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Philip James "Phil" Mitchell is the eldest son of Eric and Peggy Mitchell. He is also the older brother of Grant and Sam Mitchell, as well as being the father of Ben, Louise, Raymond and Albie, as well as the adoptive father of Dennis Rickman Jr. He is the ex-husband of Kathy Cotton, Nadia Boravac, Kate Morton and Sharon Watts and the current husband of Kat Mitchell and is portrayed by Steve McFadden.

Backstory

Phil was originally the calmer brother of the Mitchell's as his younger brother Grant was more the hot headed one in their early days but both brothers had a sense of physical danger, displaying stereotypical masculinity, thuggish behaviour and a tendency to resolve problems through violence and began to be the local hardmen on Albert Square.

Phil was originally the one who often thought things through, and was seen to be the more streetwise of the two, often bailing his more spontaneous brother out of trouble however by the late 90s to early 2000s Phil was later driven down a darker, more destructive route. He became much more violent and hot headed but, unlike Grant, he still some what occasionally showed restraint when dealing with various enemies encountered – exacting revenge over time, using mind games or getting others to do his dirty work, amongst other things. Phil has occasionally shown sadistic traits. His bullying of former stepson Ian Beale is often done as a means of deriving pleasure. However Ian was wind up merchant to Phil the majority of the time and always deliberately grassed on Phil, and meddled in his marriage to Kathy, so Phil's bullying is more retaliation.

Over the years Phil has somewhat built a 'empire' from being just a dodgy criminal to a full time Gangster, Phil has committed many crimes such as countless assaults, robberies, money laundering, manslaughter and attempted murders. During his time on the show Phil has caused the deaths of five people with four of them being unintentional.

Phil is also known for his various feuds with the likes of Ian Beale, Mark and Martin Fowler, Steve Owen, Dan Sullivan, Dennis Rickman, Den Watts, Johnny Allen, Derek, Jack and Max Branning, Carl White, Vincent Hubbard, Danny Hardcastle, Keanu Taylor and Samantha Keeble.

Phil has also escaped death countless times with a total of twelve attempts ranging from car crashes, accidents and health issues, you name it Phil has survived it all as well as surviving several murder attempts.

Storylines

1961-1990: Backstory

Phil, Grant, Nigel and Ricky

Phil and his brother Grant with their childhood friends Nigel and Ricky on holiday.

Phillip James Mitchell was born on the 20th January 1961, the eldest child of Eric Mitchell and Peggy Mitchell (Nee Martin). His brother Grant Mitchell was born on the 8th July 1962. Phil and Grant were close as children. Phil was abused a lot by his alcoholic father Eric, who rarely touched Grant. This lead Phil to be hurt that he was singled out for abuse by his dad. Phil and Grant could be wayward, and often got into scrapes. At school they became best friends with Nigel Bates, who the Mitchell's saw as a brother to them. Nigel was naive, so the Mitchell brothers sorted out anyone who tried to pick on Nigel.

One time when Phil was about twelve, during the middle of the night, Phil was asleep, his father came stumbling into Phil's bedroom and he punched Phil in the stomach without a reason. Phil use to go school scared stiff that teachers would see the bruises.

Peggy considered leaving when her sons, Phil and Grant, were teenagers, and once even tried to seduce Johnny Allen, but he turned her down. Peggy tried to save her marriage by having another child in 1975 her only daughter Sam. Eric stopped abusing Phil when Phil eventually hit him back knocking him out cold, Peggy called the police on Eric for his abuse and he was arrested. Phil was always the calmer Mitchell brother but both had thuggish tendencies. In the late 1970s, Grant joined the army. Phil worked on the lorries for a time where he met Minty Peterson.

1990-2000: Early years in Walford

489DD72A00000578-5318665-image-a-144 1517016894177

Phil with Grant Mitchell the 90's.

Phil Mitchell first arrived in Walford to open an automobile repair shop, known as The Arches. On Phil's first ever visit to Albert Square, just feet away, Rod Norman and Harry Osbourne were sitting in the Square gardens. They had seen Phil zip into the square in his car. Twenty nine year-old Phil had made his first appearance in Albert Square, buying the mechanics, The Arches. Him and Grant have a brief fling with Julie Cooper. She the left the area and sold her salon.

Phil goes into a partnership with The Queen Victoria public house, along with his younger brother, Grant Mitchell, and Grant's fiancée, Sharon Watts but they buy the upstairs house above it. Phil and Grant had a reputation for being a bit dodgy. Grant had a thuggish side, and even Phil showed thuggish tendencies but usually was more level headed. He often kept Grant in check. In 1992, Grant became increasingly moody and unsupportive of his new wife Sharon. Phil comforted her and one time slept with her, something he regretted.

Following a break-up from lover, Anne Howes, Phil and Sharon grow closer. Sharon would usually turn to him when she and Grant had a row or Grant gained physical violence. They sleep together, but she chooses to stay with Grant. Grant ended up in jail and in his absence, he and Sharon reconcile their affair. But when Grant is released from prison as a reformed man, she decides to reconcile with him and she leaves a broken-hearted Phil.

Phil in March 1990.

Phil in March 1990.

Meanwhile, Phil meets a Romanian refugee, Nadia Borovac, who wants to stay in the UK. To avoid deportation, he had enter a marriage of convenience with her, in July 1993, but Nadia departs after the ceremony. Phil, later, falls in love with businesswoman, Kathy Beale. Nadia returns and makes his life hell, she seduced Phil, which he denied. Phil had wanted to marry Kathy that year but in order to do that, he needs a divorce from Nadia. Nadia would only agreed to divorce if Phil paid her £1,000 in order to move to Germany. He gave her the money and she was never seen again.

Phil sets fire to the car lot

Phil sets fire to the car lot.

In early 1994, Phil bought a flat for a pittance off Frank Butcher. He also bought Frank's share of the cafe for a knockdown price for his new girlfriend Kathy Beale. Phil returned the favour by torching cash strapped Frank's car lot so Frank could claim on the insurance. By accident, a vagrant died in the fire. The police interrogated Phil and Frank but could get no evidence. Phil told Frank to hold it together, one wrong word and they could be arrested and serve a prison sentence for a long time. Frank later legged it after the insurance man saw his business accounts which would have shown Frank was broke and the fire was arson. Phil started drinking and confessed to Grant but Grant told him to stop drinking. Phil got on with his life, sure that Frank was not coming back.

In October 1994, Michelle and Sharon taped a conversation about their lives in general, but Sharon also admitted she slept with Phil, and the cassette was left lying around. Grant played it on the way home from the brewery and found out. He fell apart and attacked Phil in the Arches, but Phil wanted him to so he could be punished. Phil ended up in hospital. While recovering, Phil and Grant patched things up and they blamed it on Sharon, saying she did all the running.

Ben Mitchell Baby

Kathy Mitchell gives birth to her and Phil's son Ben Mitchell.

Phil married Kathy in 1995 and she was soon pregnant. But in late 1995, after almost 2 years away, Frank Butcher returned to Albert Square, having been released from a psychiatric hospital. This caused Phil to start drinking again, worried that Frank would go to the police over the car lot scam. Kathy and Phil eventually sort out their differences and get married. Kathy gives birth to Ben. Phil feels neglected and depressed so turns to alcohol, developing an addiction. He becomes 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, 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. 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, who persuades him that Kathy is better off without him. Phil agonises over the loss of his son.

PhilMitchellJuly2000

Phil in July 2000.

In 1998, Frank was dating Peggy and Phil initially disapproved, due to knowing how Frank left Pat in the lurch a few years previously. In 1999, Phil was back on track but Grant slept with Kathy when she visited Walford, knowing Phil wanted to get back with her. Phil fell apart when he found out. Grant then emigrated and Phil had lost one more chance to be with his wife and son Ben. Phil turned to drink again and spent the rest of 1999 depressed. Kathy returned briefly in late 1999 and Phil begged her for another chance, even for their son's sake. Kathy rejected Phil and in early January 2000 she flew back to South Africa with their son. Phil tried to get over Kathy and wanted to focus on new girl friend Lisa but he soon realised he loved Kathy more and could not get over her.

Due to losing his son, his brother betraying him and then losing the love of his life, and being unable to get over Kathy, Phil developed a nastier, more menacing side, he became more like his brother Grant in personality. He started to become increasingly violent and even started to treat Lisa badly. In April 2000, Phil started dabbling in stolen cars and even beat Ian Beale up when he got Lisa sacked. Phil hit Lisa on Christmas Day 2000 when he slept with Melanie Healy that day.

2000-2003: Villainous years

Who shot phil

Phil after getting shot.

He starts seeing Lisa Shaw, 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. When Grant sends Phil his half of The Queen Victoria, he sells it to Dan Sullivan for five pounds to spite Peggy due to her favouritism towards Grant.

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. Phil is unsupportive when Lisa has a miscarriage and she becomes unstable. He turns his attention to her best friend Melanie Healy and they sleep together. Phil grows jealous when Melanie reunites with Steve Owen 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 persuades her to pretend the baby is his. Phil gains many enemies Lisa, Steve, who had discovered Mel slept with Phil, Ian, who wants revenge for Phil's bullying, Mark, who wants to avenge Lisa and Dan.

On Steve and Mel's wedding night, Phil is shot in the back by someone hiding in the bushes, collapsing in a pool of blood, and is hospitalised. 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, 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. 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 Mel, the only common link between Phil and Steve, threatening to kill her unless they each give him £100,000, they work together to rescue Mel but Dan escapes with the money.

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, 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. 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 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.

2003-2005: Feud with Den Watts and temporary departure

Phil Mitchell, Den Watts and Dennis Rickman

Phil with Dennis Rickman and Den Watts.

Phil falls for Kate Morton, 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. Kate disappears, but several months later, Phil finds her while she is working undercover for the square's gangland boss Jack Dalton. Soon Phil rescues Kate's life when Jack orders his hitman George Peters to kill her, Phil later manages to convince Jack to call off the hit, but in so doing gets himself indebted to Jack when he says that Phil now owes him a favour. Kate then moves in with Phil.

Later on Jack orders Phil to kill Sharon's half-brother Dennis Rickman, 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 Jack's murder to themselves, but Phil later tells mobster and Jack's second-in-command Andy Hunter the truth about the incident. 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.

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 Sharon and Dennis' illegitimate father, Den Watts 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 and also sleeps with Dennis while he is in prison, Phil cannot forgive Kate and their marriage ends, Phil manages to escape from prison and vows to go after Den for setting him up.

Phil in December 2003

Phil in December 2003 moments before leaving the show.

On Christmas day 2003 Phil attacks Den in Angie's Den, but Den knocks Phil out with a chair when Phil turns his back, when Phil regains consciousness Den offers to give him £200,000 as long as as Phil agrees to not come after him, left with little choice due to being on the run Phil takes the money and leaves Walford not being seen again until 2005.

2005-2006: Return to the Square and Feud with Johnny Allen

Phil's 2005 return

Phil in 2005 moments after returning to Walford.

Phil and Grant return promo

Phil and Grant Mitchell return promo.

Phil returns in need of money and attacks Ian, who leads him to believe he will help him escape, but Ian calls the police and Phil is jailed again. However, the case falls through after Grant pays a witness to change his testimony and Phil is released. The brothers then return to help their mother exonerate Sam after she is framed for Den's murder by his wife Chrissie, who had killed her husband several months ago. Eventually with Sharon's help, the Mitchell's are successful with their efforts and Chrissie is arrested for Den's murder.

By this point, Phil has embarked on a feud with the square's newly-established crime boss Johnny Allen, earlier on Johnny waged war on Peggy and has threatened to harm the Mitchell's. The conflict soon escalates when Dennis gets involved in Phil's feud with Johnny, particularly when Johnny later delivers a threatening ultimatum to Sharon, either she and Dennis leave the square for good, otherwise Dennis will be killed. Sharon confides to Phil about Johnny's threat and also reveals that Johnny had killed Andy on the same night Den was killed. Phil subsequently informs Dennis, who then beats up Johnny in revenge. But later on Johnny has Dennis murdered, leaving Phil feeling responsible for ridding Sharon of her husband and also swearing revenge on Johnny more than ever.

Phil Mitchell vs Johnny Allen

Phil attacks Johnny Allen.

