Whilst still at the hospital, Phil is arrested for attempted murder and realising that Nick has framed him asks Sharon to help him prove his innocence. Phil, unsure of whom to believe, begins investigating alongside Ben into who is the real father of Sharon's baby. They soon clash, however, when it becomes clear that Carl plans to usurp Phil as the square's reigning hardman. Keanu is a close associate of Phil and his business, Keanu is also engaged to Louise, who is also pregnant with Keanu's baby. She is later hospitalized with a ruptured spleen, leaving Phil distraught though he later admits to Shirley that he arranged for the men to scare Sharon at the bar, but believed the bodyguards that he hired for her would have protected her and did not realize that she would be hurt. The brothers try to dissuade Peggy from committing suicide but are unaware of pills secretly hidden in her makeup bag. Jack is arrested but Phil does not press charges after Sharon convinces him for her and Lexi's sake. The episode in which Phil betrayed his brother with Sharon occurred in September 1992 in one of the soap's notorious three-handers. Soon afterwards, Phil recoups his alcoholism upon struggling to cope with his turbulent relationships with Stella and Suzy up to the point where he nearly takes his frustrations out of Ben. When Sharon confronts him, she tells him that she will leave him if he indulges in anymore dodgy activity. Following Dalton's death, his representative Andy Hunter (Michael Higgs) confronts Phil over the circumstances of his and Dennis's alleged involvement; Phil denies involvement and Andy pardons him when he refuses to implicate Dennis for Dalton's murder. Upon arriving at the square, Phil and Grant notice Peggy being mugged and end up rescuing her. Later on, Phil learns that Dennis has previously been involved in Dalton's criminal organization The Firm. After a bumping into a 'pregnant' Abi, she lies to Ben that she lost the baby she never had. After Nick takes the money but refuses to leave, Ronnie asks Phil to get rid of Nick. Danny previously appeared in James' vlog where he hinted that he'd get James a job on EastEnders in 2021. . [4] Steve is the prime suspect and is arrested, but Phil knowing Steve is innocent confronts the real culprit, Lisa, weeks later after he is discharged from hospital. Lisa plans to take Louise, going to Liverpool Street station. He later follows Kathy to the airport but is stopped by Kathy's son, Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt), who persuades him that Kathy and Ben are better off without him. In response, Sharon runs away from Phil and becomes so distraught that she refuses to rebuild their relationship though she eventually reconsiders after Phil apologizes to her about Dennis, and she forgives him soon afterwards. [48] One reporter commented "Formerly the milder-mannered sibling, Phil has gone from Abel to Cain without an intervening period of plausibility. When Peggy learns the extent of Archie's deceit, she ends their marriage by ordering Phil to throw him out of the pub shortly before the family learn that Danielle has died after being fatally struck by a car driven by Frank's daughter Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks). Phil soon falls for Kate Morton (Jill Halfpenny), unaware that she is an undercover police officer investigating Lisa's disappearance. Furious at this, she and Louise flee to Portugal with Jamie reluctantly assisting her after growing uncomfortable with Phil's violent tendencies. When Phil and Den cross paths with each other, they quickly become enemies, although Den manages to feign an admiration for Phil as part of his bid to bring about his downfall. SPOILER pictures show Phil Mitchell's fury over his arrest as he demands lawyer Gray Atkins releases him.Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) . When Peggy finds out about this, she locks him inside her home so he cannot have access to drugs; however, Phil suffering from withdrawal symptoms escapes and confronts Peggy, setting the pub on fire as a result. Phil is later reunited with a dying Peggy. His bullying of Ian Beale is often done as a means of deriving pleasure. Realizing he drove her to it, Phil gradually forgives Lisa and instead decides to frame Dan upon learning that he has been extorting money from his godson Jamie (Jack Ryder) whom Phil had taken under his wing to spare him from being further abused by his legal guardian and uncle, Billy (Perry Fenwick). Louise confides in Phil about her guilt of leaving Lisa when she was ill and she rubbishes Phil's belief he is a bad father. Phil returns to the Square to rescue his family from a "shock crisis". He then asks Ben for alcohol, revealing he has been drinking during his kidnapping. [47], A certain level of criticism was aimed at the character due to the stark personality change he underwent circa 2000. Louise realises Lisa is not taking her medication. When Phil learns that Jake and Danny's cousin Alfie Moon (Shane Richie) has upset Roxy no sooner after