Concerns grow for EastEnders’ Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) next week as he prepares to execute his controversial plan to take dying Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley) to Portugal.
Phil horrified his sister Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf) earlier this month when he revealed he was going to move abroad with his best friend to stop Nigel’s wife Julie Bates (Karen Henthorn) from placing him in a care home due to his worsening dementia symptoms.
With Julie currently back in Scotland and completely in the dark about what Phil is plotting, Sam has desperately tried to talk her big bro out of it, but she only succeeded in delaying his flight slightly by asking him for his support as she undergoes an operation for her breast cancer.
In scenes to air on the BBC soap next week, Phil’s plan is still weighing on Sam’s mind as she prepares to go into hospital for her surgery, and she tries again to make him see sense, but he remains resolute that he and Nigel will be leaving later that day.
However, as Denise Fox (Diane Parish) later crosses paths with Phil, she notices that he doesn’t seem like himself.
With Phil’s mental health crisis last year still at the forefront of her mind, a worried Denise asks Phil’s pal George Knight (Colin Salmon) to check in on him.
Meanwhile, Sam’s operation is a success, and she is pleased to see her brother at her hospital bedside when she comes round.
But when she then accidentally mentions Phil’s plan for Nigel in front of George, he is alarmed and rushes to tell Denise.
Will they succeed in stopping Phil before it’s too late?
EastEnders airs these scenes from Monday 19th January at 7.30pm on BBC One or stream first from 6am on iPlayer.