In March 2006, Phil convinces Grant to help him confront Johnny to avenge Sharon's loss by bringing Johnny to justice for Dennis's murder. The brothers arguing allows Johnny to capture them, and Johnny orders his henchman Danny Moon to kill them in the woods. However, they are saved when Danny is accidentally shot dead by his brother Jake, who then reveals to Phil and Grant that it was Danny who Johnny ordered to kill Dennis. Thereafter the Mitchell Brothers witness Johnny being arrested, after he was forced by his daughter Ruby to surrender himself to the police for his gangland crimes, Johnny is sentenced to life imprisonment for killing Andy and ordering Dennis' murder, but months later he dies of a heart attack caused by Ruby's boyfriend Sean Slater.

2006-2010: Bonding with Ben and coping with family problems

Phil punches Jack

Phil punches Jack Branning.

Phil comforts Ben

Phil comforts Ben after discovering Stella Crawford had been abusing him.

Soon enough, Phil resolves to bond with his son Ben after it transpires that Kathy has apparently been killed in a road collusion. Ben subsequently comes to live with his half-brother Ian back in the square. Phil tries to build a relationship with Ben and they slowly begin to bond, eventually leading to Ben asking to live with his father. Phil meets lawyer Stella Crawford and they begin a relationship. She moves in but Ben is unwilling to accept her. She uses underhand tactics to make him more obedient and they become rivals for Phil's affections. 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 trying to kill her, she jumps from the roof to her death. Policeman Jack Branning uses his police contacts to trace Louise for Phil, but Phil is incensed to discover that she calls another man "daddy" and that Jack has not warned him resulting in Phil punching Jack. Jack tries to blackmail Phil regarding his involvement in a motor scam with entrepreneur Kevin Wicks, which inadvertently kills Kevin. Phil teams up with Jack's brother Max to remove Jack from Walford.

Phil threatens Archie

Phil threatens Archie Mitchell.

Phil proposes to his girlfriend Suzy Branning when she tells him she is pregnant, but his friend and employee Shirley Carter 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. 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 and off relationship with Shirley but it soon ends. Archie returns to win Peggy back, and Phil's sister Sam Mitchell returns from Brazil after being on the run for her part in the murder of Den Watts. Sam is arrested so Phil puts up bail money to have her released, selling the garage to Pat Evans. Archie convinces Sam to flee, leading to the Mitchell's struggling financially. Phil takes a loan from Ian on the condition that Ian gets The Queen Victoria if the money is not paid back in two weeks, which Phil accepts. Ian sells the loan to Archie, but does not tell Phil, saying there is no need to pay him back yet. Archie ejects the Mitchell's from the pub and Phil turns to alcohol again. Archie is murdered on Christmas Day. Phil asks his his girlfriend Shirley for an alibi, who tells police Phil was with her all day. However, she finds a blood-stained shirt, which she hides. Phil confesses that he found Archie dead and lost his balance, falling into the blood, but did not call the police because he panicked. They then burn the shirt and replace it with a brand new one. Eventually, Bradley Branning becomes the prime suspect in the murder but falls to his death while being chased by police. Phil and Shirley resume their romantic relationship.

Phil's cousin Ronnie tells Phil that Louise came looking for him but she sent her away because Phil was in a fight at the time. Phil smashes up the bar and shouts in Ronnie's face, just as Louise walks in to witness his rage. Louise spends the night under the secret care of Peggy and 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, so Phil tells him to stand up for himself, leading to Ben attacking Jordan and leaving him in a coma. Ben decides to confess to the police and is charged and bailed. Phil is told Ben could spend six weeks in custody, so plans to move to Portugal with Grant, but Peggy stops them as they are about to leave. Phil is outraged to hear Ben must spend five months in custody. He learns that Lisa has made an application to see Louise so he asks his solicitor Ritchie Scott to find a way to prevent her getting access. After Phil visits Ben, he discovers that Ben is being bullied by another prisoner, Cal Childs. Ben tells his family never to visit him again, but Phil attempts to, and while he is there, Peggy tells Louise that Lisa wants to see her, but insults Lisa, leading to Louise running away. Phil finds Louise and confronts Peggy, slapping her and leaving her bruised. Phil attempts to keep Louise locked in the house, but Peggy sneaks her out and takes her to Lisa, finally allowing 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 Mitchell on dugs

Phil on drugs.

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, a drug addict, and is tempted to try some of her crack cocaine after she says she needs it to block things out, as he wants to forget his children. 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 takes money from The Queen Victoria to get more drugs, but Rainie is mugged when she tries to buy some, so Phil tries to take money from The Arches. Minty Peterson and Ricky Butcher refuse to hand over the keys, locking 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. When Peggy decides to make up with Phil, she finds him in a drugged up state on the floor so leaves in disgust. She visits him again to say she will get him some help but slaps him when he insults her for her nagging. She regrets this but he throws her out and tells her to go away. When Shirley visits later, Phil is gone.

Phil sets fire to the Vic

Phil sets fire to the Vic.

A few weeks later, Phil's relative Billy Mitchell finds Phil and takes Peggy to see him in an estate. Peggy wakes him and tells him he is coming home and that Sam has had a baby. Phil says he does not care and that Peggy has made him this way. She leaves in tears after telling him if she had a gun, she would give it to him and tell him to shoot himself as he would be better off dead. However, 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 is so angry he starts trashing Peggy's living room and smashes the mirror. He begs to be let out as he is suffering withdrawal symptoms and says he needs a doctor. Worried he will die, he convinces Billy to open the door to bring him some water, promising he will not try to leave. When Billy enters, Phil grabs the crowbar from him and Billy runs out and boards him back in. Phil uses the crowbar to escape. He 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 catches fire, causing mass panic and putting everyone in the pubs lives in danger. Phil tries to grab boxes of alcohol from the cellar, but cannot carry it out. When he tries to steal money from the till, the roof collapses on him. 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. A couple of days after her departure, Peggy signs The Queen Vic over to Phil.

When police come to the house, Phil runs and goes to Shirley's. Shirley is angry until Phil admits he needs her help to change, but soon realises that Phil started the fire and says she cannot trust him as he did not tell her. However, she later tells Phil to lie to the police and do everything she tells him to from now on, and moves in with him. Billy shouts at Phil that he needs to get himself sorted, and Phil does not get angry. Shirley tells Phil she will find something for him to do and eventually finds an investor and buys back the garage from Pat.

2010-2012: Affair with Glenda, feud with Derek Branning and covering up Heather's murder

A few weeks later, Phil rents the Queen Vic to Jake and Danny's cousin Alfie Moon and his wife Kat, the couple soon begin to refurbish the pub. In 2012, as they cannot pay the rent, Phil reclaims the Vic from Alfie and Kat but when they pay the rent back, he gives it back.

Ben returns from youth offenders just before Christmas, he is frosty with Phil at first blaming him for how his lifestyle turned out but he and Phil eventually clear the air and Ben moves back in. On his return party he attempts to kill his grand-aunty Glenda, who had been having an affair with Phil at the time, by shoving her down a flight of stairs. Glenda was also sleeping with Ian and when Phil finds out about it he blackmails Ian as Ian is married to Jane Beale.

Phil suffers a heart attack

Phil suffers a heart attack.

During one of Phil's sexual encounters with Glenda he suffers a heart attack, Ian walks in and finds them he sends Glenda away insisting he will get the ambulance, when Ian realises Phil is also sleeping with Glenda he leaves him to die but later comes back as he cant go though with it and calls the ambulance.

Ben tells Phil that he is gay

Ben tells Phil that he is gay.

Phil is rushed to hospital and survives his heart attack, Ian then apologises for leaving Phil to die, Phil then ends things with Glenda and proposes to Shirley which she accepts. However days before their wedding Ben tells Shirley about Phil's affair with Glenda, she slaps Phil before dumping but Phil still wants to marry her, They reconcile on their wedding day but don't marry due to Phil's recent infidelity. Months later Ben leaves Walford to go live with Peggy, Phil punches Ian when he calls Phil a bad parent. When Ben eventually returns he tells Phil he's gay, Phil does not hate gay people but he doesn't understand them and he's not comfortable with his sons sexuality, he leaves Walford for a few weeks.

Phil lunges at Christian with a bat

Phil lunges at Christian Clark with a bat.

When Phil returns Ben tells Phil that Christian Clarke sexually assaulted him naturally engaging Phil. Phil goes over to the vic and threatens Christian who punches Phil when Phil calls him a nonce, Phil is now even more angry and plans to kill Christian with a baseball bat. He goes to Christian's house smashing it up and attacking Christian only stopping when Ben admits he lied.

In late 2011 early 2012 Phil is being stalked and blackmailed leaving Phil cryptic messages and images, Ben is revealed as the culprit he some how found out about Phil's manslaughter of Allan Hall, he also stole a file from Jack Branning which contained all Phil's crimes including a dodgy car scam which killed Kevin Wicks, Ben gives the Phil to Kevin's wife Denise Fox (till his death). Ben tells the police that Phil made Stella commit suicide otherwise he'd kill her, Ben then reveals to Phil he's the stalker/blackmailer as Phil is being arrested. Phil is released from prison months later after Ian tells the police Ben fabricated his story to get Phil put in prison, Ben, however, thinks that Shirley's best friend Heather Trott is the one who grassed on him; Ben and Jay later go round to Heather's to talk to her but in a fit of rage Ben hit Heather over the head with a photo frame, killing her instantly. Phil arrives angry at Ben putting him in prison but when he realises Ben's killed Heather his parental instincts kick in so he makes it look like a burglary gone wrong and gets rid of all evidence of linking Ben to the crime.

Phil attacks Derek

Phil attacks Derek Branning.

Phil cannot cope with Heather's death as Heather was Shirley's best friend so Phil has to try and support her knowing his son killed her and he also blames himself for the way Ben has turned out, he briefly goes back to drinking and throws Shirley out and breaking up with her. Shirley then has a one night stand with Jack and Max's older brother Derek, who in the meantime has instigated a conflict with Phil for months after he tried to bump off Roxy. They had also clashed multiple times on dodge jobs with Alfie, to which Derek took great delight purposely bragging in front of Phil in the Queen Vic about bedding Shirley, Phil loses it after Derek throws Shirley's knickers at him, Phil punches Derek and they prepare to fight but Shirley breaks it up before telling Phil they are done. Phil and Shirley agree to give things another go, but break up for good when Shirley discovers Ben is Heather's killer and that Phil had covered up the crime.

2013-2015: Feuds with Jack, Carl, Vincent and Max and Lucy's murder aftermath

Phil has multiple bust-ups with Jack Branning over the affections of Sharon and the the two eventually hit out at one another causing Sharon to be conflicted but Phil is eventually choose by Sharon to rekindle as a couple after Sharon discovers on her and Jack's wedding day that Jack is still in love with his ex wife Ronnie.

Later on Phil finds out that nefarious extorter Carl White is dealing drugs in his Night club, so he threatens Carl afterwards. Thereafter Phil and Carl do several dodge jobs together whilst clashing with each other; however, Carl attempts to kill Phil by undoing Phil's seatbelt and purposely crashing the car.

Phil and Max Branning

Phil and Max Branning plan to kill Carl White after kidnapping Ian Beale.

When Phil is out of hospital, he teams up with Max to get revenge on Carl - as the latter had also been feuding with Max after trying to frame him for Phil's hospitalisation. Together, Phil and Max kidnap Carl and plan to kill him. Max refuses to carry out the execution, so Phil prepares to do it instead; however, he is forced to let Carl go when the latter sarcastically offers to reveal Shirley's whereabouts - thereby implying that Carl has kidnapped Shirley and planned to harm her.

Phil and Vincent fight

Phil and Vincent Hubbard fight.

The next day, Carl takes Phil to Shirley where she tells him that Carl had threatened her, Phil later prepares to attack Carl at the Arches but Carl tells Phil that if he doesn't back off he will have some of his contacts in prison kill his son Ben, Phil does not go near Carl again until cousin Ronnie attacks Carl in self defence she goes to Phil in a panic and begs him for help, Phil tries to kill Carl to get rid of him for good but Ronnie stops him and orders Carl to leave Walford but when Carl comes back Ronnie kills him and Phil helps cover up the murder. In 2014 Phil and Sharon get married, after the wedding Shirley (whom Phil had been having an affair with behind Sharon's back) shoots him.

Phil punches Vincent

Phil gets his revenge on Vincent.

