Phil Mitchell

Philip James "Phil" Mitchell is a long-running fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Steve McFadden.

Phil first arrived in Albert Square on 20 February 1990, and was soon joined by his brother, Grant, sister Sam and mother Peggy. He has become one of the soap's most popular characters and is the second longest-running male protagonist to appear in the serial. He was first introduced as the lesser of two thugs, but became a darker character after Grant left. More recent storylines, such as the return of his son Ben, have shown a softer side to the character. In 2010, McFadden was given six weeks off EastEnders, so he could appear in pantomime.^[2]

Phil's storylines include the framing of Dan Sullivan for shooting him, killing a homeless man after torching the local car lot for Frank Butcher (Mike Reid), having an affair with Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), who was married to Grant, a strong rivalry with his former-step son Ian Beale, and being stalked by his son Ben, leading to an arrest for the murder of Kevin Wicks (Phil Daniels).

Storylines

Backstory

Phil, named after his paternal grandfather Philip who died when he was young, is the eldest child of Peggy and Eric Mitchell. He endured an unhappy childhood due to his abusive father, whose violence continued until Phil was old enough to fight back. Phil and his younger brother Grant were close, and had a reputation for their thuggish behaviour.

1990–2000

Phil and Grant arrive in Walford, buying the garage on Turpin Way, known as The Arches.^[3] Phil goes into partnership at The Queen Victoria public house with Grant and his fiancée Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), and moves in with them. Following a failed romance with Anne Howes (Cassie Stuart), Phil grows close to Sharon, who turns to him for comfort during Grant's violent outbursts. Sharon and Phil sleep together but she chooses to stay with Grant, who remains unaware of the betrayal.^[3] Sharon and Grant's reconciliation is brief, and amidst more rowing and physical violence, Grant is arrested and imprisoned. In his absence, Phil and Sharon continue their affair, and when Grant is released a reformed man, Sharon reconciles with him, leaving Phil heartbroken.^[4] On the rebound, Phil enters into a marriage of convenience with Nadia Borovac (Anna Barkan), a Romanian refugee, enabling her to stay legally in the UK, with Nadia departing after the wedding.^[3] Phil begins a romance with Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth), but Nadia returns, needing Phil to play her husband in more realistic ways to prevent deportation.^[3] She moves in with him while she is investigated. Nadia seduces and sleeps with a drunken Phil, and he regrets it, denying it to Kathy after Nadia informs her. Nadia disappears after Grant threatens to kill her, though Phil later bribes her into agreeing to a divorce.^[5]

When Kathy discovers that Phil is responsible for torching Frank Butcher's (Mike Reid) car lot in an insurance scam, killing a homeless boy, she leaves him. He wins her back by proposing marriage, leaving Sharon jealous. Intent on winning him back, Sharon kisses Phil, but he stops himself from kissing her back. During Phil and Kathy's engagement party, Grant listens to a cassette of Sharon confessing to the affair and plays it at the party. Kathy is incensed, and Grant beats Phil so badly that he is hospitalised with a ruptured spleen and a blood clot to the brain.^[4] Phil undergoes surgery, which stirs remorse in Grant. He pressures Phil into blaming Sharon for their affair and Grant chases her out of Walford. Phil and Grant make peace, but things between them are not the same. Kathy and Phil eventually sort out their differences and get married.^[4] Kathy falls pregnant and gives birth to Ben (Matthew Silver). Phil feels neglected and depressed so turns to alcohol, developing an addiction. He becomes abusive and neglectful of Ben, so Kathy leaves him. Realising what he has lost, Phil gives up drinking to rebuild his marriage. He attends Alcoholics Anonymous, which helps reveal the basis of his problem—the physical abuse he received from his father and his fear he will do the same to Ben. Kathy takes him back but when he attends counselling, he begins an affair with a fellow alcoholic named Lorna Cartwright (Janet Dibley), who later starts stalking him. With their relationship in jeopardy, Phil takes Kathy to Paris, hoping that it can bring them closer, but it has the opposite effect when Phil confesses to the affair and Kathy throws her wedding ring into the river.^[4] Phil begins sleeping rough, gambling, and blaming Kathy for his decline. Kathy decides to leave Walford to live in South Africa, letting it be known that an offer of reconciliation from Phil would make her reconsider. Phil waits until the last minute but is stalled by Lorna, who locks herself in his bathroom and attempts suicide. Kathy leaves for the airport and Phil follows but is accosted by Kathy's son Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt), who persuades him that Kathy is better off without him. Phil agonises over the loss of his son.^[4]