she started working for him and the pair later got married, he retaliates by selling the pub to get one over Alfie. The jury find Max guilty and it emerges that Phil paid the foreman for this verdict. Realizing what he has lost, Phil gives up alcohol and attends Alcoholics Anonymous. He regrets it, denying it to Kathy so Grant threatens to kill her to make her leave but Phil later bribes her into agreeing to a divorce. Keanu plans to use this money to flee the country with Sharon, their baby and Dennis. There were mixed reviews for the highly publicised storyline (dubbed Get Johnny Week) involving the Mitchell brothers reunion in 2006. Ben secretly enacts revenge on Phil for this rejection, terrorising him with letters, implying he has evidence to incriminate Phil for past misdemeanours. It's top secret. However, it is later revealed that Archie's killer was in fact his rape victim Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner); this was discovered just moments after her husband Bradley Branning (Charlie Clements) fell to his death whilst on the run from the police, which Phil had witnessed in the midst of celebrating Ricky and Bianca's second wedding. Afterwards, Phil makes amends with Ben and the two support Archie when he and Peggy plan to get married. Lisa agrees until some of Phil's relatives, assuming she is the nanny, start talking about how unstable Louise's mother is. [24] His return scenes aired in April 2005 for a brief stint before returning full-time in October. He is airlifted to hospital and requires an operation. Some time after, Phil tries to give Ian advice after Bobby violently assaults Jane, putting her in hospital. Phil and Ben later spend time together and they slowly bond, eventually leading to Ben moving in with Phil. Phil lends Grant money to support him financially and Grant tells him to fight his liver condition. Once recovered, Phil learns that Carl is framing their business partner Max Branning (Jake Wood) for causing the car crash as well as using Ian as a false witness. Phil is stunned when a badly injured Louise is found in the wreckage, and with her pleas he decides to finally give up the booze. Their feud culminates badly for Phil, when he reluctantly joins Den in an armed robbery only to learn that Den had set him up on behalf of both Lisa and his family; Phil is subsequently arrested when the police arrive on the scene. Phil then reveals this to be a lie in a mysterious phone call. Phil and Peggy hire a nanny, Joanne Ryan (Tara Lynne O'Neill), without consulting her, telling her that Lisa is mentally unstable. Phil finds out that Sharon has been helping Jane cover up the real killer Bobby Beale (Eliot Carrington), Lucy's half-brother, Phil tells Jane and Sharon that he will bribe the foreman of the jury to make sure Max is not guilty. Later in the year, Phil attempts to buy back The Queen Vic, wanting to move his family into The Queen Vic after his split with Sharon. [4] Phil begins sleeping rough, gambling, and blaming Kathy for his decline. He later tells Billy that Lola will never get Lexi back, which Lola overhears. Dennis is killed in the boat crash. Phil Mitchell begins 2022 in turmoil as the mechanic takes drastic action to go on the run in EastEnders.. Perry Fenwick has played Billy Mitchell for over 20 years. Phil is angry as the doctor explains how Louise is at a crucial stage in her recovery and the police tell Phil and Sharon what they are doing. Phil and Sharon reunite after her relationship with Jack ends. "); developing an addiction to crack cocaine that sparks the events of The Queen Vic Fire Week; his ongoing struggle to bond with his children Ben (Max Bowden) and Louise (Tilly Keeper), and discovering that his wife Sharon has had an affair with and later fallen pregnant by his daughter Louise's fianc Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters). Contents 1 Background 2 Storylines People do crazy, mad things like this when they're desperate. It quickly turns out Carl threatened Shirley to stay away from Walford or he would harm Phil's family. Ben is arrested on suspicion of murdering Ian's daughter Lucy (Hetti Bywater). Phil is held on remand in prison on suspicion of Stella's murder and Ben delights in the distress he causes his father. Ronnie vows to help Phil regain his sobriety and allows him to move in with her and Honey once he is discharged from hospital, but the drinking continues. Depressed, Phil embarks on a sexual relationship with drug addict Rainie Cross (Tanya Franks) and begins to use crack cocaine developing an addiction. When Phil learns that Max has taken over The Arches, he promises revenge and blames Sharon for the loss of the business. When Shirley confesses she still loves Phil, he spurns her advances and instead proposes marriage to Sharon after she regains consciousness. Phil along with Grant was voted as the second most popular King of Soaps in a Channel 4 poll in 2002. He then discovers that Ben is in a sexual relationship with Paul Coker (Jonny Labey) and is kidnapped by Kathy's