Vincent Hubbard turns up to try and find out what had happened to Carl, He instantly suspects Phil and Ronnie, When Phil realises Vincent is getting close to he threatens Vincent's family which causes Vincent to punch him. It is revealed Vincent has an ulterior motive as he is after revenge on Phil believing Phil's dad Eric had murdered his dad, Vincent tries to kill Phil twice by strangulation but fails both times before his mother Claudette confesses she murdered his dad.

Phil demands answers from Jane

Phil demands answers from Jane Beale.

Phil then begins feuding with Max Branning after local villain Nick Cotton frames Phil for the murder of Max's girlfriend Emma Summerhayes, While Phil is in prison, Max manages to gain ownership of the Arches by making Ben sign a contract. When Phil gets out of Prison he manages to get the Arches back from Max thanks to help from Karin Smart who make max believe he's selling stolen cars and threatened to report him to the Police if Max does not give him the Arches back and the car lot, A few months later Ben is arrested for the murder of Lucy Beale, Abi believes her dad Max murdered Lucy when she tells Phil this Phil punches Max, Max is then arrested on suspicion of murder later being sent down when Phil bribes a member of the Jury, Phil would later discover Lucy was murdered by her little brother Bobby but agrees to keep quiet.

In February Phil's ex and mother of Ben Kathy return with Phil being the only person to know at this point she's still alive after Kathy had faked her death in 2005. Phil manages to convince Kathy to come back home, Kathy's husband Gavin Sullivan has Phil kidnapped for this while being held captive Gavin gave Phil nothing to drink except Alcohol which would cause Phil to relapse.

Phil continues to drink for the next few months until on Christmas day Dennis goes missing after bike riding with Bobby, Phil Ian and a reluctant Bobby go to find him, Bobby had attacked Dennis and left unconscious as discovered when they found Dennis injured on the way back home Phil crashed the car due to being over the limit leaving Dennis severely injured and needing life support. While at the hospital a doctor tells Phil he had Cirrhosis of the liver due to his alcoholism and that if he continues to drink it would be his last Christmas.

2016-2020: Battle with alcoholism, another child, the instigated killings and Sharon's affair

Phil.Mitchell

Phil in 2016.

After being dumped by Sharon, Phil sets out to find his daughter Louise to apologise for the years he's missed of her life, he first visits his mother Peggy first but is shocked to find out her cancer is back and this time it's terminal, he then tells her about his liver cirrhosis before abruptly leaving. he finds Louise at her High school but Louise rejects him angry that he has not seen her in years but when Phil has a heart attack she calls him an ambulance.

Despite warnings from the doctors Phil continues to drink and begins to cause trouble in the Vic with several drunken outbursts, he argues with Mick and Lee carter in the Vic causing him to accidentally slap Kathy, he throws up blood on Honey Mitchell on her wedding day to Billy as well as making several derogatory comments in an attempt to wind Billy up.

Phil continues to spiral out of control becoming incredibly paranoid that his family are out to take all the money and businesses that he's got, This causes him to argue with Ben who Phil grabs and is tries to attack in drunken rage but Accidentally shoves Abi Branning to the floor, Abi had been lying to Ben that she was pregnant with his baby in an attempt to stop him leaving her due to the fact he is gay, Abi however couldn't continue lying and used this incident to make Ben believe she had suffered a miscarriage due to Phil's actions.

Ben is furious that his dad had supposed caused the death of his baby and attempted to suffocate Phil when he was sleeping but is stopped by Sharon. Phil then has an argument with his family who are concerned he is destroying his business due to his alcoholism, Phil thinks they are trying to take them for themselves so disowns his whole family before going on a rampage destroying the Arches by chaining its furniture to his car and the Car Lot by tearing it apart with an Excavator, however Phil was unaware his daughter Louise had returned after an argument with Lisa and was swatting in the Car lot, this nearly causes Louise's death but she just about survives.

When Louise returns home she forgive her dad and moves in with him but begs him to go to an hospital appointment in an attempt to get sober to which Phil eventually agrees. This works getting Phil of the alcohol briefly but Phil relapsed after an argument with his six-figure Jay Brown after Jay had pleaded guilty to pedophilia with a fifteen year old girl, despite Jay believing she was sixteen Phil disowns Jay anyway and is left event more angry after learning that Louise had tried to kiss Jay.

During Phil's relapse he has a one night stand with Denise Fox which results in her getting pregnant with Phil's child however she decides against telling Phil as he's a dangerous criminal and Denise unsure if she even wants to keep the child.

Phil eventually manages to get off the alcohol after Peggy returns to live with him after her condition starts getting worse, Phil manages to get on the kidney transplant list but is told it could take months.

Peggy contemplates suicide due to the pain and fear her cancer is causing her, Sharon phones Grant in an attempt to help Peggy. Grant returns and is reunited with Phil and Peggy but is unaware her cancer has returned until she tells him.

It later transpires that Phil and Grant are not on good terms as Phil has borrowed money off Grant which he then gave to Kathy but did not pay Grant back, during the argument Phil tells Grant that Peggy is considering suicide, Phil and Grant then try to talk Peggy out of it and think they have succeeded, When Peggy had left and Phil and Grant are on their own Grant then threatens Phil telling Phil that when Peggy has passed away that he will bring him a war for not paying his money back before Grant leaves again.

Later that night Peggy commits suicide by drug overdose, Phil then finds Peggy's body leaving him devastated however Sharon supports him after her death and helps him organise her funeral leading to the pair to reconcile their relationship.

In July the Police call Phil and Ian asking them to come to the Hospital to identify a body they believe is Ben Mitchell who had been missing since the night before, Phil and Ian identify the body but it's not Ben it's his boyfriend Paul Coker. Ben returns later that day telling Phil and the family he and Paul were beat up by a group of men in a homophobic attack while he and Paul were on a date, Ben is left devastated when Phil tells him Paul died from injuries from that attack, the next week Ben asks Phil to get him a gun but Phil refuses.

Paul's killers manage to track Ben down attacking Phil and then kidnapping Ben and Jay, Grant's daughter Courtney is upstairs with Louise and hears the commotion so she call Grant, Grant arrives and Phil's house but Phil tells Grant he does not need his help and sets out to try and find Ben but collapses due to his cirrhosis Phil then agrees to let Grant go instead and begs him to bring Ben back safe which Grant ultimately succeed in doing so, Phil and Grant then sort out their differences and say goodbye, Grant had not been seen in Walford since.Over the next few months Phil's liver begins to worsen and he contemplates several times if he even wants a new liver but ultimately decides to have the transplant, Phil is given a new liver on Christmas Day.While Phil is in the Hospital he is told by Sharon that his cousins Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell have both died due to drowning in a Hotel pool on the Ronnie and Jack Branning's wedding day.

When Phil is discharged from Hospital Sharon tells him that the baby Denise Fox has given birth to is his son after Sharon had overheard Denise telling Shirley Phil is the father of her baby, Phil does not remember his one night stand with Denise due to being really drunk. Phil goes to the Hospital and learns Denise is giving the baby up for adoption, Phil begs Denise to reconsider but eventually agrees to let the baby go.

In November 2017, ex-cellmate Aidan Maguire knocks on his door. They share a drink and catch up. When Sharon Mitchell walks in, clearly shocked at the scruffy stranger in her house, Phil looks anxious, however Aidan introduces himself as Phil's ex-cellmate. Sharon looks surprised and Phil appears annoyed. Afterwards, Phil asks him why he said that and Aidan said that he saved him from "twenty awkward questions". Phil later sees Aidan talking to Vincent Hubbard, and expresses a mixture of confusion and annoyance. When Phil confronts Aidan, Aidan says that he is smuggling ill-gained substances into the country and asked Vincent Hubbard to help, however reassures Phil that he would have asked him, only as Phil is a recovering alcoholic and is also recovering from a recent liver transplant he felt it would not be a good idea. Phil calls Vincent a "grass". Phil is offended, however later asks Aidan what he can do to help. Aidan says he will be in touch. Aidan later organises a meeting between Phil, Vincent and himself. Vincent and Phil argue, and Aidan tells Vincent to leave. After a heated discussion between Aidan and Phil, Phil refuses to work with Vincent and Aidan leaves. Later, however, he tells Aidan he's in. Aidan says he will be in touch.

The next day, Phil receives a phone call to which Phil says "Okay, I'll be there". Sharon thinks it is Aidan getting him involved in something dodgy, and hassles him, to which Phil shouts that Ben is in hospital. When Phil gets to hospital, Ben tries to avoid telling him Luke hurt him, but Phil drags it out of him and vows to kill him and his whole family. Kathy informs him that the whole family are at the pub right now, telling the entire Square about demolishing the Queen Victoria and kicking the Carters out. Phil rushes over, but Kathy manages to stop him. The following episode, Ian tells Lauren Branning that Ben is being let out of hospital that day.

After Ben Mitchell is beaten up, Phil is seen asking Aidan for a "big favour" over the phone. A few days later, when Aidan and Phil meet, Aidan tells Phil he has been making some enquiries, however Vincent barges in and cuts their conversation short. Vincent says he has sorted their problem, and Aidan, obviously to make sure nobody hears, pretends he doesn't know what he is talking about. Vincent clarifies, and says he has found a van in Canning Town with black-out windows. Aidan asks Phil what he thinks. Phil says to Vincent that all these websites he has been on would be showing up in his search history, and that if the police came sniffing it would be easy to find. He says that even if he has deleted it all it will still be in the cloud. Aidan says he should get rid of the tablet, and Vincent says it is Kim's, but says he will do it anyway. Later in the episode, Phil and Aidan are seen walking in the Square, and Aidan asks Phil if he even knows what the cloud is. Phil says he hasn't got a clue, and that Vincent is too easy to wind up. Aidan says that Vincent has "a rage" inside. Phil asks him about "my little problem", to which Aidan says it is all in hand, Luke is later kidnapped by Aidan's henchman as Phil watches on as revenge for Luke's assault on Ben.

The same month, Billy comes up to Mick and asks for use of the upstairs bathroom, as the pub's public bathroom has a "dodgy ballcock". Mick allows him to. Mick overhears Aidan shouting "Yes, that's the Queen Victoria pub in Albert Square" down the phone. Aidan says that he has bought Mick a present, to Mick's mocking. Aidan shouts to Whitney and asks her if he gave her a present to give to Mick yesterday. Whitney says yes, and explains she placed it under the Christmas tree upstairs. Aidan tells Mick it is a gun and that he "felt duty-bound to report it to the police". He explains he has around 10 minutes to get rid of it. Mick runs upstairs to find it, but can't. He asks Aidan desperately to tell him where it is. Aidan gives him a clue, and he finds it just as the police arrive. He hands it to Billy, who is returning from his toilet trip, and tells him to leave and give it to Phil. Billy does so. When Billy gives Phil the gun, Phil jumps back, thinking Billy is going to shoot him, but he takes it from a trembling Billy. After Kathy tells him that Max killed Steven, Phil takes the gun and finds Max. Phil beats Max up, and shoots a rail to scare him. He leaves.

Phil, Vincent, Keanu and Mick stage a robbery orchestrated by Aidan outside of the Arches they successfully steal the money but it is stolen from them when they go to retrieve it from the funeral parlour days later. Aidan continues to cause trouble in Walford blaming several people for the stolen money, Attempting to kill Vincent after it was revealed Vincent grassed Aidan's brother to the police and terrorising Mick Carter. Phil eventually has enough and banished Aidan from Walford by blackmailing him with Luke Browning's teeth (confirming Luke had in fact been killed by Aidan) after he got them off Billy who Aidan had gave them to telling him to get rid of them, Phil tells Aidan if he refuses to leave quietly or considered coming back he would give Luke's teeth to Vincent who would then grass on him.

Months later Vincent is broke after Aidan took all his money and begins working as a police informant he is told by a Detective to gather evidence against Phil and Aidan to get them sent to Prison but Phil realises what's going on he phones Aidan and tells him Vincent is trying to expose their crimes Phil later watches on as Aidan's thugs kidnap Vincent similar to Luke Browning's death Phil tells Aidan just to scare him, Vincent's fate remained unknown for years until 2021 with even Phil unaware of what happened to him. In December 2018, Kim is locked in the storeroom of the Minute Mart with Phil after he lets the door shut. Kim goes into labour. Phil delivers the baby. Kim later invites Phil over as a thank you and notes that she needs a holiday. Phil later gifts her a holiday out of guilt for his part in Vincent's "disappearance", Ray Kelly blackmailed Phil to give his half of his Night club to Mel Owen or he would expose Phil's role in Luke's death and Vincent's "disappearance" earning Ray a punch from Phil but Phil ultimately agrees to give up his half of the club.

