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Phillip James "Phil" Mitchell is a long-running fictional character in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. He is played by Steve McFadden.

Phil first arrived in Albert Square on 20 February 1990, and was soon joined by his brother, Grant and later his sister Sam and mother Peggy. He has become one of the soap's most popular characters and is the second longest-running male protagonist to appear in the serial. He was first introduced as the lesser of two thugs, but became a darker character upon his brother's exit. More recent storylines, such as the return of his son Ben, have shown a softer side to the character.

He has at various times owned many businesses in the Square, including the Queen Vic, The Arches, Bridge Street Café, the Snooker Hall and Walford Video. He has been married three times and he has featured in numerous high profile storylines, including the much-hyped whodunnit, dubbed "Who Shot Phil?" — when the character was gunned down outside his home — and an affair with his brother's wife, dubbed "Sharongate".

Character creation and development

Background

In the latter part of 1989 EastEnders acquired a new executive producer named Michael Ferguson, who took over from Mike Gibbon. Ferguson had previously been a producer on ITV's The Bill — a hard-hitting, gritty and successful police drama, which seemed to be challenging EastEnders in providing a realistic vision of modern life in London. Due to his success on The Bill, Peter Creegan, the Head of Series at the BBC, poached Ferguson to become executive producer of EastEnders.

Following a relatively unsuccessful inclination towards comic storylines throughout 1989, Ferguson decided to take the soap in a new direction in 1990. Big changes were implemented both off-screen and on-screen. Ferguson altered the way the episodes were produced, changed the way the storylines were conceptualised and introduced a far greater amount of location work than had previously been seen. EastEnders scriptwriter Colin Brake has said that it was a challenging period, but "the results on-screen were a programme with a new sense of vitality, and a programme more in touch with the real world than it had been for a while".

As a consequence of these changes, a large number of characters were axed in early 1990 as the new production machine cleared way for a new direction and new characters. Two major new characters, the Mitchell brothers, made their first appearance in February 1990. Ferguson wanted to introduce a couple of young men who would bring an air of danger, characters who would be "unpredictable" and "bursting with energy". Phil and Grant Mitchell went on to become major long-term characters, who are rooted firmly at the heart of the series.

Casting

To cast Phil and Grant Mitchell many actors were screen-tested together. This was done to assure that the chosen actors — who would work predominantly alongside each other — had a strong rapport and physical resemblance. Producer Corinne Hollingworth has 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 in the role of 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 was given the role of Grant. Both actors worked well and convincingly together and both shared similar physical characteristics, such as short cropped hair and a "round, open face" — facial characteristics also shared by Danniella Westbrook, who was partly chosen to play their sister Samantha because of this.

Personality

Of the two brothers Phil was initially the calmer, but both had a sense of physical danger about them, and both displayed stereotypical masculinity, thuggish behaviour and a tendency to resolve problems through violence. Phil was originally depicted as the thinker of the Mitchell double-act and also the most streetwise of the pair, often bailing his more spontaneous brother out of trouble, although later plotlines have driven the character down a darker, more destructive route. Phil can be violent, but unlike Grant he has occasionally shown restraint when dealing with the various enemies he has encountered – exerting revenge over time, using mind games or getting others to do his ‘dirty work’.

Family is important to Phil, as it is to all the Mitchells. He is dependable to his brother, paternal to his sister and dutiful to his mother — responsibilities that fell on him as the eldest, following the death of his father. Despite the brothers' closeness, rivalry between them is sometimes evident and particularly shown in Phil, who at times expresses his dissatisfaction regarding his parents' favouritism towards Grant. Indeed this caused a rift between him and his mother for some time. His relationship with his volatile father, Eric (unseen in the serial), has often been referred to by the character, usually in moments of emotion — his initial inability to bond with his child an indirect result of his father's abuse, and his treatment of women a learned response that mirrors his father's treatment of his mother. The character has often expressed fears that he will become like his father and alienate his children in a similar way. Despite being opposed to this, he is at times incapable of breaking 'the cycle', which has resulted in alcoholism, marital abuse and separation from both of his children. Phil strives to be a good father and often reiterates the importance of this.

