Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden)

[alan45]

Eastenders actors Steve MacFadden and Daniel Coonan are set for a thrilling drive on the BBC soap.
The actors, who play longterm bad boy Phil Mitchell and newcomer Carl White, were seen filming a car chase in a red motor at the soap’s North London studios on Saturday.
The high-speed chase is set to end in Steve’s character Phil Mitchell hurtling through a windscreen and fighting for his life in a coma.

Boy racers: Phil (Steve McFadden) and Carl (Daniel Coonan) are involved in a car chase which will leave Phil in a coma
Phil and new character Carl White crash into a lorry on their way to undertake a dodgy deal.
The dramatic scenes, which reportedly cost the BBC £1 million, are part of the Beeb’s efforts to reverse this year’s major ratings slump.

A source for the soap said: ‘This is going to be the most dramatic and the most expensive stunt in EastEnders' history.’

Dodgy dealings: Phil, played by Steve MacFadden is to get into trouble yet again
‘No expense has been spared and show bosses are determined to make sure it is the most talked about TV moment of the year.’
The source explained that the crash will happen when ‘Carl gets distracted from the road and swerves into the path of a lorry, resulting in a huge smash.’
‘Phil flies through the windscreen on to the road, leaving him with terrible injuries’

Burning rubber: The pair are set to crash the car on their way to a dodgy deal, putting Phil Mitchell in hospital
The dramatic episode is expected to include a bird’s eye view of the aftermath of the accident taken from the helicopter which is used to fly Phil to hospital.
It is also set to see one of the show’s most iconic characters, Peggy Mitchell, played by Barbara Windsor who left the show in 2010, return to the soap to visit Phil in hospital.
The source added: 'EastEnders has been going through a bad time as far as ratings go. These days it's regularly the third most watched soap, way off Corrie and even behind Emmerdale.’

High-speed: The thrilling car chase will be filmed from a birds eye view and on the ground
In May this year, the show had just 5.2 million viewers— 2.3million fewer than Emmerdale attracted on the same night.
The show attracted a peak of 30 million viewers in the 80s, when Dirty Den (Leslie Grantham) gave Angie (Anita Dobson) divorce papers on Christmas Day.
Phil’s car crash is expected to be shown this autumn.

[Perdita]

EastEnders bosses have released dramatic spoiler pictures previewing Phil Mitchell's upcoming car accident.

As Digital Spy first revealed earlier this month, Phil will be left fighting for his life this autumn in one of the BBC soap's biggest ever stunts.

Steve McFadden has been filming the scenes on location this weekend alongside show newcomer Daniel Coonan, who plays bad boy Carl White.

[Perdita]

EastEnders star Steve McFadden has said he would be keen to see Ross Kemp return to the show.

Upcoming episodes of the soap see Phil involved in a horrifying car accident which will leave him fighting for his life.

The accident paves the way for Barbara Windsor (Peggy Mitchell) to arrive back in Walford for a one-off episode.

However, McFadden has backed Ross Kemp, who played Phil's brother Grant on and off from 1999 to 2006, to return to the show as well.

McFadden told the Radio Times: "I do remember somebody telling me that there had been a writers' meeting and it was tabled as to whether or not Phil could survive without Grant.

"I was surprised that they were thinking about this because I believed he could. But that's how much of a duo they were thought of.

"And while time has moved on and we've proved that Phil can survive on his own, I am up for Ross coming back. It would certainly be interesting."

Ratings for EastEnders have fallen in recent months, but McFadden insisted that he is not worried about the future of the show.

"It's not my problem, thank God. I wouldn't want that responsibility," he said.

"I think acting is like dancing: you bring in your clogs, do your dance and then finish and forget about it.

"I take the show seriously and commit to it 100%, but I don't get drawn into all that. I like the clarity of coming in and doing my bit."

[Perdita]

EastEnders kicks off a huge autumn for the Mitchell family next week as Phil's dramatic car crash airs.

Phil's life hangs in the balance after he teams up for a dodgy deal with Carl White (Daniel Coonan), who causes carnage by deliberately driving recklessly.

Here, Steve McFadden - who plays Phil - chats about the dramatic scenes, life at EastEnders and more.

We've all seen the tension between them, but what does Phil think of Carl?
"I don't think he's got the full measure of him yet. Phil just sees him as a wannabe, a young pretender that doesn't really scare him much at the moment. I think there's a bit more to Carl than he realises."

Phil agrees to join Carl on a dodgy deal because he needs the money. Is he desperate after losing £10,000 and being blackmailed by Shirley?
"Yes, Shirley's blackmailing him and he's not really bothered about it, but he wants to give Shirley money anyway so he acquiesces to her blackmailing."