Phil and Sharon's marriage begins to become strained after Phil had discovered Sharon stole the money from the heist at the Arches, She begins to get close to Phil's employee Keanu Taylor, Dennis Rickman Jr gets involved in a gang Keanu finds out about this and tries to help Dennis but they are both attacked by the gang luckily Phil finds them and scares the gang off. Phil then punches and fires Keanu for not telling him about the gang, Phil then tells Sharon he's going to Spain, Sharon is happy and tells Phil that it just they needed by she is left furious when Phil tells her he's going on his own on business. When Phil leaves Sharon and Keanu begin having an affair.

The affair lasts for months until Phil returns and Sharon just like she did in "Sharongate" in 1994 chooses to stay with her husband leaving Keanu heartbroken, he then has sex with Phil's daughter Louise and begins dating her, however he is still in love with Sharon so he breaks up with Louise leaving Phil furious so he sends Keanu to Spain, Keanu is heart broken to discover this was Sharon's idea, When he sees Sharon she cant understand what she's done wrong, Keanu then tells her Phil is sending him to Spain to do money laundering and that he will be lucky to make it back alive, he tells her they are over for good.

Phil Mitchell return

Phil Mitchell returns to Walford.

Phil goes out to Spain a few weeks later to get Keanu back after he was attacked while in Spain, Phil and Keanu return but one of Keanu's attackers has followed them and begins talking to Louise which causes Phil to attempt to attack him but he is stopped by Keanu and Kathy, Kathy then phones Ben (who had left Walford after being accused of stealing the money from the heist) and tells him he needs to come back, Ben does return along with Lola and his daughter Lexi who he'd been seeing while he was away.

Danny Hardcastle an associate of Phil's meets him and Keanu demanding his money back that Phil and Keanu lost while money laundering in Spain, Ben pays Danny a portion of his money back, Phil meets Danny the next week and Danny asks him if he'd like to go into business with him but Phil declines.

Ben later meets Danny and asks to go into the business with Danny that Phil turned down, When Danny says no Ben threatens Danny's mother, Danny responds by having Louise kidnapped by Keanu's attacker who it turned out had been working with Danny, Keanu witnessed Louise being kidnapped and immediately told Phil and together they managed to rescue Louise, Phil and Keanu then pay Danny a visit demanding to know why Danny kidnapped Louise, Danny tells them it was retaliation for Ben making threats Phil then tells Danny he never wants to see him again before briefly disowning ben but eventually forgives him. In July 2019, Phil got struck on the head with a wrench by Stacey Fowler to save her husband Martin and cousin Kat Slater from being attacked after Kat had thrown verbal insults at Phil and Martin had attempted to punch Phil.

In December 2019, Phil finds out that Sharon's baby isn't his when his ex Lisa tells him after Mel had told her just before she died, Mel had been blackmailing Sharon over the affair but she was struck by a van during a car chase with Sharon. He makes it his mission to find out who got his wife pregnant and kill them he believes it is Jack Branning after Sharon's necklace is found in his house by Ben, Phil then tries to run him over and even kidnaps Jack and prepares to pour petrol on him and set him on fire but is stopped by Ben and Jack explains that Sharon had Gave it to Linda and that Linda had left it at his flat, Phil then lets Jack go and Jack agrees not to say anything after the Mitchell agree to do him a favour later down the line. Phil finds out that Keanu is the real father, he plots revenge on both Keanu and Sharon. On Christmas day he orders Ben to kill Keanu, Ben orders Martin to carry out the killing Martin has no choice but to agree and with the help of Louise (who had found out about the affair) he successfully kidnaps Keanu, However Martin cannot go through with killing Keanu so he helps him fake his death, Keanu then leaves Walford with everybody thinking he's dead except Martin and Linda Cater. Phil also turns Denny Rickman Jr against Sharon for a brief period of time.

Phil leaves Walford with Lisa and Louise in January after Sharon told the Police Phil had Keanu killed, but returns the following month after finding out from Ben that Keanu is still alive. He confronts Keanu on the boat, attacking and trying to shoot Keanu dead, during the fight Phil knocks out the Captain and throws Keanu into the steering wheel which caused the boat to crash causing the death of Dennis Rickman Jr. Phil is devastated that he has unintentionally caused his stepsons death, and blames himself he leaves Walford for a month, returning on the day of Denny's funeral. Upon his return, Sharon yells at him to get out and blames him for Denny's death, but the two later have a heart-to-heart about Denny. Sharon blames her affair with Keanu for Denny's death, but Phil tells her it doesn't matter now and says he'll be there for support. Later on, Phil talks to Ian, and he decides to go to the police to hand himself in for causing the boat crash. but Sharon gets Phil released and tells him what happened to Dennis wasn't his fault, Phil and Sharon try and give things ago but Sharon decides to leave Walford for a few weeks to clear her head, before she leaves Phil tells her he is going to buy them the Vic from Mick and Linda who are selling it due to Linda's alcoholism, leaving Sharon delighted, Phil then visits Mick and agrees to give Mick the full asking price and Mick verbally agrees to sell Phil the Vic.

Phil does not quite have enough to buy the Vic but doesn't tell Mick, realising their isn't much work at the minute Phil has no choice but to contact old associate Danny Hardcastle they agree to do a robbery however but when Danny insults Ben, Phil punches Danny and whacks his head on a car bonnet as revenge before vowing to do the Job without Danny.

Phil prepares for the heist and later agrees to do the heist with Danny after Danny apologises for his remarks about Ben, Phil and Danny go to the warehouse and Phil, Danny and Danny's henchman attack another set of criminals at the Warehouse, Danny then tells Phil that the only reason he brought Phil on the job is so he could set him up and take all the money for himself, however Ben arrives and Phil and Ben manage to fight off Danny and his men and escape with the money. When Sharon returns she tells Phil she wants to get back her and Keanu's son back from the Taylors, Phil remembers the affair and turns against Sharon, blaming her affair for Dennis's death, Linda is furious to learn that Phil ruthlessly dumped Sharon and threw her out on the street and refuses to sell the Vic to Phil, Phil goes to the Vic to pay Mick the money for the pub but is shocked to find that Sharon is the new owner of the Vic.

2020-2022: Post lockdown, reunion with Raymond, relationship with Kat and Vincent's death reveal

Phil spends most of Lockdown finalising his divorce with Sharon which was completed towards the end of 2020, spending time with Ben, during lockdown Phil finally learns exactly what happened to Vincent Hubbard after he was kidnapped by Aidan.

Ben is arrested after he was caught on CCTV during the warehouse robbery with Phil and Danny, Ben's boyfriend Callum Highway being a policeman tries to get Ben out of trouble, his boss DI Steve Thompson agrees to let Ben go as long as Callum helps him get Phil put in prison despite feeling immensely guilty Callum ultimately agrees and Ben is released, Callum tells Phil he deleted the CCTV.

Phil hears word from Callum of a fatal car crash nearby which he later learns caused the deaths of Raymond's adoptive parents. Phil visits Raymond in hospital. He befriends Raymond's adoptive grandmother Ellie Nixon and frequently visits her at the hospital without revealing his identity. Ellie learns the truth and threatens to sell Raymond unless Phil pays her an extortionate amount of money. Phil convinces Denise to claim custody of Raymond so they can keep him safe. He finds incriminating evidence on Ellie and blackmails her to leave Walford for good, while Raymond moves in with Denise.

Phil is approached by Kat who is broke after her gambling addict boyfriend Kush Kazemi lost all their money after being conned by Ruby Allen and Suki Panesar, she began working at Potterswell insurance befriending the security guard to get information, she wants Phil's help with Phil having a reputation as being an expert criminal, to rob the place to clear her families debt and offering Phil a cut of the takings, Phil initially refuses but eventually agrees.

Phil and Kat then scout the Job but Kat is caught by her friend from security sneaking Phil in, so she tells her friend that Phil's name is Malcom and that he is a mute employee working with Kat to clean Potterswell, When he goes Phil asks Kat what is the plan she tells him that she's covering her friends shift tomorrow night leaving Phil baffled that she never took into account they need time to prepare the heist, Kat them tells him they'll be robbing money from the safe, Phil asks her how much will be in the safe, Kat tells him £10,000, £5,000 each, Phil then pulls out of the job saying he isn't risking going to prison for "Five measly grand" however as Phil and Kat are leaving Phil spots some very expensive Cars in the Car Park which he estimates are worth about £100,000 he then tells Kat they'll rob the Cars Instead of the safe.

Phil recruits Ben and Shirley for the robbery and Kat recruits Kush who begs to help after he got them into the situation, Phil and his crew successfully rob the Cars from Potterswell insurance after Callum had warned them that the Police were on the way, however Callum caught Kush after he took too long to get out, however Callum was forced to let him go after Kush threatened to tell the Police of Ben's involvement in the robbery. Kush was seen leaving by police and was now a wanted man, he goes to Phil and tells him he wants money from Phil or he will tell the Police of Phil's involvement in the robbery, Phil agrees but tells Kush he must do additional time in Prison for some of Phil's crimes for the money which Kush ultimately agrees to.

Around this time Phil finds out off-screen that Ian was also responsible for Denny's death after locking him in the room of a boat that Phil accidentally caused to crash during a fight with Keanu, Phil attacks him and joins forces with Sharon to take him down. Sharon marries Ian and plans to kill him, but Phil warns her to reconsider. Eventually, however, Phil realises how much he wants revenge and goes after Ian himself, but Ian flees Walford. Phil and Sharon grow closer despite Ben's interjections, but Phil ends up sleeping with Kat in a shock one-night stand, continuing to do so in secret. Max finds incriminating evidence on Phil and threatens to show it to the police unless Phil gets Max the vic. Phil agrees to this plan and guilt-trips Sharon into giving it up.

Phil meets Kush at the Vic to give Kush advice on how to survive being in Prison in an attempt to impress Kat, however Kat ends up dumping Phil after learning that Phil had told Kush to attack a Prison inmate which scares Kush, later that month Phil is arrested after Kush grasses on Phil about the Potterswell heist in return for a reduced sentence, Phil is released when Gray Atkins murders Kush meaning Kush could not give evidence against Phil, Kush's girlfriend Whitney believes Phil and Ben killed Kush to silence him.

In May Ben and Callum are due to marry however Ben pulls out of the marriage after discovering Callum had been working undercover to get Phil sent to Prison, Ben tells Phil that Callum cheated on him leading to Phil having an argument with Stuart Highway, Stuart accidentally tells Phil that Callum has been trying to get him sent to Prison leaving Phil furious, Ben has a change of heart and marries Callum, after the wedding Phil corners Callum outside the Vic and reaches for his pocket to grab a gun and then prepares to shoot Callum but Ben and Kat arrive and talk him out of it. When Whitney accidentally runs over Kat trying to kill Phil and Ben to avenge Kush, Phil and Kat reconcile and become an official couple. Sharon meets Phil and tells him Dennis had a secret child, Phil meets Dennis's daughter Alyssa Lennox but takes an instant dislike to her mother Jada.

In October Kim Fox beings looking for Vincent again, Phil is forced to tell Denise that Vincent is dead, revealing that he found out during lockdown that Aidan had in fact killed him back in 2018, He then shows her a video of Vincent seemingly being shot dead.

Phil in 2022

Phil in 2022.

Kim continues to meddle and meets Howie Danes, a man who witnessed Vincent being murdered, Denise asks Jack Branning to help get Kim to stop looking for Vincent in order to protect her from Aidan, Jack helps Phil track Howie down Phil then threatens him to stay away from Kim. Kim eventually tracks Howie down and he tells her a bald bloke threatened him, Kim realises he's talking about Phil and confronts him, Phil tells her that he wanted Vincent scared off for threatening to report him and Aidan to the Police but that Aidan killed him. Kim blames Phil and tells him Vincent's blood is on his hands, Kim then discovers that Denise knew of Phil's involvement and Jack decides to report Phil to the Police with help from Howie in order to save the sisters relationship.

Phil finds out that the Fox family have reported him for Vincent's murder after Raymond told Kat that Phil is going to prison and Phil then overhears Sharon and Kat talking about this, so he kidnaps Raymond and attempts to leave the Country but Kat finds him hiding in a caravan and persuades him to hand himself into the Police, telling him she will wait for him.

