"Who Shot Phil?" was a storyline of the BBC soap opera EastEnders which began on 1 March 2001 and climaxed on 5 April 2001.
"Who Shot Phil?" was a storyline of the BBC soap opera EastEnders which began on 1 March 2001 and climaxed on 5 April 2001.
The storyline centred around one of EastEnders' longest-running characters, Phil Mitchell (played by Steve McFadden), who had first appeared in February 1990. The build-up to the storyline occurred throughout 2000 and into 2001. The character saw a more menacing side to his personality beginning to surface. Phil's behaviour thus earned him a number of sworn enemies in Albert Square. These included his ex-girlfriend; her new boyfriend Mark Fowler; former step-son Ian Beale; former business partner Dan Sullivan; and love rival Steve Owen.
By 2001, the character had become one of the soap's nastiest villains. [1] In an interview with The Guardian , McFadden commented on his alter ego's descent into villainy: "Phil's been had over by a lot of people, so now he feels like he can do it back. It's his history". [2]
The character finally received his comeuppance in one of EastEnders most highly anticipated storylines, dubbed "Who Shot Phil?". Phil was shot outside his home in an episode that first aired on 1 March 2001 (penned by scriptwriter Christopher Reason and directed by Paul Annett).
The storyline has been described as a "Dallas-style" whodunnit mystery, echoing the attempted murder of J. R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) in the American TV soap opera Dallas in 1980. [3] [4] Various key characters were in the frame for the deed and viewers were left guessing for weeks as to which of them was the real culprit. Several outcomes were allegedly filmed [5] and it was reported that only a few TV executives knew the identity of the would-be assassin — even the other actors were kept in the dark, being given only their own scripts. [6] Script writers were reportedly given private security after a writer's laptop was stolen in what was believed to be an attempt to gain the identity of the assailant. [6] The storyline captivated the public's imagination leading to thousands of bets being placed at the bookies across the UK — bookmaker William Hill said that around 50,000 bets were made on who was responsible. [6]
It was revealed on 5 April 2001 that Lisa Shaw (Lucy Benjamin) — Phil's former girlfriend — was the culprit. [7] The episode caused the third-largest TV pickup power surge on record [8] and the Liverpool and Barcelona UEFA Cup semi-final was postponed for 15 minutes to accommodate a special 40 minute edition of the soap. [9]
Steve Owen (Martin Kemp) was due to marry Mel Healy (Tamzin Outhwaite) on 1 March 2001, but he found out that she had sex with Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) — one of his deadliest enemies. Steve later decided to go ahead with the wedding. Steve's elderly mother Barbara (Sheila Hancock) arrived at the registry office to attend her son's wedding, and took an immediate dislike to Mel. Barbara also took a liking to Phil, who confirmed her suspicions, further angering Steve. When the wedding guests return to The Queen Victoria public house for the wedding reception, Barbara tells Mel about Steve's first girlfriend who cheated on him at the age of 16. Barbara implied that Mel is that sort of girl.
Dan Sullivan (Craig Fairbrass) re-appeared in Albert Square that evening after months away and demanded money from Phil, who had always despised him for leaving him with just £5 when selling his stake in The Queen Vic.
Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) started to question Phil about his fling with Mel (who had briefly been Ian's wife). Phil told Ian that Mel was good, but not as good as his mother Kathy (Gillian Taylforth), who was once Phil's wife. Phil then left the e20 nightclub and Ian followed him out, taunting him. Ian picked up a metal rod to intimidate Phil, who lost his temper and began to throttle Ian with the rod, and only stopped when Mel shouted at him.
When Phil returned home, he received a hoax phone call from an anonymous caller. Dan was then seen walking away from a nearby telephone box. The scene then returned to Steve's office, where Steve's gun had disappeared from the drawer where it was being kept. As the wedding reception drew to a close, Barbara finally lost her temper with Mel and called her a tart. Before leaving, she stubbed her cigarette out on the wedding cake. Steve and Mel got into Charlie Slater's (Derek Martin) taxi and were ready to depart for the airport to begin their honeymoon, but Steve went back to ensure that Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick) was keeping everything under control at e20. The shooting taking place in the time he was gone.