To take his mind of things, Phil gets involved in a protection racket with Annie Palmer (Nadia Sawalha), who he is also having casual sex with, but he grows tired of being bossed around by her and quits.^[6] He starts seeing Lisa Shaw (Lucy Benjamin), but the relationship stalls when Kathy returns briefly, continuing an affair with Grant. However, before she is due to return to South Africa, she asks Phil to leave with her. Phil cannot go as Grant has planned an armed robbery and Phil will not let his brother do the job alone. Infuriated with Phil's loyalty to Grant, Kathy reveals their recent tryst, leading to Phil confronting Grant after the heist and Grant confessing that he slept with Kathy to get revenge on Phil for sleeping with Sharon. While trying to escape the police in a getaway car, Phil pulls out a handgun and shoots at the dashboard, which causes Grant to crash into the River Thames. Phil is rescued, but Grant's body is not recovered, though he survives and flees to Brazil.^[4] When Grant sends Phil his half of The Queen Victoria, he sells it to Dan Sullivan (Craig Fairbrass) for £5 to spite Peggy due to her favouritism towards Grant. It seemed Phil was being 'stalked' in 2011 after he and Shirley started receiving mysterious photos. One of the photos stood out as the photo that haunted Phil from his past.

2000–06

Phil and Dan's allegiance ends after Dan tells the police about a motor scam Phil has been involved in, and Phil cons Dan into giving control of the pub back to Peggy.^[4] Phil is unsupportive when Lisa has a miscarriage and she becomes unstable. He turns his attention to her best friend Melanie Healy (Tamzin Outhwaite) and they sleep together. Phil grows jealous when Melanie reunites with Steve Owen (Martin Kemp) and becomes abusive to Lisa. Thinking a baby will improve things, Lisa stops taking her contraceptive pills. However, Melanie overhears Phil stating he does not want another baby, so she encourages Lisa to end the relationship, confessing to their affair. Lisa leaves Phil, and unknown to him, she is pregnant with his baby. Mark Fowler (Todd Carty) persuades her to pretend the baby is his.^[4] Phil gains many enemies: Lisa; Steve, who has discovered Melanie slept with Phil; Ian, who wants revenge for Phil's bullying; Mark, who wants to avenge Lisa; and Dan. On Steve and Melanie's wedding night, Phil is shot in the back by someone hiding in the bushes, collapsing in a pool of blood, and is hospitalised.^[4] Steve is prime suspect and is arrested. However, it was not Steve and after being discharged from hospital a month later, Phil confronts the real culprit, Lisa. She had stolen Steve's gun in a moment of madness. Realising he drove Lisa to it, Phil decides to let her off and frames Dan for the deed with the help of Ritchie Stringer (Gareth Hunt), who supplies Dan with the gun. Not realising he is being set up, Dan holds Phil at gunpoint, demanding money. However, the police arrive, arresting Dan for attempted murder.^[4] Steve is called as a witness at Dan's trial, and Phil persuades him to give a false testimony, further implicating Dan, but to everyone's astonishment he is found not guilty. Dan seeks revenge, so he kidnaps Melanie, the only common link between Phil and Steve, threatening to kill her unless they each give him £100,000. They work together to rescue Melanie but Dan escapes with the money.^[4]

Phil begins a second relationship with Sharon, who has returned, and they run The Queen Victoria together. Phil wants children, but Sharon reveals she is infertile and tells him Lisa's baby, Louise (Rachel Cox), is really his daughter. Phil ends their relationship and confronts Lisa, demanding to be part of his child's life. Steve offers to take Lisa to California, but when she is unable to leave, Steve absconds with Louise. Phil is informed and chases after Steve in his car. Steve crashes into a wall and Phil rescues Louise but cannot save Steve, who dies when the car explodes.^[4] Phil knows he must win Lisa back to gain custody of Louise, and Lisa is easily swayed. Phil slowly begins excluding Lisa from Louise's life, so in desperation, Lisa flees to Portugal with Louise. Phil's nephew Jamie (Jack Ryder) helps her escape, earning him a beating from Phil. Phil goes to Portugal and returns a month later with Louise. Some of Phil's neighbours suspect he has murdered Lisa.^[4]