Phil is told by DCI Samantha Keeble that he will get life imprisonment for his role in Vincent's murder, however she offers him a deal to turn police informant and they will drop all charges. Phil says no to the offer so Samantha extends his bail to give him more time to reconsider, Sharon finds out about the deal and Phil's potential life imprisonment and orders him to tell Kat or she will. Phil tells Kat about the life imprisonment but not about the deal and to spare her pain he ends things with Kat.

Despite splitting up Phil allows Kat and her family to stay at His house and secretly signs the house over to Her. He gives his business to ex wife Sharon to look after as He believes Ben could not handle the business due to his mental state, Sharon agrees to look after the business's but says no later on, So Phil signs his business to Kat, Kat's son Tommy tells Phil that he is being bullied, Phil promises to protect Tommy.

PhilMitchell2022

Phil in prison.

Phil goes to speak to Kat but sees her talking to another man, Phil threatens and sends the man away after hearing him bad mouthing Kat the previous Day, Phil then realises he never met Tommy, Tommy returns to the house having been beaten up by his bullies, Kat then finds out Phil knew about it and then finds out Phil has signed the business's over to her. Phil and Kat argue but they both admit they still love each other, in a bid to save their relationship despite the fact Phil is going to prison, Kat asks Phil to marry her which Phil accepts.

Phil finds Tina Carter's body

Phil finds Tina Carter's body.

Kat and Phil arrange an engagement party at the Vic, Phil takes Tommy out for the day taking him to the gym to teach him how to box, Tommy gets frustrated and storms off, on his way home he runs into his bullies and they chase him into the Argee Bhajee, Phil comes into the Argee Bhajee and scares the bullies off by whacking a mental bar against the floor, however when doing so he'd smashed the floor boards, when Phil looks down, he is shocked to see a dead body, he has found Tina Carter's body who was murdered by Gray Atkins a year prior and hidden in the Argee Bhajee. Phil reports this to the police but is arrested for affray, he tells Kat he loves her before he is taken away in a police car.

Phil is visited by Kat after Tommy stabbed Sid Bello (one of Tommy's bullies that Phil scared off in the Argee Bhajee). Kat blames Phil for Tommy's situation due to his influence and the fact that Phil told Tommy never to speak to police (something he went on to repeat in his interview), Phil takes responsibility and apologies to Kat.

Ben begins to help Kat with Phil's business, however when Sharon discovers Ben has been attacking homophobic men, she goes to see Phil and tells him everything that's been going on. Sharon begs Phil to take the informant deal, Phil tells Samantha later that day that he will take the deal, however it is revealed that this is a facade so he could bribe Samantha into allowing him to make an international phone call, when it comes time to answer questions Phil misleads Samantha taking great pleasure in doing so, Samantha eventually realises Phil has played her. It is then revealed Sam Mitchell is the person Phil called when she arrives to see him in prison. Some weeks later Sam and Kat visit him in prison and while Kat is gone he tells Sam he has been attacked, Sam also proposes to Phil that they buy Ruby's nightclub, Phil is keen on the idea. Sam blackmails Denise for the money to buy the club, as she knows Denise attempted to cover up Vincent's death, Denise visits Phil in prison and begs him to get Sam off her back but Phil refuses to help and blames Denise for him being in prison, he then tells her to pay up or face the consequences.

Sam eventually buys the club from Jonah Tyler after successfully blackmailing £50,000 from Denise after Linda invested the same fee into the Salon to become Denise's business partner, however Sam is furious when she discovers Phil has hired Sharon to run the club and that Sam will only be an assistant, Sam threatens Sharon, saying she will tell Kat that her and Phil are having an affair (which is untrue). Sharon denies these claims and tells Sam she can tells Kat what she wants, Sharon fires Sam the next day after discovering Sam slept with her brother Zack Hudson.

Sharon visits Phil in prison and requests they delay the opening of Peggy's after an unknown rival of Phil's (later revealed to be Sam attempting to scare Kat in order to get Peggy's for herself) had attacked the cab office and sent threatening phone calls, Phil refuses and tells Sharon they need to stand there ground. On the day of Peggy's opening Kat, Sharon, Sam and Shirley are held at gun point by two thugs, Sam is shot but all the women survive. During the struggle Sharon dropped her prison note, Kat picked it up and asks Sharon if she is going to visit Phil in secret. Sharon admits that she had and after being questioned by Kat, Sharon tells Kat about the deal Phil was offered by Samantha Keeble, leaving Kat in shock.

Phil Mitchell and Ravi Gulati

Phil with Ravi Gulati.

Phil makes an enemy out of fellow prisoner Craig Erskine. Craig storms into Phil's cell and looks to Phil for an alibi, Craig had stabbed a prison officer minutes prior, after a moments silence, Phil tells the officer that Craig was with him. Craig is furious with Phil for not telling the officer he was with him straight away, Craig then slashes Phil's photos of his family with a knife before leaving Phil's cell.

Phil later asks Ravi Gulati for a burner phone, Ravi tells Phil to speak to Craig, who is the prisoner who hands out burner phones, Ravi eventually gives Phil a burner phone in return for information on Kheerat Panesar's business, Ravi reveals he and Kheerat are rivals, Phil agrees to get information on Kheerat to which Phil asks for from Ben. Craig catches Phil with the burner phone and grabs it from Phil's hand, Craig then approaches Ravi and is furious that Ravi has been handing out burner phones, Ravi then pushes Craig to the ground and punches him leading to him and Phil fighting Craig and another prisoner before the fight is split up by police officers. Samantha brings Phil into her interview room, she tells him that Craig is planning to murder him, she tells him if he takes her deal before six o clock she will make sure the guards do not leave his cell, however she also tells him if he does not take her deal she will take the guards away and allow Craig to kill Phil, she then hands Phil his burner phone back and tells him if he wants the deal to text '3'. The next day Phil is threatened by Craig and his heavies who spray paint Phil's cell-room with "6-7-22 RIP". Ravi later confronts Phil asking him why he still has not received any information on Kheerat or the money from the bank transfer, Phil assures Ravi that he will get both soon. Kat visits Phil and informs him a man handed Tommy a bullet, Phil apologises and asks Kat if she has transferred the money for Ravi. Kat tells him she has transferred the money but then proceeds to dump Phil after he refuses to tell her why he needed the money, Kat tells him she does not trust him and leaves the prison with Phil begging her not to split up with him.

Phil is visited once again by Samantha who reveals she knows he has recruited Ravi as backup against Craig and his thugs and then tells Phil that she has put Ravi in solitary confinement, she tells Phil he is all on his own. Phil begins to realise he could finally be about to die, he writes letters for his loved ones and hands them to Sharon, he tells her he is going to die but Sharon begs him to fight. Phil sits in his cell and waits for Craig and his heavies to arrive, Sharon is then called by the prison, who inform her that their has been a fatality in Phil's cell. Sharon heads to Peggy's opening with the letters but does not hand them out as Phil's final wish was for the opening night of Peggy's to be a success, however Sharon is caught with the letters by Sam and later Kat. Sam is devastated after realising Phil has not written her a letter and Kat is heartbroken to learn of her fiancé's death but just as the three women are processing the letters, Billy comes into the office and tells them both there is something they need to see, the three then see Phil in Peggy's very much alive and smiling.

Phil reveals to Kat and Sharon that he has taken Samantha's deal to become a police informant, but insists he is only biding his time and is not going to give her any information on his fellow criminals, he attempts to speak to Kat but Kat tells him they are still over. Phil then attempts to reunite with ex-wife Sharon, after she told him she still loved him during one of their prison meetings, the pair share a kiss, however Phil goes into a fit of rage when he sees Grant attempting to call her, Phil then tells Sharon he can't trust her and later reunites with Kat. Phil later goes to the Vic and throws a bar stall at fellow criminal Jonah Tyler after Sam had told him Jonah was responsible for the robbery on Peggy's that resulted in her getting shot and for Tommy being handed a bullet. Phil tells Jonah he will kill him if he goes near his family again.

Tommy asks Phil if he can call him dad to which Phil and Kat agree and Phil then plans a night in watching football with Tommy, Bert and Ernie and goes to the chip shop to get chips but on his way out he sees Ben high on drugs, Ben later goes missing but is returned to Phil and Kathy by Stacey after Kheerat had attacked Ben for his role in Kheerat's brother Jags Panesar's death. Kathy then finally tells Phil the truth Ben was raped by Lewis Butler, the next day Phil questions Ben about the rape but Ben denies anything happening, Phil then confronts Sam after Ben told him that Sam is allowing Jonah's henchman to deal drugs in Peggy's but Sam denies it. Ben continues taking drugs and suffers a heart attack as a result and is rushed to hospital, when he recovered he tells Phil he was raped and Phil later apologises for not supporting Ben and tells him he loves him, Phil later meets ex cell mate Ravi, who had been released from prison. He asks Ravi for a favour and offers to pay a big salary for the job, Phil is later shocked when Sharon tells him Ben got the drugs from Peggy’s. Realising Sam lied to him he fires her from her job at Peggy's. Phil then calls Ravi and is about to tell him to kill Lewis (the favour Phil had previously asked for) but Phil is interrupted by Kathy who orders him not to call a hit on Lewis, Sam later discovers from Kathy that Lewis raped Brn and orders Zack Hudson to track down Lewis so she can bring him to Phil, Phil visits Ben at the hospital a couple of days later and Ben praises Suki for saving him but Phil tells him Jay and Callum saved him, Ben and Phil then realise Suki must of left Ben to die. Phil then goes to the Vic and threatens Suki but Kheerat manages to calm him down, Phil then tells Suki to stay away from his family.

Phil Mitchell prepares to shoot Lewis Butler.

Phil prepares to shoot Lewis Butler.

Phil Mitchell and Ben Mitchell hug

Phil and Ben hug.

Sam with help from Zack kidnaps Lewis, tying him up and placing him in the boot of a car, Sam drives an unsuspecting Phil to a warehouse and reveals she has kidnapped Lewis and hands Phil his gun. Lewis manages to escape and takes Phil's gun and holds Phil and Sam at gun point but phil manages to disarm Lewis and beats him to a pulp and prepares to shoot Lewis, but is interrupted by Ben who tells him if anyone is going to shoot Lewis it will be him. Ben ultimately decides not to kill Lewis and tells Phil he is going to report Lewis raping him to the police, Phil tells Ben he is proud of him and the father and son hug.

Phil and Kat set the 6th September as the date for their wedding, Phil later meets Samantha and she hands him a list of criminals that she wants information on to send them to prison but Phil betrays Samantha and warns all the criminals to leave the country. One of the criminals called Dodge informs Phil that Samantha is retiring at the end of the year and that if she is after Phil then it is clearly personal. Samantha discovers Phil's betrayal and offers him a choice, she hands him a envelope and tells him she wants information on the person inside or she will send him to prison. Phil is shocked to discover inside the envelope is an image of Billy, Phil realises Samantha is indeed after Phil for personal reasons. Phil asks Samantha why is she doing this to him. Samantha reveals Billy killed her father in a robbery back in 1979.

Phil then has flashback to 1979 where him and Grant are having a sparring session where Phil is getting the better of Grant until Phil begins tormenting Grant, Grant then starts swinging at Phil and he begins to tire and admits defeat. Peggy then calls Phil and Grant in for dinner. Eric returns home after a long day at work to have a meal with Peggy, Phil, Grant and his daughter Sam. Eric discovers Phil lost a sparring session to Grant and is extremely frustrated with Phil, Eric gets even more angry when Phil insists they was only messing around. Peggy then tells Eric that Phil has got a job as a mechanic, however instead of being proud of his son he taunts Phil, calling him a "greese monkey". Phil then snaps back and asks Eric what he would suggest, Eric then decides to take Phil and Grant on a robbery with him, despite Peggy pleas not to take them. During the robbery the trio are caught by security guard Malcom Keeble and Phil points his shotgun at Malcom, Eric orders Phil to kill, however Phil refuses to kill him. Eric then takes the shotgun and orders Phil and Grant to leave, Eric then shoots Malcom dead. When Eric, Phil and Grant get home Eric attempt to give Phil a beating but Peggy threatens him with a knife, Eric then dissarms Peggy and is about to beat her but an enraged Phil attacks Eric, punching him several times before ordering Eric never to hit him, Peggy or Grant again. This would be the last time Eric ever hit any of them as Phil revealed on 5 September 2002 that Eric never hurt any of them again after this beating. Phil eventually relents and reports Billy to the police for Eric’s murder but tells Kat he intends to find dirt on Samantha and withdraw his statement against Billy.

