because Babe was such a villainous character.” Annette explained: “Because I was leaving [EastEnders], they racked up my villainy.” Annette played the villainous Babe Smith on the BBC soap Credit: BBC Annette pictured with co-stars Linda Henry, Luisa Bradshaw White, and Danny Dyer Credit: BBC She added: “But I had death threats. The call from the BBC security said, ‘We’re getting death threats and there are red alert code words in this, so we have to take it seriously.” She said they urged her: “Don’t go out, don’t tell people where you’re going. No social media.” Annette went on: “They eventually traced it to just outside Liverpool. A school. “They didn’t think it was a child. Because it was a public computer. They didn’t feel they could get much further and that took about a month to six weeks.” Most read in TV Sally gasped and said: “So you were under house arrest for six weeks?” Annette nodded grimly, replying: “Yeah, they just said don’t go out.” The legendary actress appeared in 219 episodes of EastEnders and had a slew of explosive storylines as Babe, the great-aunt to Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) and maternal aunt to Shirley Carter (Linda Henry) and Tina Carter (Luisa Bradshaw-White). Her blackmailing and scheming antics led to the Carters throwing her out of the Queen Vic Pub as she “cursed” them to lose the pub. Annette has gone on to play Mae Green in the hit comedy series Ted Lasso, which returns with its fourth series next month. She has also held roles in the true crime drama DI Ray, Midsomer Murders, Outlander and Doctor Who. Comment now