Phil falls for Kate Morton (Jill Halfpenny), not knowing she is an undercover police officer, investigating Lisa's disappearance. After gaining a confession from Phil that he manipulated Lisa into handing over Louise, Kate reveals her true identity, and says she loves him and will quit her job, but Phil threatens to kill her.^[4] Kate disappears, but several months later, Phil finds her while she is working undercover for gangster Jack Dalton (Hywel Bennett). Phil saves Kate's life when Jack orders her dead, with Jack calling off the hit but telling Phil he owes him. Kate then moves in with Phil. Jack orders Phil to kill Dennis Rickman (Nigel Harman), so Phil corners Dennis at gunpoint, but Dennis tells Phil he will kill Jack so they can both be free of him, which he does. Phil and Dennis vow to keep their involvement in Dalton's murder to themselves, but Phil later tells Andy Hunter (Michael Higgs), Dalton's second-in-command. Dennis is enraged by Phil's betrayal and demands that they settle the score with a fight. Phil hires a group of men to deal with Dennis instead.^[4]

Phil and Kate go on to marry, but Lisa arrives, demanding access to Louise. She plans to shoot Phil again but fails. She breaks down until Den Watts (Leslie Grantham) vows to get revenge on Phil for her and for having his son Dennis beaten up. Den plans an armed robbery and coaxes Phil into joining him, but Den, with Dennis' assistance, sets Phil up and he is arrested. Kate is forced to give Louise back to Lisa and they leave Walford together. Phil cannot forgive Kate and their marriage ends. Phil escapes from prison and attacks Den and Dennis, and Den gives Phil money to survive on while on the run.^[4] Phil returns in need of money and attacks Ian, who leads him to believe he will help him escape, but calls the police and Phil is arrested again. However, the case falls through after Grant pays a witness to change his testimony and Phil is released. Johnny Allen (Billy Murray) makes an enemy of Phil after threatening to harm his family. Dennis gets involved the feud, not realising his wife Sharon has been threatened by Johnny and that he will be killed if he does not leave Walford. Phil informs Dennis, who beats Johnny, but then has Dennis murdered, leaving Phil feeling responsible and vowing to make Johnny pay. Phil and Grant confront Johnny, but he escapes and a car chase ensues. The brothers' squabbling allows Johnny to capture them, and Johnny orders Danny Moon (Jake Maskall) to kill them. However, Danny's brother Jake (Joel Beckett) shoots Danny, killing him, and Johnny surrenders.

2006—

Following Kathy's death, Phil's son Ben (now Charlie Jones) returns to live with his half brother Ian. Phil tries to build a relationship with Ben and they slowly begin to bond, eventually leading to Ben moving in with his father. Phil meets Stella Crawford (Sophie Thompson) and they begin a relationship. She moves in but she starts psychologically and physically abusing Ben, and manipulates him into persuading Phil to propose to her. The abuse is revealed by Ben during the wedding, and Stella flees to an abandoned warehouse with Phil in pursuit, where she jumps from the roof to her death. Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) uses his police contacts to trace Louise (now Danni Bennatar) for Phil, but Phil discovers that she calls another man "daddy". Jack tries to blackmail Phil regarding his involvement in a motor scam with Kevin Wicks (Phil Daniels), which inadvertently kills Kevin, as Jack has a recording of Phil's confession. The blackmail ends, but Jack keeps the recording.