On Kat and Phil's wedding day, Alfie Moon shows up after Bert and Ernie text him on Kat's phone, Alfie begs Kat not to marry Phil but Phil turns up and orders Alfie to leave. Sharon comes to Phil's house with a photo of them from thirty years ago in an attempt to win him back but Phil insists he is marrying Kat however when Kat arrives late for the wedding Phil and Sharon almost kiss. Alfie attempts to leave Walford on a boat but discover Bert and Ernie hiding in his car, Alfie texts Kat and she comes to get them, however Alfie turns the boat on and drives into the middle of the river so Kat can't escape. Alfie once again begs Kat not to marry Phil but she tells him she loves Phil, Alfie finally relents and prepares to take Kat back to land but he realises the boat has broken down. Kat then jumps into the river swims out but then Alfie manages to get the boat to work and drives Kat to the wedding. Phil is unimpressed that Kat has turns up late and after a conversation they agree to postpone the wedding to a later date, Alfie later apologises to Phil and Kat and wishes them the best of luck for the future.

The next day Phil and Alfie almost fight after Phil makes remarks about Alfie being an absent father, to which Alfie snapped back by asking what age his son Ben went to prison. Later Zack finds out Sharon and Phil nearly kissed but discovers Phil had broken Sharon's heart by insisting it meant nothing, Zack later threatens to hurt Phil if he hurts Sharon again.

Samantha later meets with Phil in her car and demands Phil to order Ritchie to remove her employer as Billy's lawyer to ensure he gets found guilty, Phil, despite feeling extremely guilt-ridden then has Billy's lawyer removed. Later Shirley goes to see Phil to reveal Sam is behind the threats on the Mitchell family that he had thought Jonah was behind, as revenge after Sam's refused to pay her anymore blackmail money, but just as Shirley calls Phil Jonah returns and grabs Sam's arm, demanding the money from his drug deal's at Peggy's. Phil then spots Jonah and beats him up, punching him multiple times once again threatening to kill Jonah if he comes back again, although Jonah tells Phil he will regret attacking him. Shirley later follows Phil to one of his meeting with Samantha and takes a photo of the two of them together.

Shirley visits Phil and threatens to tell Phil's associates that he is an informant unless Phil signs over Peggy's to her but Phil refuses to sign Peggy's over. Shirley then goes to Peggy's and prepares to publicly expose Phil, however Jonah and two henchman attempt to raid Peggy's. Phil manages to over-power Jonah and his men with help from Jay, Billy, Kat and Alfie, Jonah and his henchman are then arrested. Shirley later visits Phil and he apologises for his role in Tina's death and begs Shirley not to blackmail him any further, to which Shirley ultimately agrees. Phil later admits to Kat that he can't live with sending Billy to prison or being a police informant, he then tells Kat he is going to leave the country and try and find dirt on Samantha away from his family to keep them out of danger. Phil then drives past Peggy's, he then makes a call to an unknown person asking for help before leaving Walford.

Phil Mitchell punches Alfie Moon

Phil punches Alfie Moon.

Phil Mitchell and Keanu Taylor in the Vic

Phil fights Keanu Taylor again.

Phil returns in December 2022 and sees Kat and Alfie together, he then tells Kat he finally has a plan to get rid of Samantha and Kat tells Phil that Keanu has returned to Walford. Phil appears unsurprised that Keanu is back but when Keanu enters the Vic the two men trade punches, however Phil later meets Keanu at the Arches and it's revealed Phil and Keanu are working together to take down Samantha. On Christmas day Phil finds out that Alfie lost £30,000 of his money and kissed Kat while he was away, Phil then punches Alfie in the face and orders Kat to choose between him or Alfie, before storming out. Phil goes to Peggy's and stays their for the night, in the morning Phil grabs a bottle of whisky and contemplates drinking again. Sam arrives at Peggy's to open and convinces Phil not to drink the whisky and to give Kat another chance, Phil later takes Kat back but is left furious when he goes back to Peggy's and catches Sam and Keanu kissing. It is then revealed Sam and Keanu had a fling in Spain behind Phil's back earlier in the year, Phil then grabs Keanu by the throat and begins to strangle him. Phil eventually let's Keanu go and tells him their deal is off but later changes his mind and sends Keanu to visit Samantha. Keanu finally gets the evidence that Phil needs when Samantha gives Keanu a gun linked to multiple armed robberies and tells him to plant it on Phil, Keanu also records their conversation. Keanu then gives the incriminating evidence to Phil and assumes Phil is going to honour his end of their deal (letting Keanu come back to Walford and see Albie and Peggy). However, Phil double crosses Keanu and tells him he can't return to Walford. Phil then tells Keanu he's got until new years day to leave Walford.

2023 to present: End of Keeble feud and rivalry with Nish Panesar

Phil and Keanu hear a gun shot

Phil and Keanu hear a gun go off.

Phil attends Peggy's with Kat for the new year's eve, Keanu also attends and begs Phil to reconsider letting him stay but Phil once again threatens Keanu and tells him that he has until midnight to leave or Karen will be burying another child. Keanu considers leaving but instead ends up telling Samantha about his and Phil's plan and the evidence he has given Phil. Samantha then visits Phil the next day and demands the evidence back, however a smug Phil refuses and tells Samantha she is finished. Samantha then has her henchmen kidnap Kat and Tommy as revenge. Phil confronts Keanu and threatens him but Keanu later helps Phil track Samantha down, however by the time Phil finds them Kat had accidentally shot Samantha. Samantha is still alive and Phil offers to take her to hospital so they can save her life if she agrees to get Billy off the hook and ends her vendetta with Phil once and for all. Samantha agrees and Phil orders Keanu to take her to the hospital, Keanu agrees to take her but only if Phil let's him move back to Walford, to which Phil reluctantly agrees.

Phil Mitchell and Nish Panesar

Phil meets Nish Panesar.

Phil then has a brief feud with Nish Panesar, Nish approaches Phil and asks Phil to go into equal partnership with Phil's chicken shop's. Phil rejects Nish and a humiliated Nish retaliates by ordering Vinny Panesar smash up Phil's chicken shop, Phil realises quickly that Nish is responsible and has some of his henchman smash up the Minute Mart. Nish then attempts to make peace by inviting Phil and Kat to his house for dinner, Phil turns up and after back and forth arguing Phil eventually agrees to let Nish go into business with him, Phil later goes into business with Sharon and Kat to re-open the gym with a new name.

Phil Mitchell 2023

Phil threatens Shiv with a baseball bat.

When Sharon, Kat and Phil re-launch Crunch Time and rename it The Boxing Den in tribute of Dennis Jr, the gym has several amateur boxing matches. However one of the boxers is ill and starts throwing up and has to pull out of the fight, Ben in attendance with Callum offers to step in to impress Phil. Ben makes a bright start but then loses the boxing match quickly after, Ben is punched twice and falls onto the ropes and notices a horrified Lexi is watching. Lexi then runs out the gym and Ben follows her. Keanu later later asks Sharon to marry him, however an embarrassed Sharon runs off with Phil calling it a joke. Later at the Vic Lola asks Sam to hire Peggy's for the night for a brain tumor fundraiser but Sam says no as she has a wedding their that night but Phil overrides Sam and says Lola can have Peggy's leaving Sam humiliated. Sam later makes a move on Alfie but Alfie gently turns her down, however Phil sees it and calls Sam a joke and says Peggy would be ashamed if she could see Sam now.

A loan sharked called Shiv who Stacey owes money to breaks into Stacey's house and begins to strangle her, however Eve turns up and shoves him away. Shiv leaves but not before threatening Stacey, telling her to pay £3,000 by the next day. A terrified Stacey Stacey goes to Kat and Phil and explains her situation with Shiv, Phil offers to deal with Shiv and Stacey tells Phil that she's got a plan. Stacey later meets Shiv at the Arches and pays him his money, Phil then appears from the dark with a baseball bat and threatens Shiv to never go near Stacey again. Stacey thanks Phil, Ben has a boxing match at Phil gym with Martin and Phil referees the match. Ben uses an illegal punch on Martin and Phil ignores it and gives Ben the win, Martin is furious and it leads to Martin and Ben later arguing. Phil later fires Keanu from his security guard rile at Peggy's after finding out Keanu was arrested for dealing drugs. Phil later finds Keanu unconscious after he had been beaten almost to death by Ravi, Sharon later tells Phil that she knows it was Ravi enough attacked Keanu. Phil tells Sharon not to seek revenge on Ravi as Ravi isn't someone to mess with, Sharon ignores Phil's advice and calls the police on Ravi. When Ravi is released him and Sharon have a furious row and Phil steps in and tells Ravi to leave her alone.

Episode 6707 (31 May 2023)

Phil goes to see Lola one last time before she does.

After being diagnosed with a brain tumour in October 2022 and by May 2023 Lola's loved ones are told that she will die soon. Phil goes to Lola's home to say goodbye but cannot do it, Phil then goes to Sharon's house and they remember Dennis Jr. Phil tells Sharon he couldn't say goodbye because he felt guilty as he felt he used to be horrible to her (referring to his custody battle with Lola for Lexi in 2013), Sharon says Phil can be a pig at times but tells Phil that him and Lola adored each other once the incident was over. Phil later cries while with Tommy and Kat while remembering Lola. On 5 June 2023 Ben sells the Arches to Sharon to clear his debts after his financial trouble, Sharon later tells a furious Phil that she has brought the Arches for Keanu.

Phil Mitchell 2023 (at Lola's funeral).

Phil at Lola Pearce-Brown's funeral.

Phil and George Knight.

When George Knight is walking through the Square he is recognised by Phil and Jack as a former championship boxer and soon the whole Square become aware of this. Phil later meets George at the Vic and quickly become friends, Phil and George agree to go into business together, Phil spots George boxing in The Boxing Den looking agitated and asks George if he's okay. George tell's Phil that he just proposed to his girlfriend Elaine Peacock and she said no, Phil advises him to fight for her. Linda becomes eager to find out exactly what happened to Rose, Linda enlist Phil to help her find out what happened to Rose. Phil is hesitant to help due to him and George being friends, however Linda reminds Phil that he's going into business with George and that Phil should want to know what kind of man George is. Phil later gets policeman Callum Highway to help him find out about George's past. Phil hires Ritchie to find out what happened to Rose. Ritchie reaches out to the Spanish police and they track Rose down, however it's claimed by Phil that Rose doesn't want anything to do with George or the girls when Phil reveals to George that he had continued looking into Rose. Linda apologises to George and tells him she got it wrong, when George sees Phil he is annoyed at Phil and hints that he is not going to go into business with him. Phil then reveals that he kept one thing from Linda, he tells George that whoever this Rose is wasn't called Rose as no one by the name of Rose Knight existed. George phones Rose and it's revealed that Rose is Cindy Beale, the former Walford resident who was married to Ian Beale. Cindy ignores George's call. On 27 June 2023 Billy writes a letter saying he won't be at Lola's funeral, Jay and Phil track Billy down to Jamie's grave and convinces Billy to come, Phil then attends Lola's funeral.

Phil questions Lisa's motives for returning.

