EastEnders is lining up an emotional and heartbreaking Christmas for Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden).
The BBC soap stalwart, who first appeared in 1990, has had a turbulent year.
After sleeping with Emma Harding (Patsy Kensit), sister Sam (Kim Medcalf) exposed his fling to wife Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) before rinsing him of inheritance money from their Aunt Sal (Anna Karen).
With his relationship with Kat in tatters – and his step-sons moving out with her – he was devastated to then learn that his son Ben (Max Bowden) was to be imprisoned for fraud in the US.
We’ve also seen Phil sell his beloved Peggy’s nightclub to Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) in the wake of a devastating mass-crushing incident that brought further bad news to his door.
Now, in upcoming scenes, we’ll see the impact these events have had on him.
As the residents of Walford celebrate the festive season, Phil will suffer suicidal thoughts amid his loneliness.
Long-term viewers will remember that the character has battled drink and crack cocaine addictions during his 34 year stint.
The yuletide edition of the show is regularly considered to be the highlight of the Christmas TV schedule, so this is bound to form a centrepiece of the hard-hitting storylines that EastEnders is so well known for.
Speculation is also rife concerning the return of his on-screen brother Grant (Ross Kemp), who last appeared in 2016.
This stint saw him arrive for the their mum Peggy’s (Barbara Knox) final days and funeral, before discovering that Mark Fowler Jnr (Ned Porteous) is his son.
It has been heavily rumoured that Kemp will front a documentary series celebrating 40 years of the continuing drama next year, with a source adding to The Sun: ‘Could Grant be the one to save him (Phil)? It’d be a ratings hit.’