Phil has occasionally shown sadistic traits. His bullying of Ian Beale is often done as a means of deriving pleasure. Equally the ceaseless degradation of his girlfriend Lisa showed a particularly malicious side to the character. While Phil has shown compassion to the women in his life, he frequently finds that he is unable to provide them with the emotional security needed to sustain the relationship. Several women have left him due to his repressed issues and his inability to put their needs above his family's. Phil is most oftenly seen wearin dark coloured shirts and jeans with his trademark black leather jacket.

Narrative and impact

The Mitchell brothers quickly became two of the soap's most popular characters and storylines involving the brothers soon 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 married Grant initially, EastEnders writer Tony Jordan has revealed in The Mitchells - The Full Story that the love-triangle storyline had been planned since Phil and Grant's introduction, after the writers came to the realisation that Sharon was perfect for them both. This storyline was slow burning and was spread over several years, providing a plethora of dramatic tension along the way. The episode in which Phil betrays his brother with Sharon occurred in September 1992 in one of the soap's notorious three-handers. Sue Dunderdale directed the episodes and the performances of McFadden, Kemp and Dean have been described as memorable and filled with high-tension drama. Things finally came to a head in 1994 with some of EastEnders most popular and renowned episodes, which have been dubbed "Sharongate". The episodes — which were watched by 25.3 million viewers — centred around Grant's discovery of the affair and his startling reaction. The repercussions of Phil's betrayal contributed to many subsequent storylines involving the brothers throughout the 1990s. Writer of Sharongate, Tony Jordan, has stated that of all the storylines he has penned for the soap, Sharongate is the one he is most proud of. He comments "Three of the strongest characters that have ever been in EastEnders are the Mitchell brothers and Sharon...when we actually blew that story it was incredible...being able to reach that many people with your work is what makes EastEnders exciting". 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 the character of Phil has been used to cover is alcoholism and the profound consequences the condition has upon the sufferer's domestic 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 to his own son. Writer Jacquetta May, who once played Rachel Kominski in the show, has evaluated the episode in an article about social realism, education and the moral messages within EastEnders storylines, commenting: "The episode blames his destructiveness on the 'male' response to self-hate: violence. It says that unless problems are worked through (the female method), they will be repeated generation after generation". This particular episode has also been used in a study by the Stirling Media Research Institute, where men were asked questions about the violence contained within a spectrum of broadcast television material. The study reported that much group discussion centred on the Alcoholics Anonymous group scene, which was, for the most part, seen as an accurate depiction of an AA group therapy session. In addition, Phil's portrayal of a suffering alcoholic was also seen as realistic and a "typical portrayal of bottled-up masculinity".

The Mitchell car crash

Phil's disposition altered somewhat 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 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.

An estimated 22 million viewers watched EastEnders on April 5 2001 to find out that Lisa Shaw — Phil's former 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 15 minutes to accommodate a special 40 minute edition of the soap.

Other storylines

The character continues to be featured heavily in high-profile storylines which have included various feuds, police enquiries, armed robbery, kidnapping, numerous affairs and relationship problems and an ongoing plot concentrating on the character's struggles to bond with his children. 2005 saw the highly anticipated screen return of both the Mitchell brothers — six years since they last appeared together. 13 million viewers tuned in to see their return giving the BBC a 52.9% audience share, a massive coup for the show which had come under heavy criticism in the British media after it drew its lowest audience in more than five years (6.6 million viewers tuning in to one episode in September 2005).

Reception

Popularity

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 were 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" and "revive the soap's ailing ratings". 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, one reporter 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".

In addition the character has been praised for being good value, realistic, consistent within his character and convincing.

Criticism

Although popular with many, the character has also garnered much criticism over the years.

In November 2005 the character was blamed for turning children into playground bullies by Dr. Sally Henry, who claimed that impressionable children look to male soap characters as role models and subsequently copy their violent behaviour.

Indeed the character's violent behaviour evoked concern from viewers in October 2002. A scene in which Phil beat his godson Jamie, was criticised for being too realistic by TV watchdogs. The Broadcasting Standards Commission upheld 31 complaints from viewers, saying that the scenes were too strong for a programme shown before the 9pm watershed.

A certain level of criticism was aimed at the character due to the stark personality change he underwent circa 2000. One reporter commented "Formerly the milder-mannered sibling, Phil has gone from Abel to Cain without an intervening period of plausibility. And it doesn't suit him". His violent tendencies have also been spoofed by the television series 2DTV.