Phil proposes to his girlfriend Suzy Branning (Maggie O'Neill) when she tells him she is pregnant, but his friend and employee Shirley Carter (Linda Henry) tells him there is no pregnancy and Suzy is trying to con him. However, Phil stays with Suzy until he discovers she has schemed with his uncle Archie (Larry Lamb). Peggy and Archie marry, but Archie's manipulation of his entire family is revealed, so Peggy asks Phil to kill him. However, Phil just forces him to leave Walford. Phil starts drinking again and starts an on-off relationship with Shirley but it soon ends. Archie returns to win Peggy back, and Phil's sister Sam Mitchell (Danniella Westbrook) returns from Brazil after being on the run for her part in the murder of Den Watts. Sam is arrested so Phil sells the garage to Pat Evans (Pam St Clement) to raise the bail money to have her released. However, Archie convinces Sam to flee, leading to the Mitchells struggling financially. Phil takes a loan from Ian on the condition that Ian gets The Queen Victoria if the money is paid back in two weeks, which Phil accepts. Ian sells the loan to Archie, and Archie ejects the Mitchells from the pub and Phil turns to alcohol again. Archie is murdered on Christmas Day. Phil asks his now-girlfriend Shirley for an alibi, who tells police Phil was with her all day. Eventually, Bradley Branning (Charlie Clements) becomes the prime suspect in the murder but falls to his death while being chased by police, although the real killer turns out to be Stacey Branning (Lacey Turner). Phil and Shirley resume their romantic relationship.

Phil's daughter Louise (now Brittany Papple) has been put into care. She runs away to Phil, and pleads to stay permanently, to which Phil initially agrees. However, Shirley finds out that Louise is hiding in the pub, and persuades Phil to do the right thing, so he then sends Louise back into care. He takes a DNA test to prove he is Louise's biological father, and custody is granted after Phil moves in with Shirley. Phil discovers that Ben has been burning Louise's arms and punches his son. The next day Ben explains that he is being bullied by Jordan Johnson (Michael-Joel David Stuart), so Phil tells him to stand up for himself, leading to Ben attacking Jordan and leaving him in a coma. Ben confesses to the police and is charged and bailed. Phil is told Ben could spend six weeks in custody, but is outraged when Ben is sentanced five months in custody. He learns that Lisa has made an application to see Louise so he asks his solicitor Ritchie Scott (Sian Webber) to find a way to prevent her getting access. Peggy tells Louise that Lisa wants to see her, but insults Lisa, leading to Louise running away. Phil finds Louise and attempts to keep Louise locked in the house, but Peggy sneaks her out and takes her to Lisa, leaving her to stay there. Phil throws Shirley out of the house, accusing her of helping Peggy. He goes to Lisa's house to retrieve Louise but finds it empty and abandoned.

Phil starts drinking again after two months of sobriety, blaming Peggy for the loss of his two children, so Peggy orders him to be ejected from the pub. At an all-time low, he approaches Rainie Cross (Tanya Franks), a drug addict, and tries some of her crack cocaine. Phil and Rainie get high on drugs at Phil's home, and when Shirley comes in to check on him, she finds them naked together on the floor. Phil tries to take money from The Arches to get more drugs. Minty Peterson (Cliff Parisi) and Ricky Butcher (Sid Owen) lock him in. They get Shirley, who calms Phil down and offers to help him get clean, throwing Rainie out when they return home. She tells Phil to choose either her or the drugs, and he walks away, having chosen the drugs. Phil's relative Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick) finds Phil a few weeks later and takes Peggy to see him in an estate. Peggy realises she needs to get Phil off the drugs, so she enlists Minty and Billy to help get him back to The Queen Victoria and lock him in the upstairs living room, where the windows and door are boarded up so he cannot escape. He begs to be let out as he is suffering withdrawal symptoms and says he needs a doctor. He escapes and confronts Peggy, and after a huge argument, throws a match on the floor and sets the entire room on fire. Within minutes the entire pub is ablaze, and the roof collapses on Phil. Peggy and Billy manage to save him and get him out of the pub. Peggy departs Walford the next day when she realises that Phil is better off without her.

Shirley supports Phil and he moves in with her. Shirley finds an investor and buys back the garage from Pat. A few weeks later Phil leases The Queen Victoria over to Kat (Jessie Wallace) and Alfie Moon (Shane Richie) and they begin to refurbish it. He also employs Ryan Malloy (Neil McDermott) and Connor Stanley (Arinze Kene) to steal cars and handle stolen jewellery. Phil and Shirley steal a large amount of money from Roxy. With Roxy not realising who stole the cash, Phil uses it to buy a house on the Square. Roxy's mother Glenda Mitchell (Glynis Barber) finds out that Phil is the thief, but instead of telling her daughter, Glenda tells Phil she knows and propositions him. The pair have sex and then embark on an affair. Phil grows fond of Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick). Eager to impress Phil, Jay goes to retrieve some money owed to Phil from Connor, however Connor under-pays him. Shirley admits this to Phil and says she has sent him to get the cash back. A worried Phil goes to support Jay, but sees him beat up Connor for the money, which impresses Phil. Jay then asks Phil if he can change his surname to Mitchell which he agrees to.