On 10 July 2023 Lisa returns to Walford alongside Peggy, Lisa runs away from her taxi driver after she is unable to afford the fare. Lisa runs into Sonia and she reveals that Louise has been struggling with alcohol and drugs since Louise and Keanu's break up in 2019, Lisa also reveals she is back for revenge on Keanu. Lisa then attempts to go and see Keanu but Phil runs into her and Peggy and takes them back to his house. Peggy accidentally blurts out that Lisa has brought her to see Keanu, Phil questions why Lisa would want Keanu anywhere near Peggy after what he did to Louise, however Lisa insist Peggy has got it wrong and she will not be seeing Keanu. Phil's new fiancee Kat asks Lisa if she is alright and Lisa tells Kat she is fine, Keanu runs into Lisa as she is leaving Phil's after he is told by Reiss Colwell that Lisa and Peggy are back. Lisa allows Keanu to see Peggy but blackmails him demanding £3,000 by the end of the day, to which Keanu pays up. When Phil finds out Lisa is letting Keanu see Peggy he is furious and threatens Keanu with violence if he hurts Peggy, after Keanu spends the day with Peggy he asks Lisa to see her again, Lisa tells Keanu if he wants another day with her then he needs to pay her £20,000 and £2,000 each month until she is eighteen. Keanu calls Lisa ridiculous and tells her hasn't got that money, Lisa suggests that he take the money from Sharon. Keanu tells Lisa that he's going to tell Sharon, however Lisa threatens to tell Sharon that the money £3,000 Keanu had previously gave her came from his and Sharon's wedding fund. It is later revealed Lisa is blackmailing Keanu because she is broke due to a gambling addiction. Keanu steals £10,000 of Phil's money from his safe in Peggy's and gives it to Lisa. Phil is furious when he finds out his money is gone and blames Chelsea after finding out she deliberately turned off the CCTV to have sex when she was supposed to be working. Phil later finds out about Lisa blackmailing Keanu after hearing a conversation between her and Reiss, Phil then calls the police on Lisa. Ravi goes to Phil's house and asks him to give Chelsea her job back, Phil agrees to give Chelsea her job back if Ravi does him a favour in the future to which Ravi agrees. Sharon later discovers that Keanu stole Phil's and tells Phil. Phil is furious and demands answers from Keanu, Keanu explains that he did it for Peggy and insists Phil should understand because of missing out on Raymond's first few years. Keanu also tells Phil that Lisa told him that Louise was in money trouble, however Phil tells him that he pays for Louise and Peggy's bills in Portugal, When Lisa is released by the police she attempts to take Peggy and leave the country, however Phil refuses to give Peggy to her, threatening to have both Keanu and Lisa arrested for stealing his money as Phil, Keanu and Sharon also find out that Louise was gone on a spa week with Sam and didn't know Lisa had taken Peggy.

Sharon sees Lisa sleeping rough on Arthur Fowler's bench and bring Lisa to her and Keanu's house and tells her she can stop at theirs, causing Keanu and Sharon to argue. Sharon then looks at Lisa's phone and discovers that Lisa has a gambling addiction and that was why she blackmailed Keanu, Sharon agrees to get Peggy back for Lisa if she tells Keanu the truth and allows Keanu access to Peggy. Sharon tells Phil about Lisa's gambling addiction and convinces Phil to give Peggy back to Lisa and pay for her to get home, Lisa talks to Keanu and tells him the truth. Lisa tells Keanu she will speak to Louise about him having access to Peggy, however Keanu is furious when he discovers that Lisa is only letting him have video calls to Peggy and as a result Keanu steals Lisa and Peggy's passports.

Phil Mitchell, Tommy Moon and Alfie Moon

Phil and Tommy Moon talk to Alfie Moon.

When Alfie is on shift at Heart Bet Phil brings Bert, Ernie and Tommy to Alfie and tells Alfie that Kat is away seeing Little Mo and he is out on business meetings so Alfie has to look after the kids. Freddie later shows up and thanks Tommy for telling him about Graham being his dad, Alfie overhears and argues with Tommy. Tommy then goes to the park with his friends and begins drinking vodka, Alfie later finds Tommy at the park and drags him away, Alfie later tells Phil about Tommy's antics. However Phil blames Alfie saying he doesn't discipline Tommy, Alfie attempts to make amends with Tommy but Tommy has seen a video online that his friends have posted of Alfie dragging him away from that park. A furious Tommy punches Alfie in the stomach leaving Alfie wounded. The next day Phil notices that Alfie is injured from the punch that Tommy gave him and takes Alfie to hospital to get checked out, Alfie is told that he has prostate cancer. Alfie later gets drunk in Peggy's and Phil arrives and asks him what is wrong, Alfie tells Phil that they are not mates and to drop the nice guy act so Phil tells Alfie he is on his own. However, Tommy later asks Alfie and Phil to come to the Boxing Den with him and Phil realises something is wrong with Alfie and demands the truth. Alfie then tells Phil that he has got prostate cancer, Phil supports Alfie but tells him that he needs to get himself together for the sake of his children.

When Ian and Cindy return to find Peter Cindy runs into George, Anna and Gina they reveal in font of Phil and the entire Vic that Cindy is Rose Knight. Phil then sees Ian for the first time since him and Sharon attempted to kill him in 2021, the atmosphere is frosty between Ian and Phil and Phil asks Ian if they're back because Phil was looking for Rose. Ian reassures Phil that them coming back was nothing to do with Phil and tells Phil that they will be leaving.

Kat is furious when she discovers that Phil knew Alfie had a hospital appointment for prostate cancer and didn't tell her, Kat later threatens to call off the wedding and refuses to speak to Phil. Phil later tries to make things up with Kat but she still refuses to speak to him, Phil then goes to Peggy's and runs into Emma Harding, the two begin flirting and later sleep together. After their one-night-stand Emma attempts to blackmail Phil threatening to reveal their affair to Phil's fiancée Kat Slater unless Phil gets her access to Lexi, Phil allows Emma to see Lexi once but then tells Emma to leave Walford or he will tell Lexi about Emma abandoning Lola before she died. A stressed Phil later tells Sharon about his and Emma's one-night-stand and Sharon implores Phil to tell Kat however Phil refuses, Keanu later discovers Phil and Emma's affair after Emma tells him. Keanu blackmails Phil, ordering access to Peggy or he will tell Kat. However Phil lies to Keanu and tells him that he has already told Kat about him and Emma and that she has forgiven him, before telling Keanu he will never see Peggy again.

A drunk Keanu reveals to Alfie that Phil cheated on Kat with Emma a furious Alfie goes to Peggy's and punches Phil and later reveals that he does have prostate cancer. Alfie agrees to keep quiet as long as Phil never let's Kat down again and agrees to keep quiet about his cancer, Phil agrees and then marries Kat. Phil later runs into Keanu and threatens to kill him if he tells Kat or anyone else about him and Emma.

Phil and Kat later hear about Albie being kidnapped unaware that Keanu kidnapped him. They offer to give Keanu and Sharon the money and help, Sharon and Keanu later confront Dorian and he swears that he didn't take Albie and says he was with his daughter and even shows them a picture. Keanu and Sharon believe Dorian and he tells them he hopes they get Albie back, Karen posts another ransom note through the door and tells them to drop the money off tomorrow and they will get Albie back. Phil offers to take the money to the kidnapper and kill them, Sharon accepts leaving Keanu worried. The next day when Phil gives Sharon the money Keanu convinces Sharon to let Karen deliver the money instead of Phil, Karen then returns Albie to Sharon.

When Albie is taken for blood tests the doctor informs Sharon that Albie has Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency, which can increase his risk of lung conditions and other health issues in later life, Sharon is information that it is genetic meaning both parents must also have it. Sharon and Keanu take the blood tests and it reveals that Sharon has Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency but Keanu doesn't, Sharon then realises Keanu can't be Albie's father. The doctor asks Sharon if she was having sex with anyone else around the time Albie was born, Sharon looks out the window towards Phil who is with Keanu and Albie.

Sharon later tries to tell he is Albie's father however when Phil starts to say horrible things about Keanu Phil and Shaorn then argue and Sharon decides not to tell Phil when he tells her to get out of his house. Sharon later makes it her mission to make sure Phil never finds out he is Albie's father, Sharon puts Keanu's name on Albie's birth certificate and tells Phil that she is going to sell her half of the gym. However Phil offers to buy Sharon out, offering her £100,000, to which Sharon accepts. The next day Phil walks past a van, the back door of the van opens and Sam is thrown out by a man. Phil later cleans a cut on Sam's on Sam's face and asks her what she has gotten herself into, Sam tells Phil that she's in trouble from a drug dealer called Camillo who is demanding £100,000. Sam asks Phil for £100,000, Phil has to chose whether to give his £100,000 to Sharon or Sam, Phil initially refuses to give Sam the money but is later informed by Kat that Camillo is trying to abduct Sam. Phil confronts Camillo with a baseball bat, Camillo agrees to leave Sam alone but demands the £100,000 that she owes him. Phil agrees to pay him and angrily tells Sam that she will be working at Peggy's for free until she pays him back and Sam asks Phil if she can move into his house but Phil says no.

Phil gets suspicious when he sees Karen spending money in the Vic, when Karen gives Kat £2,000 to pay for damage to a car that Mitch accidentally crashed into. Phil checks the money and notices it is his marked notes that he gave to Sharon to pay off Albie's kidnapper, Phil is convinced that the Taylor's kidnapped Albie and he asks Sam to find proof, Sam later finds a picture on Karen's brother-in-law's social media with Albie from the day after he was kidnapped. Phil gains further proof when he sends Tommy around to Karen's and he finds Phil's money under her bed, before Tommy can take the money back he is interrupted by Felix Baker, Tommy takes a couple of the notes and gives them to Phil. Phil then goes to the Vic and confronts all the Taylor's and reveals the true circumstances behind Albie's kidnap infront of Sharon. Karen admits to being behind the kidnap and takes the blame for it to protect Keanu, Sharon slaps Karen and threatens to call the police on her. However, Keanu begs her not to insisting that despite what she's done she's still his mother, Phil angrily confonts Keanu and demands to know if he was involved in the kidnap and Keanu swears that he wasn't. Phil then storms over to the Taylor's and smashes their door down, Phil demands his money back from Karen. Karen grabs a baseball bat and they tell Phil that their kids are here. Phil then tells them kids or no kids he will be coming back for his money, Keanu goes to the Taylors t say sorry but they are all disgusted that Keanu let Karen to take the blame, Karen later tells Mitch she's going to take Phil's money and leave Walford, Karen asks Mitch to leave with her. Phil later sees the Taylor's fleeing Walford in a van with his money and angrily shouts as they get away that this is not over, the next day Phil tells Keanu that the Taylor's debt is now his debt and that Keanu owes him £50,000.

Sharon tells Linda that Phil is Albie's father and both are overheard by Kat, Kat goes to tell Phil however Sharon begs her not to tell Phil and Kat eventually agrees.

Bernadette asks Keanu to move in with him and Sharon, Keanu tells Bernadette to leave him alone and not to come to his and Sharon's wedding. As revenge Bernadette tells Phil that Keanu was behind Albie's kidnap, Phil interrupts the wedding and tells Sharon about Keanu being behind Albie's kidnap. Sharon then punches Keanu and tells him that Albie is Phil's son leaving both men shocked, later that night at the Vic Sharon, Stacey, Suki, Kathy, Denise and Linda are confronted by Phil and he asks Sharon to spend more time with Albie, Phil becomes aggressive when Sharon refuses and pushes Kathy. Sharon then says she understands and Phil leaves, the six women are later attacked by Nish and Keanu, the women nearly kill Nish and kill Keanu. On 10 January 2024 Phil is informed from a phone call that Sal has died, Phil then tells the rest of the Mitchell family. Sam later finds out that Albie is Phil's son and later threatens Zack, telling him that if Phil doesn't see Albie then Sharon will face a custody battle. Zack later tells Phil to get Sam to back off but Phil tells Zack that he didn't know Sam went to see him, Phil later threatens Sam and tells her to stay out of his business.

Phil attends Sal's funeral without Kat and is annoyed to learn that Kat has sent Alfie to the funeral, Alfie watches Phil talking to a family friend and believes they're flirting. Phil then meets Sal's husband Harold Martin and the two catch up, Phil then notices that Billy's estranged dad Stevie Mitchell has attended the funeral and he warns Stevie to stay away from the wake. At the wake Phil clashes with Alfie and later Sam when she finds out from Harold that Sal has left her, Phil and Grant £100,000. Phil refuses to give her the money because she still owes him money from the Camillo incident, however Sam later blackmails Phil by threatening to tell Kat that he slept with Emma after Alfie told her. Phil confonts Alfie and he tells he slipped up, Phil tells Alfie to tell Sam that he made it up or he will tell Kat that Alfie knew about the affair. Phil gives Sam £33,000 but orders her to leave Walford, Sam agrees but is left furious when Phil compares her to their dad. Sam snaps and walks into the Vic and grabs a microphone, Sam then reveals to Kat and the rest of the customers in the Vic that Phil slept with Emma. Phil attempts to deny that he slept with Emma but Kat can tell that he is lying, Kat dumps Phil and moves into Stacey’s with Bert, Ernie and Tommy. Phil begs her multiple times to give him another chance but she says no. Phil attempts to talk to Kat in the Vic but is told by Nish to leave her alone, Phil tells Nish that this is between him and Kat and Phil and Nish argue. George encourages Phil to leave and Phil leaves the Vic. Phil attends the café reopening and is questioned by a returning Karen about the whereabouts of Keanu. Phil let's Karen leave again but decides to buy the Arches off Sharon to make back the money that the Taylor's stole from him.