Phil's doorbell rung and he opened the door to find nobody there. As he turned around to re-enter his house, he was shot in the back and fell down the steps.
Phil was found minutes later by Beppe di Marco (Michael Greco). He was rushed to hospital, where doctors performed an emergency operation to remove the bullet. Phil's mother Peggy (Barbara Windsor) was told that there was no guarantee that Phil will recover. The police later visited Ian in his fish and chip shop, but they left after he told them to go and question Steve — who was now at Heathrow Airport waiting for a flight to the Caribbean.
Three weeks after Phil's shooting, he was still in hospital recovering from his injuries. Steve and Mel returned from their honeymoon and as soon as they stepped into The Queen Vic, Peggy accused Steve of trying to murder her son. Phil's godson Jamie (Jack Ryder) later tried to attack Steve, but Mark and Lisa dragged him away. Steve was soon arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, and admitted to the police that he has never got on with Phil, but did not want to kill him, and insisted that he was away from the Square by the time Phil was shot. Steve suggested that the police should quiz Dan, who was meanwhile visiting Phil in hospital and taunting him. On 5 April 2001 Phil discharged himself from hospital, five weeks after being shot. Returning to the square at night, he went to confront his assailant. Each suspect received a knock on their front door with the audience oblivious as to whose door he was knocking on, the episode ending from the shooter's point of view and Phil saying to the unidentified person 'Guess Who?.' The beginning of the next episode revealed the shooter to be Lisa. A tense and intimidating conversation followed, with Lisa unsure if Phil knew it was her. But he soon made it clear he knew it was her, having spotted her running away after he'd been shot. He became threatening towards her and she admitted to not knowing what she was doing and had shot him in a crazy rage. She took the gun from Steve's office. Wanting the gun, Phil forced Lisa to retrieve it from inside a game of Monopoly, and Phil threatened to kill her with it. Lisa soon confesses that she shot Phil, but insisted that she still loved him. This made Phil understand that he had driven her to it and decided to forgive her. Mark showed up at the house and learned the truth, and the three of them vowed to keep the truth to themselves. Phil cleared the gun of Lisa's fingerprints and left, but letting Lisa know that he was sorry for his treatment of her.
Phil decided to conspire against Dan and Steve in the hope of getting them both out of the picture, wanting Dan convicted of attempted murder and Steve framed as his accomplice, as the gun belonged to Steve. Strangely enough, Dan was already plotting to swindle Phil and was making regular visits to both Phil and Jamie, demanding money. Jamie was stunned when Phil told him to pay Dan following one showdown between them. He feared Phil was giving into Dan but Phil was simply playing him. Phil made contact with Dan's former crime boss, Ritchie Stringer, and conspired with him to ensure Dan ended up with the gun that had shot him. Dan was later provided with the gun, not knowing he was being set up and decided on pressure from Stringer that he would kill Phil if he refused him again. Dan met with Phil at the Arches, Phil already having tipped off the police that Dan was planning to kill him. Although both Phil and Jamie were threatened by an armed Dan, Steve having been lured there by Phil watched from the door and quickly left to avoid getting caught up in the confrontation. The police quickly arrived in the Square and arrested Dan on suspicion of attempted murder. He was charged and remanded in custody. Dan went on trial at the end of July, and Steve agreed to back up Phil's plot to frame Dan, but at the same time he taunted Jamie, vowing that Phil would soon be caught for trying to frame Dan. Steve took the witness stand and testified that he heard Dan vowing to 'shoot through' Steve and put Phil out of business. Meanwhile, Steve's mother Barbara died and while he was clearing out her flat, the jury found Dan not guilty of attempted murder.