When Ben (now Joshua Pascoe) returns from prison, he greets Phil by punching him, which pleases Phil. Phil buys Jack's share of local nightclub R&R and resumes his affair with Glenda. When he is unable to pay his bills, he blackmails Ian into giving him £5000. Phil suffers a heart attack, and when Ian comes in, Phil begs for his help. Ian forces Phil to beg as revenge for years of torment, and then leaves, refusing to help, but when he hears Ben asking where Phil is, he changes his mind and calls the ambulance. In hospital, Phil proposes to Shirley and she accepts. Later, Shirley discovers his affair with Glenda, which results in a strain in their relationship, after Glenda leaves Watford, Shirley gets back together with Phil, but refuses to marry him. Roxy Mitchell (Rita Simons) sells her share of the R&R nightclub to Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks), another one of Phil's many enemies. Phil sees Patrick Trueman (Rudolph Walker) holding his son Ben against a wall, which causes a feud between Phil and Patrick, and leaves Phil branded a racist by the community. Ben eventually admits to Phil that Patrick saw him kissing someone, and Phil asks why that would be a problem before realising that Ben was kissing a boy. Phil storms out in a rage, pushing Ben over in the process, leaving him with a badly bruised eye. Ben then confronts Phil, admits to him that he does not care what he says or thinks, and says that he is gay. Phil then storms off in a tearful rage, terrified that Ben's homosexuality will ruin his reputation. However, they eventually decide to pursue an awkward and uneasy truce.

Phil starts to receive a number of old photographs, and one contains the date of when Phil torched the car lot in an insurance scam and killed a homeless boy. Phil becomes suspicious of many people, including Janine and Rainie, but when Phil receives a text message saying "I know you killed Kevin", Phil believes Jack is behind the message, so confronts him. Jack denies this, and when he goes to give Phil the recording, he finds it missing, along with a file on all of Phil's past misdemeanors. He continues to suspect Jack as well as Ben, but soon realises it is neither of them when he receives a message demanding £2000 cash when Ben and Jack are both with him. He and Billy bury a collection of stolen goods in the allotments and leaves the money, and catches Liam Butcher (James Forde) collecting it, who says he was paid to do so and takes Phil to Lola Pearce (Danielle Harold). Phil confronts her, she steps backwards, and falls down some stairs. Lola goes to hospital, but is unharmed, and admits that she blackmailed Phil just the once as she knew someone else was. Billy is then arrested by the police after they find his fingerprints on stolen goods buried by him and Phil in the allotments. Still receiving messages, Phil and Shirley arrange a Christmas party and invite many locals, in the hope that they may uncover who is stalking Phil. At the party, Phil discovers envelopes in Heather Trott's (Cheryl Fergison) bag that look like the ones he has received from the stalker. Shirley convinces Phil that it could not be Heather, and he turns his attention to Jack again, having received a newspaper article about Steve Owen's (Martin Kemp) death, and has Jack's car crushed as a warning. Jack's brother Derek (Jamie Foreman) finds out, and confronts Phil, saying that he has made an enemy of him as well.

Denise Fox (Diane Parish) receives a package similar to the letters Phil is receiving, which she opens on Christmas Day to find a memory stick containing a recording of Phil confessing that he sold Kevin the car he died in. Phil discovers this and confronts Denise at her home, where she refuses to hand over the recording. A fire starts in the building and Phil helps Denise escape. Denise then hands the memory stick to police and Phil is arrested for Kevin's death the next day.

