EastEnders spoilers: Phil Mitchell dissolves into tears as unexpected guest arrives at funeral
Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) is feeling incredibly emotional this coming week in EastEnders as he attends the funeral of a beloved family member in EastEnders.
Phil and the Mitchells will gather to say goodbye to Aunt Sal, Peggy’s (Barbara Windsor) sister. The scenes are airing following the death of actress Anna Karen, who died in February last year in a house fire.
Before the funeral, Kat (Jessie Wallace) worries as Phil keeps his emotions to himself, and Alfie (Shane Richie) decides to attend in her pace.
After Sam gives Ben (Max Bowden) and Billy (Perry Fenwick) their marching orders to attend, Phil feels unconvinced by her sudden interest in all-things family.
The family say goodbye to Aunt Sal
At the church, Sal’s husband, Harold, makes a rare appearance and moves the congregation – including Phil – to tears with his eulogy.
Later, at the wake, Sam is shocked when Harold reveals that Aunt Sal left her, Grant (Ross Kemp) and Phil £100,000 and demands the money from Phil, but he refuses.
When a jealous Alfie then reveals that Phil slept with Emma (Patsy Kensit), Sam heads back to Peggy’s to blackmail Phil for the inheritance money.
‘It’s quite a mix of emotion and humour’, Kim Medcalf said, describing what to expect from the funeral.
‘It is a lovely celebration and we get to meet Aunt Sal’s husband Harold, who is just fantastic. He does this really moving speech about his wife. It is emotional. Aunt Sal was loved and especially by Peggy, so it feels like there’s a bit of Peggy in that room too.
‘Harold makes a throwaway comment about Aunt Sal leaving her, Phil and Grant an inheritance of £100,000’, she explained.
‘In true Sam style, she can’t sit on this information for more than a minute so storms over to Phil and says, “when were you going to give me this money or even tell me about it?” The way I played it is that for Sam, she is working for free at Peggy’s to pay that debt off.
‘So she thinks, “you are not the owner of me”. “You give me the money and then we’ll decide, but it’s not for you to just leave me out of that equation”. The relationship between Sam and Phil is that he’s always been the bully.
‘She has had a whole lifetime of being told what to do by her big brother.’
