'EastEnders' executive producer Bryan Kirkwood has been speaking about what lies ahead for the soap's resident hardman, Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), as he recovers from his crack cocaine addiction.
Warning: spoiler alert!
In an interview with Inside Soap magazine, Kirkwood said: "Unfettered by his meddling mother [Peggy, played by Barbara Windsor], now we can see what Phil is really capable of. He'd been sober for 10 years before now - the man still has an iron will.
"We'll be truthful to his drug rehabilitation, but I'm keen to see Phil take on the world - and win!"
Kirkwood also said that Phil's son Ben would be back in 'EastEnders' by the end of the year, following the decision to recast the character in June.
"We've just cast the new Ben, and he'll be back near Christmas," he said. "He's a misfit, the runt of the litter. Ben's got a very strained relationship with his dad, so things aren't going to be easy.
"He's had an awful time at the young offenders' institution, and that will give us a really fascinating character to use over the next few years."
