It takes the form of a flashback episode, set in both the present and in January 1979, and explores the reason for DCI Samantha Keeble's vendetta against the Mitchell family.
The episode was first announced in July 2022, when it was reported that Jaime Winstone, who had previously portrayed a young Barbara Windsor in the 2017 biopic film Babs, would appear as Peggy.
As the family eat dinner, patriarch Eric Mitchell (George Russo) learns that Phil (Daniel Delaney) has found a job as a garage mechanic and is furious.
He also tries to dissuade Phil's brother Grant (Teddy Jay) from his wish to join the British Armed Forces, telling them both they should do a real job and he is going to give them some "work experience".
When Phil cannot bring himself to pull the trigger, a frustrated Eric takes the gun from him, orders the others to leave and then shoots the security guard dead.
The episode would also feature the first onscreen appearance of Peggy's husband, Eric Mitchell, who would be portrayed by George Russo, as well as other previously unseen family members, and take place in early 1979, against the backdrop of the Winter of Discontent, where "clues to [Phil]'s present" would "undoubtedly be revealed".
[4][5] Winstone said that Windsor, who died in 2020, was happy with her selection for Babs, telling her, "You're more me than me but you've got to make this your own", but spoke of feeling intimidated by the thought of playing the younger version of Peggy.
She ultimately decided to accept the part after seeing a "beautiful blonde butterfly knocking around my garden for a couple of days" while considering whether to take on the role, and feeling this was Windsor signalling her approval.
[11] Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Michael Hogal gave the episode four out of five stars, and described it as "a pacy caper" that was "Life On Mars meets kitchen-sink drama, sensitively weaving together past and present".
He praised Winstone's Peggy Mitchell, saying "within just half an hour, she made the character her own – respectfully nodding to Windsor's incarnation but succeeding on its own terms".
[13] Winstone's Peggy was also praised by Caroline Frost, writing in the i newspaper, describing her as having "brought a subtle nuance to her portrayal bringing out the softer layers in the character that the older woman had presumably buried in the years since".
[14] Laura Denby, writing in The Radio Times also praised the episode, saying it had "surpassed all expectations, covering far more than just DCI Keeble's vendetta against the Mitchells and paving the way for more trips down memory lane".