There were mixed reviews for the highly publicised storyline (dubbed Get Johnny Week) involving the Mitchell brothers reunion in 2006. It was criticised as "patchy" and "awkwardly written...unveiling a common weakness in the EastEnders camp, that character continuity can often fall by the wayside when you are dealing with larger characters". Additionally, the show was criticised for turning the brothers into a comical farce by incorporating uncharacteristic humour into their dialect, which was described as "cringeworthy".

A proportion of viewers possibly feel the criticism is justifiable as the character came second in a Channel 4 poll of The Five TV Characters We Most Love To Hate in 2001 — beaten only by Mr. Blobby.

Storylines

Background and arrival

Phil is the first child of Eric and Peggy Mitchell, who married in 1960 while Peggy was pregnant with him. He was named after his grandfather Phil. Their marriage was not a happy one, and Eric, frustrated by taunts from his boss, Johnny Allen, was violent to Peggy. Eric's violence was also directed at Phil and the violence continued until he was big enough to fight back.

Phil attended the same school as his younger brother, Grant, and friend Nigel Bates. He and Grant were close, and had a reputation for their thuggish behaviour.

Phil and Grant arrived in Walford in February 1990, and bought the garage under a railway bridge arch on Turpin Way — colloquially known as The Arches, formally called Mitchell's Autos — with money that Phil had won gambling.

They were soon making their presence felt around the Square, hustling Julie Cooper for her salon lease at a cheap price, and employing Mark and Arthur Fowler to deliver forged MOT certificates for them — leading to Mark getting arrested. After pressure from Michelle Fowler, Phil went to the police and took the blame.

In March 1991 a car that had been involved in a bank raid found its way to the Mitchells' garage for repair. Grant couldn't resist liberating some of the stolen bank notes that were hidden in the car, not realising they were forgeries. Menacing heavies later turned up and wrecked the Mitchells' flat, demanding it back. The brothers were outwitted by the villains, who recovered a number of valuable misprinted stamps that had also been in the car, by getting the Mitchells to send them in the post. Later in the year they attempted to use Clyde Tavernier's boxing skills to make money by overfacing him and then betting against him. In the end the plan was foiled, partly because Eddie Royle tipped off the police.

Tangled love at the Vic

Towards the end of 1991, Phil was persuaded to go into partnership at The Queen Vic with his brother and Sharon Watts, who was engaged to Grant. Phil began an affair with a mysterious woman named Anne Howes — who turned out to be a habitual liar — and in June 1992 Grant persuaded him to take his place in the armed robbery of a betting shop after Sharon threatened to end their marriage unless he backed out. The raiders, Steer and Keating, were incompetent amateurs, and one shot the other in the foot by mistake. When Phil stopped to help the injured Keating, Steer drove off and left them. Phil managed to get away but the police were very suspicious, and only Frank Butcher and Pete Beale's false alibis saved him from arrest.

Grant and Sharon's relationship began to sour later in 1992, due to Sharon's refusal to provide him with a child. Grant turned violent and then disappeared, leaving Phil to comfort Sharon in her hour of need. As Grant's behaviour continued to worsen Phil and Sharon grew closer, until she began to wonder if she'd married the wrong Mitchell. After a particularly heated row in September, Grant went out for the night leaving Phil alone with Sharon and the inevitable release of pent-up desire ended with them sleeping together. Phil made it clear that he was willing to risk everything to be with Sharon, but in the end she chose to stay with Grant. Grant remained unaware of their betrayal.

Things went from bad to worse at the Vic after Sharon discovered that Grant was responsible for the fire there that almost claimed her life. Grant decided to sell the pub and Phil was unable to persuade him not to. Angry with the brothers, Sharon walked out in January 1993 to visit her mother in America. When she returned and discovered the mess they had made of running the pub she attempted to take control and in the row that followed Grant hit her. Grant was arrested and after hitting a policeman he was sent to prison and refused bail. In his absence Phil and Sharon were free to continue their affair, although they were both regularly tormented by feelings of guilt. Neither of the lovers were prepared to tell Grant the truth however, and when he came out of prison a changed man, Sharon realised that she and Phil would never be a legitimate couple. Sharon and Grant reconciled and Phil watched on heartbroken as they began to patch up their marriage.

