EastEnders viewers have been following along anxiously as Phil Mitchell's psychosis storyline took a dramatic turn last week, with a trip back in time that resulted in an apparent attempted suicide, and are now predicting a major character will return.
In recent weeks, fans of the BBC One soap have seen Steve McFadden 's character Phil struggle with his mental health. Spiraling into severe bouts of depression, the mechanic has been going to great efforts to isolate himself from his friends and family. In one episode, Phil appeared to take his own life as he locked himself in the Arches and tried to poison himself.
With the special 40th anniversary episodes taking place this week, fans of the show are predicting a blast from Phil's past might hopefully make an appearance. Taking to social media, one viewer wrote: "I wonder if as Phil enters into a mental health facility he will find Shirley is also there? We know Dean said he was looking after her as her mental health was poor after Mick died and now he's in prison. Maybe she spiralled and got admitted into the same facility Phil is at and they return together as emotional support?".
People were delighted with the prediction and excitedly wished for it to happen. One person wrote: "I’m pretty sure Dean did say she was in a mental health facility. Now that would be something." While someone else penned: "It’s a good call. Our Shirl never got the send off that such a long serving character (and Linda Henry) deserved. She just disappeared after Mick disappeared.".
Another person had a similar thought, writing on X, formerly Twitter: "So last update we got from Shirley (according to Dean) was that she went to a mental health hospital. Phil has now gone to one himself. Phil meet Shirley live like when he met Kathy live ten years ago. Shirl is returning live tonight I can feel it!".
Viewers of the soap will remember Phil and Shirley's tumultuous relationship, which ended when she discovered his son Ben murdered her best friend Heather. Phil convinced her not to call the police but Ben ended up going to the police and confessed. Unable to cope with Phil's betrayal, Shirley finished with him and began drinking heavily again.
After the death of her son Mick, played by Danny Dyer, Shirley moved out of the Square but struggled with her mental health. When her son Dean returned to Walford he revealed his mum had been admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Wednesday night saw Phil's ex-wife, Sharon Watts, cousin Billy Mitchell, Jay Brown and his ex-wife Kathy Beale go on a hunt for him after noticing that things had been off. When they arrived at his home on Albert Square, they discovered Phil had been burning childhood images, including one of his childhood home.
However, things took a drastic turn when Phil's psychosis caused him to meet with his younger self while standing on top of the roof in the local community centre. Appearing disorientated, he struggled to contain his emotions, Phil was seen with his mum when she was younger, legend Peggy Mitchell.
"It's dads fault," Phil said as he spoke about being alone. An honest Peggy told Phil that he was lonely due to "abusing" people, adding that she was "grieving" for her son. "I grieve because you ended up just like him," she said. But she later clarified that she was saying what Phil had already believed in his head.
She told Phil that he still had time to "make the world a better place" before a gun was uncovered on the dining table. "By letting your kids grow up without you, in their lives," she said while looking at the gun. "The evening I died, I saw a black bird in the tree on the Square, it sang to me – it was so beautiful," she commented.
Phil contemplated Peggy's comments and sat in an arm chair after loading the gun, holding it to himself before his brother Grant and friend Nigel appeared. But this was all in Phil's head, with Nigel waking him up as Phil appeared to be confused. As Nigel woke Phil, Grant, who has been away from the soap since 2016 appeared.
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