husband, Gavin. After agreeing to drop the truth, Phil denies speaking to Mark. Shirley initially accepts, but later changes her mind after discovering Phil's affair with Glenda; though she later forgives Phil for his infidelity, Shirley refuses to marry him. With their history, you know that this storyline is going to be an explosive episode in the Mitchells' history. "[18] 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. A week later, Phil returns home, battered and bruised. After comforting Sharon when she lashes out at Johnny in the wake of Dennis' funeral, Phil promises to avenge his death. The robbery goes wrong when Mick is shot, and the police arrive. Sharon grows to accept his theory, but then demands to know if he is hiding anymore secrets from her up to the point when she asks him what could be worse than covering up a murder. [32], 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. 20 February 1990: Phil Mitchell arrives 22 February 1990: Grant Mitchell arrives 12 July 1990: Sam Mitchell arrives 30 April 1991: Peggy Mitchell arrives June 1991: Peggy Mitchell departs 4 July 1991: Ricky and Sam Butcher get married 26 December 1991: Grant and Sharon Mitchell get married 4 February 1993: Sam Butcher departs In response, she makes a deal with Phil for her daughters' sake and the two later begin an affair. Months later, Ian summons Phil with a request; Kathy's rapist James Willmott-Brown (William Boyde) has returned to Walford. Phil later convinces Grant to help him confront Johnny at his new home in rural Essex, but he escapes and the brothers peruse home. After being unsure Ben and Callum eventually marry without Phil present, however, Phil later confronts Callum on the square after the wedding about his involvement with the police's plan to take down Phil. Grant also makes a brief reappearance, warning Phil to expect a war over money owed to Grant. Phil soon wants children with Sharon, but she reveals that she is infertile due to a botched abortion; Sharon later admits that the baby she aborted six years earlier was that of Grant. He's really angry about it and feels the world is against him. However, it ends when Sharon's painkiller addiction puts Lexi in danger. There, Phil discovers Ben's current boyfriend Luke Browning (Adam Astill) is Willmott-Brown's son when he finds a photo of them. [] He's hit his kids and his mum, so yes, [worse violence is] something he's capable of. [12], Phil's disposition altered during the early 2000s when a darker more menacing side to his personality began to surface. Two years later, Phil goes into partnership at The Queen Victoria public house with Grant and his wife Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) up to the point where he moves in with them. Ben signs the paperwork for the garage when Phil decides to hand it over to him and Sharon is left stunned when he decides to give Jay the car lot land, as it is worth more than the garage. Shirley supports Phil through recovery. Sharon decides not to tell Phil the truth, but later changes her mind when she learns that Denise is planning to give her son up for adoption. While on board, Phil confronts Keanu with a gun, demanding to know where Callum is and also to confront him about his affair with Sharon. Phil's most prominent storylines include his battles with alcoholism and addiction; suffering from cirrhosis of the liver; various criminal dealings; having an affair with Grant's wife Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) a storyline popularly dubbed "Sharongate"; a failed marriage to Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth); a longstanding rivalry with his tormented stepson and Kathy's eldest child, Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt); sparking numerous feuds; relationship problems; seeking to avenge the death of Sharon's adoptive brother and later husband Dennis Rickman (Nigel Harman) by confronting his gangland killer, Johnny Allen (Billy Murray), in the "Get Johnny Week" storyline; becoming a prime suspect in the murder of his uncle Archie (Larry Lamb) (see "Who Killed Archie? Witnessing Ian's grief prompts Phil to try to get back in touch with Ben, but he is stunned when Ritchie tells him that Ben has already been released from prison. 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. She wants to return to Walford, but Phil tells her to stay away for Ian and Ben's sakes. (Image: BBC ) Phil was one of the major characters introduced by executive producer Michael Ferguson, who wanted to bring in some macho male leads. Horrified at this, Steve and Mel ask Lisa and Louise to emigrate to California with them. Phil and Sharon find Louise's room empty and the doctor reassures them of Lisa and Louise's whereabouts, although they find Louise's belongings gone. Martin, then takes Keanu to a warehouse, where he had to kill him and record himself doing it as proof for the Mitchells. [18] A spokesman commented "The cast are only getting their own scripts. 16 Nov 2021. 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