EXCLUSIVE Anita Dobson reveals surprise way she tuned into Billie Piper's shock reveal in Doctor Who finale as she reflects on 'riotous' reaction to Mrs Flood twist
She's become a huge fan favourite with her mysterious role as Mrs Flood.
And while she was attending the Soap Awards as Saturday's Doctor Who finale hit screens, Anita Dobson revealed she still planned to tune into the bombshell episode.
The EastEnders star, 76, had joined her co-stars in attendance for the glitzy red carpet at London's Hackney Town Hall on Saturday, just an hour before the finale was being broadcast.
And speaking to MailOnline on the red carpet, Anita shared that she and co-star Gillian Taylforth planned to watch the finale 'on her phone' ahead of the ceremony.
Anita has caused a stir among Who fans with her role as the mysterious Mrs Flood, who was later revealed to be a hidden incarnation of legendary villain The Rani.
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Speaking about the moment her character's true identity was revealed, Anita added: 'It actually wasn't as crazy as when Mrs Flood looked at the camera and winked, that caused a riot!
'That didn't, because a lot of people are thinking ''where is she going to go from here?''
Doctor Who's explosive series conclusion saw Ncuti Gatwa bid farewell to his role as the titular Time Lord, with Billie Piper sensationally unveiled as the next incarnation.
Viewers also saw Anita's version of The Rani's fate left unknown, as she opted to escape the wrath of the villainous Time Lord Omega, after he ate the main Rani (played by Archie Panjabi).
Anita's co-star Adam Woodyatt later confirmed that they had watched the Doctor Who finale on her phone, revealing in an Instagram post that she blocked several calls from husband Brian May to avoid interrupting the show.
He captioned the post: 'My personal highlight from the #britishsoapawards wasn't @bbceastenders winning, it was something quite different.
'It was sitting on the stairs in Hackney Town Hall with Anita (aka Mrs Flood aka The Rani), sharing my airpods and watching @bbcdoctorwho on my phone!!
'We were so engrossed, @brianmayforreal called twice and Anita bumped the calls.
Speaking to MailOnline on the Soap Awards red carpet, Anita shared that she and co-star Gillian Taylforth planned to watch the finale 'on her phone' ahead of the ceremony
'I wish someone had taken a photo of us sat there watching it together but I will always have that memory.'
Anita was in attendance for the star-studded Soap Awards, where she accepted the award for Scene Of The Year, following Angie Watts' shock return in the show's 40th Anniversary episodes back in February.
The best and brightest in serial drama were in attendance for the ceremony, which will be broadcast on ITV on June 5.
It was the BBC 's EastEnders that cleaned up on the night with eight awards while Hollyoaks received three, Emmerdale two and Coronation Street only one.
They kicked off their wins with Best Episode which went to Phil's Psychosis: The Mitchells In 1985.
EastEnders also won Scene of the Year for Angie Watts' Shock Return while Navin Chowdhry won Best Villain for his role of Nish Panesar.
Steve McFadden, who plays fan favourite Phil Mitchell, won the Best Dramatic Performance award while Patsy Palmer won Best Comedic Performance for her role as Bianca Jackson.
Rudolph Walker & Angela Wynter (Patrick & Yolande Trueman) delivered another win for EastEnders as they won Best On-Screen Partnership.
Lacey Turner, who plays Stacey Slater, won the Best Leading Performer Award and EastEnders also won the most coveted award of all: Best British Soap.
Hollyoaks' three awards started with Isabelle Smith who won Best Newcomer for her role as Frankie Osborne.
The Osbornes then won the Best Family award while Hollyoaks' sibling sexual abuse storyline received the Best Storyline award.
Emmerdale's Amelia Flanagan won Best Young Performer for playing April Windsor while camera operator Mike Plant took home the Tony Warren Award which is given to employees working behind the scenes.
Coronation Street's sole gong of the night was the Outstanding Achievement Award which went to David Neilson who has played Roy Cropper for 30 years.
British Soap Awards 2025: Full List of Winners
Viewer Voted Categories:
Best British Soap:
Coronation Street
EastEnders - WINNER
Emmerdale
Hollyoaks
Best Leading Performer:
Lacey Turner (Stacey Slater, EastEnders) - WINNER
Kellie Bright (Linda Carter, EastEnders)
Eden Taylor-Draper (Belle Dingle, Emmerdale)
Beth Cordingly (Ruby Miligan, Emmerdale)
Villain of the Year:
Calum Lill (Joel Deering, Coronation Street)
Navin Chowdhry (Nish Panesar, EastEnders) - WINNER
Ned Porteous (Joe Tate, Emmerdale)
Tyler Conti (Abe Fielding, Hollyoaks)
Best Comedy Performance:
Jack P Shepherd (David Platt, Coronation Street)
Patsy Palmer (Bianca Jackson, EastEnders) - WINNER
Nicola Wheeler (Nicola King, Emmerdale)
Nicole Barber-Lane (Myra McQueen, Hollyoaks)
Panel Voted Categories:
Best Family:
The Platts (Coronation Street)
The Slaters (EastEnders)
The Dingles (Emmerdale)
The Osbornes (Hollyoaks) - WINNER
Best Dramatic Performance:
Peter Ash (Paul Foreman, Coronation Street)
Steve McFadden (Phil Mitchell, EastEnders) - WINNER
Eden Taylor-Draper (Belle Dingle, Emmerdale)
Isabelle Smith (Frankie Osborne, Hollyoaks)
Best Single Episode:
Mason's death (Coronation Street)
Phil's psychosis: the Mitchells in 1985 (EastEnders) - WINNER
April's life on the streets (Emmerdale)
Hollyoaks time jump (Hollyoaks)
Best On-Screen Partnership:
Alison King and Vicky Myers (Carla Connor and Lisa Swain, Coronation Street)
Rudolph Walker and Angela Wynter (Patrick and Yolande Trueman, EastEnders) - WINNER
William Ash and Beth Cordingly (Caleb and Ruby Miligan, Emmerdale)
Nathaniel Dass and Oscar Curtis (Dillon Ray and Lucas Hay, Hollyoaks)
Best Newcomer:
Jacob Roberts (Kit Green, Coronation Street)
Laura Doddington (Nicola Mitchell, EastEnders)
Shebz Miah (Kammy Hadiq, Emmerdale)
Isabelle Smith (Frankie Osborne, Hollyoaks) - WINNER
Best Storyline:
Paul's battle with MND (Coronation Street)
Phil Mitchell: Hypermasculinity in crisis (EastEnders)
Belle and Tom - Domestic Abuse (Emmerdale)
Sibling sexual abuse (Hollyoaks) - WINNER
Best Young Performer:
Will Flanagan (Joseph Winter-Brown, Coronation Street)
Sonny Kendall (Tommy Moon, EastEnders)
Amelia Flanagan (April Windsor, Emmerdale) - WINNER
Noah Holdsworth (Oscar Osborne, Hollyoaks)
Scene of the Year:
Amy's deathly plunge reveals a grisly secret (Emmerdale)
Mercedes confronts her mortality (Hollyoaks)
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