Marriage of convenience

On the rebound, Phil found himself in a marriage of convenience to Nadia Borovac, a Romanian refugee. Phil, who had given Hattie Tavernier a lift to Portsmouth, met Nadia in a nearby bar and, feeling sorry for her, agreed to marry her so she could stay in the country with her boyfriend Marco. They married in July 1993 and Nadia departed.

Phil could no longer stand being around Sharon and Grant. He moved out and swapped his share of the Vic for Grant's share in the Arches. In the Autumn he began a romance with Kathy Beale whilst on a holiday in Paris. Their relationship was stalled by the reappearance of Nadia, who returned to Walford in November, needing Phil to play her husband in more realistic ways to prevent her from being deported. She moved in with him while the home office undertook their investigation. Nadia managed to convince the representative that the relationship was legit, but she neglected to tell this to Phil and he had no choice but to let her remain living with him. Feeling jealous of her husband's real girlfriend, Nadia made things as difficult as possible for him and Kathy, and finally seduced a drunken Phil at Christmas 1993 and slept with him. Phil regretted it instantly, but Nadia refused to give up and after getting seriously drunk she informed Kathy about their tryst. Phil denied it and Nadia then disappeared after Grant threatened to kill her if he ever saw her again.

Life with Kathy

Phil and Kathy's relationship developed through 1994 and early in the year they began living together, although things did not go smoothly. In March Kathy was angry at Phil for buying Frank's share in her café and their relationship hit another set back when she discovered that Phil was responsible for torching Frank's car lot in an insurance scam, which killed a homeless boy. She left him and Phil began drinking heavily. After one particularly heavy drinking session, he managed to corner Kathy long enough to propose marriage to her — and to his astonishment, she accepted.

In order to marry her Phil had to divorce Nadia. Nadia was unwilling, but blackmailed Phil into giving her £1000, after which she gave him a divorce and then left the country. Meanwhile, after hearing that Phil was planning to marry, Sharon was jealous and went to him, intent on getting him back. Phil was tempted, they kissed, but he then asked her to leave. Sharon tried to put her feelings for Phil behind her and busied herself with the arrangement of his engagement party. The party was held at the Vic in October 1994. All was going well, until Grant listened to a cassette of Sharon confessing to her affair with Phil. Furious, Grant stormed into the Vic and played the tape to the entire pub (see Sharongate for more details). Kathy was incensed to learn that her fiancé had been kissing Sharon weeks earlier. Phil found Grant at the Arches and Grant beat him so badly that he was hospitalised with a ruptured spleen. Phil underwent surgery, which managed to stir some remorse in Grant. He pressured Phil into saying that Sharon was to blame for the affair and Grant chased her out of Walford. Phil and Grant made peace with each other, although things between them were never quite the same again. Kathy wasn't so forgiving and kept her distance from Phil for many months.

The following year Phil and Kathy sorted out their differences and got married. By the end of the year Kathy had found herself pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy, Ben, in 1996, although he later contracted meningitis and was left with impaired hearing. Kathy became devoted to her son. Phil began to feel neglected and in his depression he turned to alcohol; by the end of the year his drinking had developed into full-blown alcoholism. Phil and Kathy began arguing regularly at the end of the year, which became more violent and increasingly stormy as Phil continued to drink. After he snatched Ben and then foolishly left him near a fire whilst he passed out drunk, Kathy left him. Realising what he'd lost, Phil then made an attempt to kick the bottle and rebuild his marriage. He attended Alcoholics Anonymous, which helped to reveal the basis of his problem — the physical abuse he'd received from his father and his fear that he will do the same to his own son. Kathy took him back for a while, but it didn't last. When Phil attended counselling in the summer he began an affair with a fellow alcoholic named Lorna Cartwright, who then started stalking him and soon made herself known to Kathy. With their relationship in jeopardy, Phil and Kathy joined Grant and his wife Tiffany on their Paris trip in August with the hope that it would bring them closer. However, their return to the city where their relationship began several years earlier was not a success. Phil confessed his affair with Lorna and Kathy responded by chucking her wedding ring into the Seine, stating that their marriage was the biggest mistake of her life.