Character creation

Background

In late 1989 EastEnders acquired a new executive producer, Michael Ferguson, who took over from Mike Gibbon. Ferguson had previously been a producer on ITV's The Bill which seemed to be challenging EastEnders in providing a realistic vision of modern life in London. Due to his success on The Bill, Peter Creegan, the Head of Series at the BBC, poached Ferguson to become executive producer of EastEnders.^[3]

Casting

For the roles of Phil and Grant Mitchell many actors were screen-tested together. This was done to assure the chosen actors – who would work together – had a strong rapport and physical resemblance. Producer Corinne Hollingworth commented: "There were some good actors we had to turn down because we couldn't find the 'right' brother."^[7] Steve McFadden, an actor who had worked extensively in television, was cast as Phil. His shape, skills in stage fighting and a variety of sports including boxing, football and karate made him an ideal choice to play one of Walford's latest "tough-men."^[7] Ross Kemp got the role of Grant. Both actors worked well together and shared similar physical characteristics, such as short cropped hair and a "round, open face" – facial characteristics also shared by Danniella Westbrook, who was chosen to play their sister Samantha because of this.^[7]

Personality

Of the two brothers Phil was initially calmer, but both had a sense of physical danger about them, displayed stereotypical masculinity, thuggish behaviour and a tendency to resolve problems through violence. Phil was originally depicted as the thinker and the most streetwise of the pair, often bailing his more spontaneous brother out of trouble, although later plotlines drove the character down a darker, more destructive route.^[7] Phil can be violent, but unlike Grant, he occasionally showed restraint when dealing with various enemies encountered – exacting revenge over time, using mind games or getting others to do his dirty work.

Phil has occasionally shown sadistic traits. His bullying of Ian Beale is often done as a means of deriving pleasure.^[8] Equally the ceaseless degradation of Lisa showed a particularly malicious side to the character. While Phil has shown compassion to the women in his life, he frequently finds he is unable to give them the emotional security needed to sustain the relationship. Several women have left him due to this and his inability to put their needs before his family's.

Character development and impact

The Mitchell brothers quickly became two of the soap's most popular characters and storylines involving them began to dominate the programme. Their arrival heralded a new era for the soap, which aptly coincided with the beginning of a new decade – EastEnders during the 1980s having been very much dominated by the hugely popular Watts family.^[9]

Sharongate

One of the most notable and popular early storylines involving Phil was a love triangle between him, his brother and his brother's wife Sharon (played by Letitia Dean). Despite the fact that Sharon was married to Grant, EastEnders writer Tony Jordan revealed in The Mitchells - The Full Story that the love-triangle storyline had been planned since Phil and Grant's introduction, after the writers decided Sharon was perfect for them both. This storyline was slow burning and spread over several years, providing a plethora of dramatic tension along the way. The episode in which Phil betrayed his brother with Sharon occurred in September 1992 in one of the soap's notorious three-handers. Things finally came to a head in 1994 with some of EastEnders most popular and renowned episodes, which were dubbed "Sharongate" – centred around Grant's discovery of the affair and his reaction. The repercussions of Phil's betrayal contributed to many subsequent storylines involving the Mitchell brothers during the 1990s. Sharongate has also proven a popular storyline with viewers and it was voted the sixth top soap opera moment of the decade in a poll of 17,000 people for What's On TV magazine.

Alcoholism

Among the many issues Phil has been used to cover is alcoholism and the consequences the condition has upon the sufferer's life. The relationship between alcohol abuse and domestic violence was explored between Phil and his wife Kathy (played by Gillian Taylforth) culminating in the slow deterioration of their marriage, which gripped viewers throughout 1997. Of particular note is an episode where Phil attends Alcoholics Anonymous (February 1997), an "alien and uncomfortable arena" where he was forced to talk about his condition, expose his vulnerability and reveal the basis of his problem – the physical abuse he'd received from his father and his fear that he will do the same. Writer Jacquetta May, who once played Rachel Kominski in the show, evaluated the episode in an article about social realism, education and the moral messages within EastEnders storylines, commenting: "The episode blames his destructiveness on the 'male' response to self-hate: violence. It says that unless problems are worked through (the female method), they will be repeated generation after generation".^[10] This particular episode has also been used in a study by the Stirling Media Research Institute, where men were asked questions about the violence contained within a spectrum of broadcast television material. The study reported that much group discussion centred on the Alcoholics Anonymous group scene, which was, for the most part, seen as an accurate depiction of an AA group therapy session. In addition, Phil's portrayal of a suffering alcoholic was also seen as realistic and a "typical portrayal of bottled-up masculinity".^[11]

The Mitchell car crash

Phil's disposition altered during the early 2000s when a darker more menacing side to his personality began to surface. This change was perhaps a consequence of Grant's departure, who up until this point had always been depicted as the more selfish, thuggish and nastier of the two. The storyline signifying the departure of Ross Kemp played heavily on the Mitchell brothers' fragile and damaged relationship. After discovering that Grant had vengefully slept with Kathy, Phil went ballistic with a handgun causing the hijacked Vauxhall Astra they were driving to career at high speed into the River Thames, in an episode that was watched by 19.5 million viewers.^[12] Shot in London's Docklands, the scenes required stunt doubles, divers and crash test dummies and it has been hailed as "one of the soap's most dramatic storylines ever."^[13]

Who Shot Phil?

