Babe Smith

Name: Babe Smith
First Appeared: 31st January 2014
Last Appeared: 9th February 2017
Played by: Annette Badland

Babe Smith, affectionately known as Aunt Babe, is the Carter family’s resident troublemaker and master manipulator. Babe quickly made her presence known with her sharp tongue and even sharper schemes. As the sister of Sylvie Carter and aunt to Shirley and Tina, Babe’s family ties run deep, but so does her penchant for stirring the pot. Whether she’s cooking up a storm in the kitchen or cooking up trouble, Babe is never far from the action.

From the moment she set foot in The Queen Vic, Babe’s antics became the stuff of legend. Who could forget her baby farming past or the time she encouraged Abi Branning to fake a pregnancy? Babe’s moral compass might be a bit skewed, but her loyalty to her family is unwavering. She’s the kind of aunt who’ll help you out of a jam but might just land you in a bigger one in the process. Her schemes often left the Carters in hot water, but Babe always managed to wriggle her way out of trouble – most of the time.

Babe’s relationship with her sister Sylvie was a complex mix of love and resentment. While she often clashed with Shirley and Tina, her bond with Sylvie was particularly strained. Babe’s unrequited love for her brother-in-law Stan Carter added another layer of drama to their story. Despite her many flaws, Babe’s softer side occasionally peeked through, especially when it came to her great-nephew Mick Carter. Her interactions with Mick showed that beneath her tough exterior, there was a woman who deeply cared for her family.

Babe was unscrupulous and unrelenting with others though: she began blackmailing Les Coker over his secret life as Christine. Her ability to exploit any situation to her advantage led to numerous clashes with residents including Claudette Hubbard with the two formidable women going head-to-head in a battle of wits.

In the end though, it was Babe’s own family who had finally had enough of her dishonesty and lies and threw her out in the rain. She cursed the Carters with her final breath on her way out of Walford – and considering the bad luck they’ve had since, she may have genuinely done it! And she’s still out there somewhere, no doubt scheming her next plot…