Upon their return to Walford, Phil began sleeping rough, gambling and blaming Kathy for his decline. She hardened her heart and by April 1998 she'd decided to leave Walford to live in South Africa. A marriage proposal from Alex Healy and an impromptu offer of elopement from Grant couldn't dissuade her from leaving, however she let it be known that an offer of reconciliation from Phil would make her reconsider. Phil left it to the last minute to win her back, but he was stalled by Lorna, who locked herself in his bathroom and attempted to commit suicide. Thinking Phil no longer wanted her, Kathy left for the airport. Phil followed, but was accosted by her son Ian Beale, who persuaded him that Kathy was better off without him. Kathy departed leaving Phil agonising over the loss of his son.

Phil took his mind off things by getting involved in a protection racket with Annie Palmer, who he was also having casual sex with. Phil thought he could soften Annie, but she was far too business orientated to allow this to happen. Phil grew tired of being bossed around by her and quit in the midst of a turf war with a rival firm. The rival firm's heavies held Peggy hostage and interrogated Phil. Phil placed responsibility on Annie and she was given a severe beating as a warning, which put a stop to that venture.

Phil began seeing Lisa Shaw, but the relationship stalled due to Kathy, who returned briefly in September 1999. Instead of making up with her ex-husband, she picked up where she left off with Grant and they slept together. Just before she was due to return to South Africa, Kathy asked Phil to leave with her. However, Grant had planned an armed robbery that same day and Phil could not bring himself to let his brother perform the job without his assistance. Kathy became infuriated with Phil's loyalty to Grant and so she decided to reveal their recent affair. This led to a dramatic showdown between the Mitchell brothers. Phil confronted his brother after the heist and Grant confessed 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 pulled out a handgun and began shooting at the dashboard, which caused Grant to crash into the River Thames. Phil was rescued but Grant was nowhere to be seen. But it was later revealed that he survived and he went to live in Brazil.

Phil turns nasty

Phil spent some time in hospital with a collapsed lung, but managed to avoid being arrested for the heist due to lack of evidence. He was distant with Lisa, took against his mother, who blamed him for Grant's disappearance and began drinking again. When Grant sent Phil his half of the Vic, Phil cruelly sold it to Dan Sullivan for £5, just to spite Peggy.

Lisa and Phil's relationship continued, but she took things much more seriously than he did. She fell pregnant in February 2000, much to Phil's anger and he ordered her to abort it. Lisa decided to keep the baby and eventually Phil came round to the idea of having another child. Lisa moved in with Phil but in April she suffered a miscarriage, which devastated her. Phil initially responded by shouting abuse at her, but eventually managed to offer his support. Meanwhile, Phil turned on Dan when he discovered that he'd informed the police about a motor scam he was involved in. He made peace with his mother and then conned Dan into signing over his half of The Vic to Peggy.

Later in 2000 Phil took great delight in Ian Beale's financial difficulties — their feud stemmed back to 1994 when Phil flushed Ian's head down the toilet for being rude to Kathy. Phil refused to help Ian and he was declared bankrupt.

Phil and Lisa remained happy for a while, but it didn't last. Faced with Phil's aggression and rejection, Lisa turned into a simpering wreck and began drinking heavily. Phil cared little for Lisa's mental state and turned his attention to her best friend Melanie Healy. Mel and her fiancé, Steve Owen, had fallen out due to Phil's meddling and following a brawl in the Vic, Steve scarpered leaving Mel alone at Christmas. She spent the day with Phil and Lisa, but Lisa — insanely jealous of her presence — threw wine over Mel. Phil berated Lisa and took Mel back to his. He poisoned her mind against Steve and after a heated conversation they ended up having sex. Mel and Phil decided to keep their tryst a secret, but early in 2001 Phil grew jealous of her reconciliation with Steve. He could no longer stand Lisa and became verbally and physically abusive to her. Lisa's response to the rejection was to stop taking the pill, thinking that a baby would make Phil happier. However, Phil told Peggy that a baby with Lisa was the last thing he wanted and Mel overheard. She tried to persuade Lisa to finish with Phil and when Lisa remained defiant she confessed to their affair. Finally, after months of heartache, Lisa left Phil although, unbeknown to him, she was already pregnant with his baby. Mark Fowler persuaded her to pretend that Phil's baby was his.