On 7 March 2024 Denzel Danes asks Phil for a job at the Boxing Den, Phil is reluctant due to him being underage but agrees to employ Denzel as a cleaner however Phil later fires Denzel when his friends Avani Nandra-Hart and Davinder Gulati knock over one of the trophies from the cabinet.

Kill count

Murders/manslaughter victims

  1. Alan Hall (8 March 1994) (manslaughter) - Burned to death in a fire that Phil started on the orders of Frank Butcher, Phil did not know Alan was inside the car lot.
  2. Jack Dalton (18 July 2003) (orchestrated) - After being ordered to kill Dennis Rickman by Jack, Phil held Dennis at gun point telling Dennis the only way he would live is if Jack died, Dennis then offered to kill Jack himself, Phil then let Dennis go on the condition he carries out the killing and borrowed Dennis his car, Dennis then shot Jack dead.
  3. Luke Browning (5 December 2017, revealed 9 March 2018) (unintentionally instigated) - Phil ordered Aidan Maguire to kidnap and only scare Luke off for assaulting his son Ben Mitchell, but Aidan ends up killing him.
  4. Vincent Hubbard (20 April 2018, revealed 12 October 2021) (unintentionally instigated) - Ordered Aidan and his henchman to kidnap Vincent, to stop him from going to the police about their crimes. Phil once again only wanted Aidan’s men to scare Vincent but Aidan killed Vincent.
  5. Dennis Rickman Jr (21 February 2020) (accidental) - Though he never intended to kill his adoptive son, during a fight with Keanu Taylor (whom he did intend to kill) on the Smith-Holland (ship) Phil pushed Keanu into the ship's wheel, causing the boat to crash and killing Dennis.

Connected murders and deaths

  1. Steve Owen (1 March 2002) (indirectly caused) - Steve's car exploded killing him instantly, after he was in a car chase with Phil.
  2. Dennis Rickman (30 December 2005) (indirectly caused) - Told Dennis that Johnny Allen assaulted his wife, Sharon Rickman, which caused Dennis to beat him up. As a result, Dennis was later killed for his actions, by Johnny’s henchman, Danny Moon.
  3. Danny Moon (31 March 2006) (association) - Shot by Jake Moon, to save Phil and Grant Mitchell, who had been kidnapped by Danny. Phil and Grant then buried Danny’s dead body.
  4. Stella Crawford (20 July 2007) (indirectly caused) - After discovering that Stella had been abusing his son, Ben, Phil chased her out of their wedding ceremony, demanding answers. He chased her into an old factory and as a result, Stella jumped off the factory roof, to get away from Phil.
  5. Archie Mitchell (25 December 2009) (negligent homicide) - Found Archie barely conscious and bleeding after he was hit over the head by Stacey Slater, Phil felt for Archie's pulse but when he got Archie's blood on his shirt Phil panicked and left Archie, Archie later died from his injuries.
  6. Kevin Wicks (1 January 2008) (indirectly caused) - Kevin drove and crashed one of his and Phil's dodgy cut and shut cars, despite being told by Phil to destroy the car, as soon as he found out they were dodgy. Kevin died in the crash.
  7. Heather Trott (19 March 2012) (association) - After Ben Mitchell killed her, Phil disposed of the evidence and made it look like Heather had been killed in burglary, that had gone wrong.
  8. Carl White (1 January 2014) (association) - Kept or destroyed Carl’s phone covered in blood, after being killed by Phil’s cousin, Ronnie Mitchell.
  9. Lucy Beale (18 April 2014) (association) - Helped cover up the crime and framed Max Branning.
  10. Unknown person (1 June 2020) (negligent homicide) - Murdered by Danny Hardcastle or his henchman during a heist, Phil was with Danny and witnessed the murder take place.
  11. Tina Carter (28 December 2020) (indirectly caused) - Him and Sharon let her take the blame for the attempted murder of Ian Beale, when they were the ones responsible. She was then killed by Gray Atkins, while on the run.

Attempted murder victims

1. Dan Sullivan (16 August 2001) - Prepares to shoot Dan for kidnapping Mel Owen, but Mel turns the lights off, allowing Dan to attack Phil while he’s distracted.

2. Dennis Rickman (13 June 2003) - Punches and then tries to attack him with a brick, after Dennis told Phil he'd slept with his wife, Kate Morton, Kate manages to stop Phil before he goes through with it.

3. Johnny Allen (28/30 March 2006) (x2) - Tries to strangle Johnny, after he goads him about Dennis Rickman’s death. He also tries to shoot Johnny minutes later, but Grant Mitchell stops him on both occasions.

5. Grant Mitchell (30 March 2006) - Nearly runs Grant over during a heated argument.

6. Stella Crawford (20 July 2007) - Tries to strangle Stella for abusing his son Ben, but is unable to catch her.

7. Nick Cotton (22 May 2009) (by proxy) - Beats Nick up and holds him hostage, after finding out he’d been blackmailing Billy Mitchell. Phil tries persuading Billy to kill him, but instead Billy let's Nick go, much to Phil’s frustration.

8. Christian Clarke (10 November 2011) - Breaks into Christian and Syed Masood’s home and attempts to beat Christian to death with a baseball bat, after his underage son Ben told him Christian sexually assaulted him, but Phil stops when Ben admits he lied.

9. Carl White (14 November 2013) - Kidnaps Carl with Max Branning, as revenge after Carl tried to kill Phil weeks prior. But after Max decides to spare Carl, Phil attempts to hit him over the head with a shovel but stops when Carl implies he’s kidnapped Shirley Carter, so Phil keeps him alive to find out where she is.

10. Carl White (1 January 2014) - Tries to attack Carl with a crowbar, but is stopped by Ronnie Mitchell.

11. Martin Fowler (30 July 2019) - Tries to strangle Martin with a crowbar in a fit of rage, after Martin drunkenly tries to punch him, but Stacey Fowler sneaks up on Phil and knocks him unconscious with a spanner.

12. Jack Branning (16/17 December 2019) (×2) - After being told by Lisa Fowler that his wife Sharon Mitchell is having an affair with someone in Walford, Phil makes it his mission to find out who it is and kill them. When Ben discovers Sharon's necklace in Jack's house, Phil assumes it is him sleeping with Sharon and then tries to run him over, but stops last minute when he sees Jack's children are nearby. He later buys a gun planning to kill Jack again. The next day, Phil Beats him up and throws him in the pit at The Arches, before pouring petrol on him. He then tries to throw a lighter on him, but is stopped by Ben.

14. Keanu Taylor (24 December 2019) - After discovering it was Keanu having an affair with Sharon and that she was pregnant with his baby, Phil plans to beat him to death. However, he is stopped by Ben and he insists he will have someone else kill Keanu, to stop any evidence being linked to Phil.

15. Keanu Taylor (25 December 2019) (by proxy) - He orders Ben to have Keanu killed, Ben picks Martin Fowler and blackmails him to kill Keanu, but Martin doesn’t go through with it, as he is not capable of murder. Martin let's Keanu go and then lies to Ben, telling him he did it and shows him a fake video of Keanu being shot.

16. Keanu Taylor (21 February 2020) - Begins to strangle Keanu during a struggle for Phil's gun, Phil then attempts to shoot Keanu, but is stopped by Ben.

17. Ian Beale (4 December 2020) (on the orders of Sharon Watts) - Smashed the Lucy Beale Foundation trophy on the back of Ian's head, after Sharon told Phil that Ian locked his stepson, Dennis Rickman Jr, in a room on a boat, later causing him to drown, Phil had knocked Ian out causing his head to bleed and then attempted to beat Ian to death but retreated after hearing Peter Beale approaching.

18. Ian Beale (19 January 2021) (instigated) - Supplies Sharon with a fatal poison to kill Ian but Ian figures out that Sharon has been poisoning him and refuses to eat the food containing the fatal poison.

19. Ian Beale (22 January 2021) - Goes to The Queen Victoria to strangle Ian after Sharon failed to poison Ian, only to find out he had left Walford.

20. Callum Highway (11 May 2021) - Goes to shoot Callum, after finding out he’d been working undercover, but is talked out of it by Ben and Kat Slater.

21. Lewis Butler (4 August 2022) (by proxy) - Phoned Ravi Gulati and was about to ask him to kill Lewis as revenge for raping Ben, but is interrupted by Kathy Beale who orders Phil not to go though with the hit.

22. Lewis Butler (16 August 2022) - Beat Lewis up and prepared to shoot him but is interrupted by Ben.

Note: Phil also started the Queen Vic fire which endangered the lives of almost all of Walford's residents.

Employment history

Occupation Years Active
Gangster/Career criminal 1980's to present
Mechanic 1980's to present
Businessman 1980's to present
Police informant (facade) 2022-2023
Owner of Mitchell's Autos 1990-2003, 2005-2009, 2010-2017
Barman at The Queen Victoria 1991-1993, 2001-2002, 2005-2010
Co owner of Kathy's Café 1994-1995, 2000-2003
Owner of The Queen Victoria 2011-2013
Co owner of the R&R 2011-2018
Co owner of The Albert 2014-2016
Owner of Deals on Wheels 2015-2017
Manager of Mitchell's Autos 2017-2023
Co owner of Kat's Cabs 2021-2022
Co owner of Crunch Time 2023 to present

Residence

Address Years
43B Albert Square 1990
46 Albert Square 1991-1993, 2001-2003, 2005-2008
14B Walford Towers 1993
43A Albert Square 1994-1995
5 Albert Square 1995-2001
31 Albert Square 2002-2004, 2021
Brazil 2003-2005
27 Albert Square 2008-2010
55 Victoria Road 2010 to present
23 Albert Square 2016
Portugal 2017, 2020
Prison 2004-2005, 2011-2012, 2015, 2022

Crimes

  • Accomplice to murder
  • Manslaughter
  • Attempted mass murder
  • Attempted murder
  • Connected murders and deaths
  • Orchestrated deaths
  • Connection to gangland activities
  • Assault
  • GBH and ABH
  • Robbery
  • Arson
  • Breaking and entering
  • Possession of a fire arm with intent
  • Blackmail
  • Money laundering
  • Vandalism/Affray
  • Kidnapping
  • Incitement to violence
  • Torture
  • Perverting the course of justice

Behind the scenes

Character development

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.

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.

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. 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."

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. 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". 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[15] 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. 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." 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. 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.[16]

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

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. 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). 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." Phil also loses his son Ben (Charlie Jones), who makes a temporary departure from the show in order for the part to be recast. 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. The storyline also sees Phil become more violent.

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.

Background information

  • Phil owns a villa in Portugal and has a place to stay in Spain.
  • On 15 February 2021 Phil was confirmed to be 5 foot 8 inches in height.
  • Phil supports the football team, West Ham United.
  • 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." 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." 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.
  • Including the deaths he unintentionally caused, Phil has the second highest confirmed kill count of any EastEnders killer with 5, behind Johnny Allen (7), just ahead of Nick Cotton (4), ahead of Gray Atkins (3), Lucas Johnson (3), Ray Kelly (3), Janine Butcher (3) Aidan Maguire (2), Ronnie Branning (2) and Ryan Malloy (2). Note: this is taking all forms of murder into account, and is also worth noting that gangster characters like Johnny and Aidan among others have most likely killed more due to their line of work.
  • Despite having the second highest EastEnders kill count Phil has never committed murder. Although he was an accomplice Jack Dalton's murder by Dennis Rickman, but the other people he killed were accidental.
  • Phil has committed the highest number of attempted murders with 22, ahead of Ben Mitchell (16), Nick Cotton (10), Johnny Allen (10), Aidan Maguire (9), Shirley Carter (9) and Neil Hughes (8).
  • As of 2023 Phil has the highest number of cliffhangers/Doof-Doofs of any character in EastEnders history with 359, ahead of Sharon Watts (249) and Ian Beale (221).
  • 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. 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.

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. 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". Of the Mitchell brothers' highly publicised return in October 2005, a reporter from the Daily Mirror 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".

Quotes

First line on the phone to Grant Mitchell: "You should see this place, Grant. It is ripe, and I have found the ideal spot."


First line to Billy Mitchell on his 2005 return - "Hello Billy."

See also

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