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"Smashing Stigma: How EastEnders Portrays Phil Mitchell's Inner Battles"

  • Writer: Mark Moody
    Mark Moody
  • Feb 20
  • 6 min read

Eastenders has never shied away from hard-hitting stories in its 40 years of existence, and Mental Health issues have been a part of that. They've brilliantly tackled the highs and lows of Bipolar disorder with both Jean and Stacey Slater and OCD with Bobby Beale. Their most recent storyline, though, has smashed it out of the park. EastEnders has been working on a mental health storyline that has seen Phil Mitchell's, 'played by Steve McFadden' mental health decline over the last few months as he attempts to hide his depression from those around him. Having withdrawn from his family and friends in recent months following Sharon’s newfound relationship with his cousin Teddy, the breakdown of his marriage to Kat after his affair with Lola's Mum and Ben’s incarceration in America, the storyline came to a head last night as Phil attempts to take his own life. Phil put the gun to his head and frantically pulled the trigger while having a mental health breakdown in the latest episode of the soap.

Phil Mitchell tried to end his life in distressing scenes in EastEnders Credit: BBC
Phil Mitchell tried to end his life in distressing scenes in EastEnders Credit: BBC

The writers have managed to hit all the key points surrounding what often happens to someone who is suffering a gradual decline in their Depression, It all started off relatively subtle, with Phil gradually becoming more withdrawn, not wanting to socialise with friends and family as much, isolating himself in his home. Then we have friends and family starting to notice something is not right, Phil's home being a mess, him becoming more withdrawn, and his friends show concern, but he just pushes them away, It's all put down to "Phil just being Phil," ie a grumpy old sod, and sadly this is often one reason someone's mental health decline can go unnoticed, it's often put down to those around them as them just being antisocial, boring, miserable.


Phil then gets a major blast from the past over Christmas, as his old friend and fan favourite Nigel Bates makes a return, notices something isn't quite right with Phil and tries his best to encourage him to get out and about more, but sadly to no avail.

Old friends reunited as Nigel stages his return (Picture: BBC / Jack Barnes / Kieron McCarron)
Old friends reunited as Nigel stages his return (Picture: BBC / Jack Barnes / Kieron McCarron)

Then comes the episode where Phil also begins to spiral into periods of psychosis, The episode saw Phil hallucinate visions of his younger self and family, including mum Peggy. Phil was seen getting a gun in both the real world and his past with his dad, Eric and mum, Peggy.

While Sharon and his friends tried desperately to find him, Phil managed to evade them until Jay found him at home.

Phil spiralled out of control in front of Jay - who didn’t quite understand what was going on.

Babbling, he told Jay: “You can't trust your body, and your body can't trust you, it lies to you. 

This vision of Phil told him what he thought she would think in harrowing scenes Credit: BBC.
This vision of Phil told him what he thought she would think in harrowing scenes Credit: BBC.

For the first time, he opens up to Jay about how he's feeling, telling him. “I’ve smashed my body up against a brick wall so many times, I just never die. Drink, drugs, fights, heart attacks, got shot, cirrhosis... 

“I should be dead. I should be dead and on the ground, but my body just doesn't take the hint. My body just keeps on repairing; it keeps the blood going round and round and round." Jay kept asking Phil if it was alright and then accepted that he was, leaving him alone in his house, leaving him to slip into another vision with his dad and himself. A troubled Phil ended up shooting his younger self while getting his gun out in reality.

Another run-in with Sharon followed, but Phil convinced her he was fine too - and promised to speak to her later.

But after she left, a horrifying vision of his mum Peggy returned - and told Phil he should end it all.

She told him: “Look at you, 64 and not a friend in the world. Not so much a life as a smear across six decades. 

“You make out you care about people, but you don’t. You hurt them; you abuse them. Eric was not a kind man to me, but I grieved for him, and I grieved for you, too. 

“You ended up just like him. Phil, sweetheart, this is what you think I think, and I’m not here to say any different, so it’s all we’ve got, isn’t it? 