Phil continued to abuse and belittle Lisa, until she was baying for his blood. She wasn't the only one, as Steve had found out that Mel had slept with Phil; Ian wanted revenge for Phil's continual bullying; Mark wanted to avenge Lisa and to top it off Dan Sullivan had returned and wanted payback. On the night of Steve and Mel's wedding in March 2001, someone hid in the bushes outside Phil's house and shot him in the back. Phil collapsed in a pool of blood and was unconscious within seconds. (see Who Shot Phil? for more details). While Phil fought for his life in hospital Steve became prime suspect for the shooting and was eventually arrested. However, it wasn't Steve, and after being discharged from hospital a month later, Phil went to confront the culprit, who was revealed to be Lisa! It was revealed that Lisa had stolen Steve's gun and went on a rampage in a moment of madness. Realising that he'd driven Lisa to it, Phil decided to let her off the hook. He took the gun she'd been hiding and framed Dan for the deed in revenge for the beating he'd given his nephew, Jamie. Phil approached one of his dodgy contacts, Ritchie Stringer, who in turn contacted Dan and supplied him with the gun. Not realising he was being set-up, Dan stormed into the Arches, held Phil at gunpoint and demanded money. However, the police had already been tipped off. Dan was caught redhanded and charged with attempted murder.

Phil began a second relationship with Sharon Watts, who returned in May as landlady of the Queen Vic. Soon after that, Phil discovered that Steve was being called as a witness at Dan's trial. Phil pressured him to give a false testimony, further implicating Dan, but to everyone's astonishment he was found "not guilty". After being released Dan immediately sought revenge. He kidnapped Mel — the only common link between his adversaries, Phil and Steve. He threatened to kill her unless they provided him with £100,000 each. Phil and Steve were forced to work together to retrieve her. Phil used the situation to regain Steve's share in the Vic and went to Dan's hideout with the ransom. He attempted to get the upper hand by pulling a gun on him and he would've killed Dan if it wasn't for Mel's interference (Mel had taken Dan's side after hearing some unsavoury things about her husband). Dan outmanoeuvered Phil, knocked him out and escaped with the money.

Paternal issues and various feuds

Phil and Sharon ran the Vic together for a while, although Phil was regularly in the middle of Sharon and Peggy's squabbling. Phil wanted children, but Sharon revealed that she was infertile and that Lisa's baby, Louise, was really his daughter and not Mark's, which ended their relationship. Phil confronted Lisa about baby Louise, demanding that he become part of his child's life, much to her dismay.

Phil had been particularly infuriated to hear that Sharon's infertility was the result of her aborting Grant's unborn baby six years earlier, shortly after their separation.

Following the reprisal of Steve's feud with Phil in 2002, he got involved in Lisa's plight and offered to give her a new life in California along with Louise, Mark and Mel. However, when Mark revealed that he couldn't leave the country due to his HIV status, Steve absconded with Louise. In desperation Mark informed Phil and a mad car chase ensued. Steve lost control and crashed into a wall. Phil ran to the wreck and rescued Louise but it was too late to save Steve, who burnt to death as the car exploded in an inferno.

Phil knew that the only way to get custody of Louise was to win Lisa back. Lisa was easily swayed and after just five months of marriage with Mark she began an affair with Phil. She moved in with him, and eventually Phil and the rest of the Mitchells slowly pushed Lisa away from her daughter until she was a virtual stranger. She realised that getting back with Phil was a huge mistake, and escaped with the baby to Portugal. Jamie helped her escape, which earned him a severe beating from Phil, which only stopped when Jamie's girlfriend, Sonia, admitted where Lisa had gone. Phil went off in hot pursuit and arrived back a month later with Louise, but not Lisa. Some residents suspected that Lisa was dead and that Phil had murdered her.

Phil fell for manicurist Kate in 2003, but she was really an undercover police officer, who was investigating Lisa's disappearance (and possible death). After gaining a confession from Phil (that he mentally manipulated Lisa into handing over their daughter), Kate in turn admitted who she really was. She admitted that she loved him and would give up her job for him. Phil responded by threatening to slit her throat with a broken bottle. Kate then disappeared, but

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