Phil's behaviour earned him a number of sworn enemies in Albert Square and by 2001 the character had become one of the soap's nastiest villains.^[14] In an interview with The Guardian McFadden commented on his alter ego's descent into villainy "Phil's been had over by a lot of people, so now he feels like he can do it back. It's his history".^[15] However the character finally received his comeuppance in one of EastEnders most highly anticipated storylines, dubbed "Who Shot Phil?". Phil was gunned down outside his home in March 2001 in a "Dallas-style" whodunnit mystery. Various key characters were in the frame for the deed and viewers were left guessing for weeks as to which of them was the real culprit. Several outcomes were allegedly filmed^[16] and it was reported that only a few TV executives knew the identity of the would-be assassin – even the actors were kept in the dark.^[17] A spokesman commented "The cast are only getting their own scripts. They are not being told anyone else's storylines. Not even Phil knows who shot him. It's top secret."^[17] Script writers were reportedly given private security after a writer's laptop was stolen in what was believed to be an attempt to gain the identity of the assailant.^[17] The storyline captivated the public's imagination leading to thousands of bets being placed at the bookies across the UK – bookmaker William Hill said there was about 50,000 bets on who was responsible.^[17]

An estimated 22 million viewers watched EastEnders on 5 April 2001 to find out that Lisa Shaw – Phil's ex-girlfriend – was the culprit.^[18] The episode caused the third-largest power surge on record,^[19] and the Liverpool and Barcelona UEFA Cup semi-final was postponed for 10 minutes to accommodate a special 40 minute edition of the soap.^[20]

Drug addiction

In June 2010, it was reported that Phil would develop an addiction to crack cocaine after his troubled personal life leads to depression.^[21] The report followed the news that Lucy Benjamin was to return for a single episode, reprising her role as Lisa, the mother of Phil's daughter Louise (Brittany Papple).^[22] In the storyline, Phil gains custody of Louise after she is dropped off in Walford by an unseen person, however, Peggy eventually returns Louise to Lisa after Phil punches his mother in the face. A spokesperson for the show said "Lisa Fowler was a major part of Phil's life – she knows him as well as anyone, so she won't be happy about him looking after his daughter. With their history, you know that this storyline is going to be an explosive episode in the Mitchells' history."^[22] Phil also loses his son Ben (Charlie Jones), who makes a temporary departure from the show in order for the part to be recast.^[23] Subsequently, Phil becomes addicted to crack cocaine. Producers worked closely with drug and alcohol charities, including Addaction and DrugScope. Viewers never see Phil take drugs to make sure the episodes are suitable for all audiences. Martin Barnes, chief executive of DrugScope, commented: "If EastEnders sensitively reflect the impact that drug use has on Phil, it could help."^[21] The storyline also sees Phil become more violent. McFadden explained:

"All he can see is Peggy's betrayed him. She knows how much he fought for custody, for contact and how important it was for him to see his children. He's really angry about it and feels the world is against him. [...] What he's really doing is self-harm which is a common response to anger. People do crazy, mad things like this when they're desperate. It's very ugly and disturbing. [...] He's hit his kids and his mum, so yes, [worse violence is] something he's capable of."^[24][25]

McFadden decided to lose weight for the storyline by going on a crash diet, saying that food would not be one of Phil's priorities.^[26]

Other storylines

The character continues to be featured heavily in high-profile storylines which have included various feuds, police enquiries, armed robbery, kidnapping, numerous affairs and relationship problems and an ongoing plot concentrating on the character's struggles to bond with his children. 2005 saw the highly anticipated screen return of both of the Mitchell brothers – six years since they last appeared together. 13 million viewers tuned in to see their return giving the BBC a 52.9% audience share,^[27] a massive coup for the show which had come under heavy criticism in the British media after it drew its lowest audience in more than five years (6.6 million viewers tuning in to one episode in September 2005).^[28]

