The other actresses that played Elizabeth I before Anita Dobson

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Anita Dobson will star as Queen Elizabeth I in BBC Two programme
First of three-part series Armada: 12 Days To Save England airs Sunday
Dame Judi Dench and Glenda Jackson also shone as Queen Bess

By Deni Kirkova for MailOnline

Published: 05:39 EST, 22 May 2015 | Updated: 07:45 EST, 22 May 2015

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She is best known for playing gobby EastEnders barmaid Angie Watts in the 1980s, but Anita Dobson has undergone a dramatic transformation to play Queen Elizabeth I for her new role.

The actress, 66, revealed she needed to spend four hours in hair and make-up to play the Tudor ruler, complete with pockmarked face, rotten teeth and balding head.

As momentum builds from her highly anticipated turn as the Virgin Queen, Anita will no doubt face comparisons against those who have already played one of Britain's greatest monarchs as she stars in BBC Two's Armada: 12 Days To Save England at 9pm on Sunday.

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Anita Dobson is transforming into Elizabeth I for her new role on Sunday

Actress Anita Dobson pictured recently (left) and as s Angie Watts outside the Queen Vic in EastEnders (r)

Anita Dobson is transforms into Elizabeth I for new BBC drama

Some of the most memorable portrayals of Queen Bess include Dame Judi Dench opposite Colin Firth in the 1998 film Shakespeare In Love and Glenda Jackson in 1971 film Mary Queen Of Scots.

Others are Dame Helen Mirren in Elizabeth I from 2005, the hilarious Miranda Richardson as Queen Bess in Blackadder II, and Anne-Marie Duff as Queen Elizabeth in BBC TV show The Virgin Queen.

Now, almost 30 years since Anita left Albert Square, Anita says she is thrilled to follow in their footsteps as Elizabeth I in a major three-part drama on BBC Two starting this weekend.

Anita, who played the wife of pub owner Dirty Den in the BBC One soap, will play a highly authentic version of the hygiene-shy monarch in the series.

Dame Judi Dench opposite Colin Firth in the 1998 film Shakespeare In Love

Glenda Jackson as the Virgin Queen in the 1971 film Mary Queen Of Scots

Historian and experienced sailor Dan Snow will also figure in the series, which features dramatic reconstruction and CGI to retell England's defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588.

In the first part of a major three-part drama documentary series on Sunday, Dan takes to the sea to tell the story of how England came within a whisker of disaster in summer 1588.

Newly discovered documents will take viewers right inside the Spanish Armada for the very first time and reveal a missed opportunity that could have spelled the end of Tudor England.

The BBC said the series takes 'an intimate look at the ageing and vulnerable Elizabeth in her most private moments as she nervously awaits her fate in the battle'.

Dame Helen Mirren in the more recent Elizabeth I from 2005

Miranda Richardson as Queen Bess in Blackadder II with Nursie (Patsy Byrne)

Actress Anne-Marie Duff as the Queen Elizabeth in BBC TV show The Virgin Queen

Anita, who is married to Queen musician Brian May, famously played Angie from 1985 to 1988.

In recent years, she has starred in the likes of Casualty, Moving On and on Radio 4's The Archers.

She confessed that playing the historical figure is a dream come true since she has always wanted to play a queen.

She commented: 'Elizabeth I is a gift of a role, and one I've always hoped I'd get the opportunity to play. Playing a queen was one of the most enjoyable times I've had.'

The programme airs on BBC Two at 9pm on Sunday.