Is this through guilt or love?
"It's a bit of both of those. Guilt and love because he feels bad about what happened with Heather and how he handled the whole thing with Ben. So Phil is trying to make it up to Shirley, but Shirley won't accept any of his help.

"Shirley wants it on her terms so Phil acquiesces to her way of doing it, and he would have done it anyway. If he had 10 grand to give her, he'd give her 10 grand and then he accepts it."

How do these car crash scenes compare to previous smash-ups?
"I haven't got the full picture - it's a bit like when we did 'Who shot Phil?' - I am just on the end of the food chain. I know it seems like I'm really intrinsically a part of it, but when it was 'Who shot Phil?' it was like all these people running round hiding in bushes and they were building all this plot up, but I really didn't know anything about it!

"With that story, all I did was open the door and go 'uh', and then suddenly I fell down the stairs, but I did have to lay on the freezing cold floor for hours. So I only really get snapshots of this big stuff, the actual hard stuff is when I am being an alcoholic and I am sinking or swimming by my own acting abilities! (Laughs.)

"Everyone said, 'Was it amazing? Was it this? Was it that?' I was like 'Get out, lay on a bonnet, come back in, get some more blood on me, lay on the bonnet, go back in…'"

Were you not involved in the stunts then?
"My family are involved in the stunt business - it's an area I respect and I would never put a stuntman out of a job or two, or try and do what they do, because what they do is a very skilled job. It's for them, not for me - it's their territory."

Do you think Phil is being foolish by getting into this car with Carl?
"No, he's going to make money which he needs to get Shirley her money. I described it as 'retail therapy' - crime for Phil is like therapy. Phil feels better about who he is and he becomes more of a man when he's done some crime, so it's kind of crime therapy for Phil and serves the purpose of getting Shirley sorted out."

Are we going to see you in a hospital bed for ages?
"Yes it's perfect! That's the other thing - I have had a really easy ride because all my scenes are shot in half a day in the hospital bed. So all my scenes of being in a hospital bed, I've done those episodes."

What are the ramifications of this crash on Phil?
"It weakens him - I think that's where he is now. He's weakened by these events and he's kind of very vulnerable and he's getting older! It's a bit like that Monty Python sketch where the guy is getting all his arms and legs chopped off, he's sort of soldiering on but having to dig deep, really."

Would you be sad to see Phil lose his status as King of the Square?
"No, I can play high status and I can play low status. If you've seen the crack stuff and the alcoholic stuff, you know I dig deep and go low. Then what they give you is the potential to rise again and then you get high and you go low again. That's soap and that's Phil, so you know if he's usurped it will give me a chance to come back and take back over.

"I am not hanging on to some alter ego of who Phil ought to be and insisting that he can't get turned over, because he should be turned over so he gets a chance to fight back. When you truly know someone and they lose it all, then they fight back from nowhere so you see the real strength of them then."

Do you wish Phil and Shirley would get back together?
"Well I'd love to see them together, but obviously I have been doing stuff with Letitia [Dean] who I equally like to work with. I do really love working with Linda [Henry], but it's up to the producers what they want to do. You know them getting together, that never happens anyway, things always go wrong!

"They've got an interesting relationship and I think there is a lot of love there that they've held onto even though they are not together anymore."

Have you ever had a storyline that you've found it hard to switch off from?
"It's harder to get into it than it is to let go. It only takes me 20 minutes to get here, but I used to leave home an hour before and drive round on my scooter and I wouldn't come in the car because I wanted to feel low down - driving around the M25 and up the A1 with a lorry overtaking you and the wind hitting you. You don't feel like 'Oh I am this big actor who's on the telly and I've made it'.

"So driving to work was even part of it, but as soon as they say 'cut' I am out of it. I let go completely and wonder what I'm doing at the weekend."

Have you ever been given a storyline and thought 'Phil would never do this'?
"I think that's one of the exciting things about doing this job - you never know what they're going to say as much as you disagree with it. And that's what I've also learnt, that some of the stuff that I've instinctively thought 'that's not very Phil like' has turned out to be some of the best stuff."

[tammyy2j]

EastEnders boss Dominic Treadwell-Collins has revealed that Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) is in for some life-changing drama over the coming months.

"Phil is the one to watch," the executive producer told RadioTimes.com. "Phil has disappeared and everyone assumes that he's just gone off for a wander. Ben thinks it's all because of him. Sharon thinks that he's left her. But we know that Gavin has got him!"

