‘EastEnders’ have confirmed Phil Mitchell will be left fighting for his life in upcoming scenes.
A dramatic new trailer for the BBC One soap dropped last night (14.07.19), in which Phil – played by soap stalwart Steve McFadden – will be left unconscious and is stretchered into an ambulance while horrified Albert Square residents look on.
The footage comes shortly after Phil is seen having a huge bust up with Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters), who has been having a secret affair with his wife Sharon Mitchell (Letitia Dean), and has got Phil’s daughter Louise Mitchell (Tilly Keeper) pregnant.
Elsewhere, the trailer confirmed Max Branning (Jake Wood) is to have an affair with Ruby Allen (Louisa Lytton), leaving her best friend Stacey Fowler (Lacey Turner) green with envy after she previously hooked up with bad boy Max on numerous occasions.
In the trailer, Stacey’s husband Martin is heard telling her: "You’re jealous of Ruby aren’t you?"
And he tells Max: "You get off on it, don’t you? Attention."
There also looks to be some more intense scenes to come involving Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) and Callum ‘Halfway’ Highway (Tony Clay), who have been branded Ballum after their one-night stand.
What’s more, the show are working with Refuge and Women’s Aid on a domestic abuse storyline involving Chantelle (Jessica Plummer) and Gray Atkins (Toby-Alexander Smith).
The plot kicked off on Friday (12.07.19) when Gray attacked his wife behind closed doors and it became clear this was not the first time it has happened.
Jessica said: "I feel honoured to take on the responsibility of Chantelle’s story. This is an issue that I, and everyone at ‘EastEnders’, hope we can raise awareness of.
"Many women and men that are in Chantelle’s situation suffer in silence and we really hope that by showing this story we can highlight an issue and encourage those in similar situations to seek the help they need."
Kate Oates, head of continuing drama series, added: "When Chantelle and Gray arrived on the Square, they gave many of their neighbours a big dose of life-envy with their perfect relationship and no-filter-needed looks and lifestyle.
"But there is truth in the old adage that you don’t know what goes on behind closed doors; and the very first time we crossed the threshold of No 1, we saw the truth of their relationship, and the violence Gray subjects Chantelle to."