Reception

Popularity

The character of Phil is arguably one of the soap's most popular, particularly with female viewers, making him one of the soap's unlikeliest sex symbols.^[29][30] He has featured in some of the show's most memorable and highly viewed storylines and he is the second longest running male character to appear in the soap, surpassed only by Ian Beale. Phil along with Grant was voted as the second most popular King Of Soaps in a Channel 4 poll in 2002.^[31]

During a period of heavy media criticism aimed at EastEnders throughout 2004 and 2005, the character—who was on a hiatus from the show—was reintroduced twice in what was branded by the press as a bid to "boost flagging Enders"^[32] and "revive the soap's ailing ratings".^[33] His first return in April 2005 was generally well-received, with media comments such as "the excellent, bug-eyed Steve McFadden proves nobody does psychotic thug better than him" and "McFadden's blistering performance on Tuesday defies that old cliché of a soap being bigger than its stars".^[34] Of the Mitchell brothers' highly publicised return in October 2005, one reporter commented "Soapville must confess that we did get goosebumps and feel properly excited when we first saw the Mitchell Brothers back on the Square...After all, you associate them with the golden days of Enders".^[35]

In addition the character has been praised for being good value, realistic, consistent within his character and convincing.^[36][37] In 2009, Phil Mitchell came second in a poll by British men's magazine Loaded for 'Top Soap Bloke'.^[38]

In 2011 McFadden was nominated for 'Best Actor' at the British Soap Awards 2011 for playing Phil.^[39] as well as be nominated at the Inside Soap Awards for 'Best Actor' in 2011.^[40]

Criticism

Although popular with many, the character has also garnered much criticism over the years. In November 2005 the character was blamed for turning children into playground bullies by Dr. Sally Henry, who claimed that impressionable children look to male soap characters as role models and subsequently copy their violent behaviour.^[41] Indeed the character's violent behaviour evoked concern from viewers in October 2002. A scene in which Phil beat his godson Jamie was criticised for being too realistic by TV watchdogs. The Broadcasting Standards Commission upheld 31 complaints from viewers, saying that the scenes were too strong for a programme shown before the 9 pm watershed.^[42]

A certain level of criticism was aimed at the character due to the stark personality change he underwent circa 2000.^[43] One reporter commented "Formerly the milder-mannered sibling, Phil has gone from Abel to Cain without an intervening period of plausibility. And it doesn't suit him".^[44] His violent tendencies have also been spoofed by the television series 2DTV. There were mixed reviews for the highly publicised storyline (dubbed Get Johnny Week) involving the Mitchell brothers reunion in 2006. It was criticised as "patchy" and "awkwardly written...unveiling a common weakness in the EastEnders camp, that character continuity can often fall by the wayside when you are dealing with larger characters".^[45] Additionally, the show was criticised for turning the brothers into a comical farce by incorporating uncharacteristic humour into their dialect, which was described as "cringeworthy".^[35]

In August 2010, scenes showing Phil and Rainie taking the drug crack cocaine prompted over 200 complaints from viewers who felt the scenes were inappropriate. The BBC responded by saying "EastEnders in no way – and at no point – glamorises or condones the use of drugs, and furthermore we took great care to avoid any demonstration on how to prepare or take drugs. We feel that Phil's decline will highlight the destructive nature of drugs, and rather than encourage drug use, will act as a deterrent."^[46] A former cocaine addict, Sarah Graham, agreed with the BBC, saying "I think it's really important that a mainstream character like Phil Mitchell is doing this storyline. [...] I'm not surprised that there have been so many complaints about seeing this on one of our favourite soaps. The episode showed the brutal reality of addiction. [...] I can see that many people will be worried about children watching these scenes. [...] With that in mind, I think they should put the Frank drugs helpline number on after the programme."^[47]

A proportion of viewers possibly feel the criticism is justifiable as the character came second in a Channel 4 poll of The Five TV Characters We Most Love To Hate in 2001—beaten only by Mr. Blobby.^[48]

See also

• List of soap opera villains

References

External links

• Phil Mitchell at BBC Online