“But you know what, we can still make the world a better place… by letting your kids grow up without you in their lives.” But as Phil picked up the gun in both his vision and real life, Nigel burst in - to both scenes - just in the nick of time.

“Phil, are you OK? Phil, Phil, are you OK? I was a bit worried about you. I thought you might want to see a friendly face…

“Hello, bruv,” said Grant from behind. Now, this example can often come across as intrusive thoughts rather than hallucinations and visions, but to the sufferer, these thoughts and feelings feel very real all the same. You may think, "Why did nobody get Phil the help he needed at this point?" because very often, the sad reality is that someone with Mental Illness has to accept the offer of help until they can start to get better. Even at this point, his Brother, Grant, is still in denial. Things finally came to a head on Wednesday night, increasingly more concerned by his behaviour, Linda, who has bonded with Phil in the past due to both their struggles with Alcohol addiction, discovers Phil's suicide notes he has left for loved ones, Alerting his Brother Grant and old friend Nigel, there is a mad dash to try and find Phil's whereabouts, finally discovering him in his Garage. Phil broke down in front of his horrified hardman brother Grant, Linda Carter and Nigel Bates and told them he no longer wanted to be alive.

Phil told the trio that 'all he does is cause pain' and described himself as a "burden" to his loved ones.

"Ask Kathy, ask Ben, ask Kat, ask him," he said. While gesturing to Grant.

Nigel, who has returned to Albert Square for the soap's 40th anniversary, begged him to "put the gun down", while Linda pleaded: "Have you seen what suicide does to families?"

He told Grant, Nigel Bates and Linda Carter he was 'done' Credit: BBC
He told Grant, Nigel Bates and Linda Carter he was 'done' Credit: BBC

But Phil, played by Steve McFadden, told them: "They're better off without me. They're better off...no, no... it's over! It's over! I'm done!"

He then backed into a corner and began furiously pulling the trigger with the gun to his head, albeit just out of frame for viewers.

Linda screamed and put her hands over her eyes, but thankfully, the gun didn't have any bullets in, thanks to him not knowing Cindy had used the bullet in separate scenes earlier on, sadly, of course, this wouldn't be the case in the real world.

Grant jumped forward and snatched the weapon from his brother's grasp, yelling furiously: "What if it had been loaded?!" Even at this point, as often seen in real life, His Brother, Grant, was in denial and felt that Phil just needed to "Suck it up and man up!!!" an all to common stigma around men's Mental Health, especially around the older generation from a time where this was often the only answer to a Mans mental struggles, which Linda quoted perfectly when she told Phil that Grant is "stuck in the 80s", but he said: "What is the point in carrying on?" As Grant remains in denial and leaves, Phil continues to battle with his mental health in The Arches.

At first, he was reluctant to seek professional help but came around to the idea as the hour-long episode went on.

Phil told Linda: "First, I felt lonely. That ain't me, that ain't me. And depressed? I don't know, that just sounds pathetic." Linda told him: "He doesn't."

He added: "I've been fighting all my life, trying to be the hard man, trying to be the governor. It comes from Mum, I suppose.

"That's what she says, that's what she says. She says you've got to look after your own." Linda told Phil: "You do, you do. But you don't have to be the hard man."

Between Linda and Nigel, who revealed to Phil he is suffering from dementia, they managed to convince him to speak to a mental health practitioner.

He eventually agreed to seek hospital treatment. Credit: BBC
He eventually agreed to seek hospital treatment. Credit: BBC

So well done, Eastenders, well done, Steve McFadden, you've done the storyline and the Mental health community proud and deserve awards for it, but I have one favour to ask of you in the next stages of this storyline. Don't have Phil recover after a couple of weeks. That may sound like an odd thing to say to some, but I feel it's extremely important that you highlight the often rollercoaster highs, lows and relapses someone suffering from Depression often has on their journey to recovery. Don't give people the stigma of assuming a couple of weeks of therapy will cure everything.

 
 
 

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