Next week's episodes will see Kathy (Gillian Taylforth) reveal to son Ben (Harry Reid) that Phil has been kidnapped by her evil partner Gavin (Paul Nicholas) and that they now need to work out a way to rescue him.

Speaking about Phil's kidnap, Treadwell-Collins added: "What Gavin does to Phil while he's off screen will take Phil in a whole new direction that will run into next year. We talked about doing for Phil Mitchell what we did recently for Ian Beale."

The BBC1 soap's head honcho has previously revealed that Gavin is definitely not a man to be messed with. "Paul Nicholas has created the most manipulative and dangerous EastEnders baddie we've ever had. He makes Archie Mitchell look like a Care Bear," he said.

Despite having been shot twice and battled drug and alcohol addictions in the past, it looks like hard man Phil might well be lucky to come through this latest ordeal in one piece.

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-...adwell-collins

[Dazzle]

Speaking about Phil's kidnap, Treadwell-Collins added: "What Gavin does to Phil while he's off screen will take Phil in a whole new direction that will run into next year. We talked about doing for Phil Mitchell what we did recently for Ian Beale."

I wonder what on earth Gavin does to Phil that'll change him so much? Get him hooked on heroin? Torture him psychologically until he has a complete breakdown? Keep him in solitary confinement until he has a complete breakdown? Maybe I've been watching too much US TV...

[maidmarian]

Further info.recd

[Perdita]

EastEnders hardman Phil Mitchell will find himself on a very dark path this winter as he starts drinking again.

Phil returns home to Walford tonight (October 26) following his kidnap ordeal at the hands of Gavin Sullivan, but it soon becomes clear that his troubles are far from over.

Phil struggles alone
© BBC
Phil struggles in this week's EastEnders episodes

Viewers have seen Phil (Steve McFadden) struggle with alcoholism in the past, but his old demons are now returning as he has consumed booze while being held captive by evil Gavin.

With the relapse having a big impact, it's not long before Phil leaves his son Ben shocked by begging him for more alcohol.

Harry Reid, who plays Ben, commented: "Ben has only seen bits of Phil drinking, back in the early years when Charlie Jones played Ben. Ultimately Phil is a strong man. In Ben's eyes, he's God! So when Ben sees that weak bit of Phil, it gives Ben a bit of backbone.

"Ben loves his dad and he's got to sort him out. Although he hasn't seen it much, he's heard about that part of Phil's life and what it means. There will be a reaction from Ben and he'll man up.

"You take a strong character like Phil and alcohol weakens him and brings him down, like a kick to the guts. That gives Ben some oomph to get him back on track."

Gillian Taylforth, who plays Kathy Beale, added: "The reason Phil has gone back to drinking you'll find out later - it's what Gavin did to him. Gavin is very cunning. He knows everyone's weakness and uses it. Gavin knows that drinking is Phil's weakness.

"Steve McFadden is fantastic, I have to say, in all the episodes onwards."

This week's tense EastEnders episodes are building up to an explosive Halloween special this Friday, which sees Gavin continue to pose a threat to several characters on the Square.

EastEnders' executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins explained: "Phil has escaped from Gavin but he's now a broken man and he begs Ben to get him booze, because he's already had some while he's been locked away by Gavin.

"This is the start of a massive storyline for Steve McFadden that will take us right the way through to Easter."

EastEnders airs its Halloween special on Friday (October 30) at 7.30pm on BBC One.

digitalspy

[Perdita]

Life looks set to get a whole lot worse for EastEnders hardman Phil Mitchell if these new pictures are anything to go by.

Steve McFadden, who plays Phil, was filming out on location today (November 16) and it seemed that his legendary character had hit rock bottom.

Swigging from a bottle of whiskey and making a scene out on the street, Phil appeared to be in a very sorry state.

These scenes won't air on our screens for a few weeks yet, so we'll have to stay tuned to find out what pushes Phil to the brink this time.

Steve McFadden films EastEnders drinking scenes on location
© BBC
EastEnders fans have recently seen Phil confide in his son Ben about how he'd fallen off the wagon.

He drank booze last month during his kidnap ordeal at the hands of evil Gavin Sullivan, who skilfully exploited his alcoholism for his own gain.

With more family drama ahead for the Mitchells - include Ronnie's shock arrest for the murder of Carl White - it looks like Phil will struggle with the pressure of keeping his loved ones united.

Steve McFadden films EastEnders drinking scenes on location
© BBC
EastEnders boss Dominic Treadwell-Collins recently teased: "This is the start of a massive storyline for Steve McFadden that will take us right the way through to Easter."

[lizann]

his liver is kaput he needs a new one