Anita Dobson says it has been ‘a pleasure’ as she is made OBE for charity work

Actress Anita Dobson, who has been made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), said the charity work she has been recognised for has been “an awful lot of pleasure”.

The Doctor Who star, 76, was honoured by the King during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, which she attended with her husband, Queen guitarist Sir Brian May.

Dobson, best known for playing Queen Vic landlady Angie Watts on EastEnders, said: “It’s my career that’s made it possible for me to do all the charity work because when you become well-known suddenly people would like you to lend your patronage to them, so I’ve done it where I can and when I can, and it’s been an awful lot of pleasure, as well as I hope, bringing support to people that need it.”

Anita Dobson was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (Jonathan Brady/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Jonathan Brady

Dobson, whose married name is Lady May due to her husband’s knighthood, is a patron for several charities including Thames Hospice and Focus Foundation, which provides support for grassroots charities and local organisations.

Reflecting on the charitable cause she feels most passionate about, Dobson said: “Anything to do with children.

“I haven’t done as much with the Sick Children’s Trust as I would like to but I hope to remedy that again soon.

“Thames Hospice, I live quite close to them, and the PR lady is a very close friend of mine.

“So I do a lot for them, regularly I go and visit patients and do whatever I can.

“Whatever the cause, wherever the need may be, I try to fulfil something if I can.”

Asked why she works with children in particular, she added: “I think because they’re our future – and the hope for this world, which is in a terrible state at the moment.

“But if our children are loved and nurtured, and brought up with the right ethics and morals, then there’s hope.”

Earlier in the year, Dobson returned to EastEnders to help mark the show’s 40th anniversary, appearing in the form of a vision to support her daughter, Sharon Watts, who was shown fighting for her life following an explosion in the Queen Vic pub.

In May, the moment helped win the scene of the year gong at the 2025 British Soap Awards.

Anita Dobson went to Windsor Castle (Andrew Matthews/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Andrew Matthews

Dobson said: “I wasn’t sure about it at first, I thought, am I doing the right thing going back?

“But I’m so glad I did it, it was quite magical.

“Doing the scene with the lovely Letitia Dean who plays my daughter was easy.

“It was like we were back in the old days.

“It was very moving for me.

“So when I got an award, I was really thrilled!

“I just thought, wow, that’s just a wonderful way for closure, for the character, and for me.”

Dobson has also played mysterious character Mrs Flood in the long-running BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who, having joined the series on Christmas Day 2023.

During Ncuti Gatwa’s second season as the Time Lord, it was revealed that her character was a disguised incarnation of the Rani, a renegade Time Lady and villain.

Born in 1949 in the east end of London, the actress, who has also appeared on Casualty and Inside No 9, has been married to Queen guitarist Sir Brian since 2000.