The week after Dan's release, Steve entered his office at e20 to find the furniture turned over and the safe open, and Mel had disappeared. Steve soon guessed that Mel had been kidnapped by Dan, and persuaded Phil to help him in his quest to get her back. Steve phoned Dan and heard Mel screaming in the background. Dan later phoned back and demanded a £200,000 ransom for Mel's release; exactly £100,000 each from both Steve and Phil. Soon enough, Dan used the kidnapping to make Mel realise what Steve was really like and told him about his recent fling with an unseen woman called Karen. Phil soon obtained the £100,000 for Mel's release and also took possession of a gun, intent on finishing Dan off for good. When he arrived at Dan's flat, Phil got the drop on Dan with the gun and was about to shoot him when a bound and gagged Mel suddenly turned off the lights - and Dan knocked Phil out before he could pull the trigger. Dan then turned the gun on Phil, but when he pulled the trigger, Phil discovered Dan had emptied it as Mel had convinced him not to kill him. Dan trapped Phil in the apartment and he and Mel then left the flat after Dan got his £100,000. Mel was then released and Dan offered her a share of the money, which she took. The police were summoned to arrest Dan, but by the time they arrived, Dan was gone. Phil managed to free himself and returned to the square.
Back in Albert Square, Mel lost her temper with Steve and accused him of shooting Phil as well as framing Dan. She also informed him that she knew about his affair with Karen, and later set fire to e20 before throwing her wedding ring at Steve and leaving Albert Square in a taxi. They eventually got back together just two months later; however, on the day of both their first wedding anniversary and Phil's shooting, Steve was killed in a vehicle explosion after a high-speed car chase with Phil during their final confrontation.
Despite the outcome having been leaked by an e-mail from an unidentified BBC employee, [10] the climax of the plotline, broadcast on 5 April 2001, was watched by 19.8 million people according to BBC figures (nearly three quarters of all television viewers), while the first show in the plot arc attracted 17 million viewers. The National Grid reported that the third highest power surge on record followed immediately after the end of the climactic show (beaten only by the 1990 FIFA World Cup finals and 1984 climax of The Thorn Birds ). The kick-off of a UEFA Cup semi-final football game was delayed in order to avoid a clash with the scheduled programme. [8] The episode was the second most-watched non-sport programme of the 2000s, behind an episode of Only Fools and Horses . [11]
The plot was compared favourably in the media to "Who shot J.R.?", the popular 1980 Dallas plot involving the shooting of J.R. Ewing. [12] At the 2001 TV Quick Awards, magazine readers voted Who Shot Phil? as the year's top soap storyline. [13] The storyline also won the Most Dramatic Storyline award at the Inside Soap Awards in 2001. [14] The storyline was featured in heat magazine's review of the 2000s, as their 49th greatest event of the decade. [15]
Peggy Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. Peggy was initially played by Jo Warne when she first appeared in the episode broadcast on 30 April 1991, featuring in 10 episodes. Peggy was reintroduced in 1994, recast to Barbara Windsor, who made her first appearance in the episode broadcast on 7 November 1994. Peggy became a regular character, and Windsor played the role until she was forced to take a long break due to poor health and departed on 23 May 2003. She returned for two episodes broadcast on 16 and 17 September 2004, before rejoining as a regular character on 8 September 2005. Windsor announced in October 2009 that she would be leaving the show and departed on 10 September 2010. Windsor returned to the show for guest appearances on 20 September 2013, 25 September 2014, 17 February 2015 and 15 January 2016. She then appeared in six episodes between 9 and 17 May 2016, where the character was killed off. Her voice is last heard in the following episode, on 19 May 2016. Peggy's funeral aired on 4 July 2016. An archived recording of her voice was heard on 25 January 2022. On 26 July 2022, it was announced that Peggy would feature in a flashback episode set in 1979, alongside her husband Eric and their children Phil, Grant and Sam. Jaime Winstone played the role of Peggy for this special episode, which aired on 5 September 2022.
Sharon Watts is a fictional character from the BBC One soap opera EastEnders, played by Letitia Dean. Sharon is one of EastEnders' original characters conceptualised by creators Tony Holland and Julia Smith. She first appeared in the first episode broadcast on 19 February 1985 as the teenage adopted daughter of pub landlords Den and Angie Watts. Sharon became prominent in the 1990s due to her becoming the landlady of The Queen Victoria public house and her romantic pairings with brothers Grant and Phil Mitchell. In a storyline dubbed Sharongate, Sharon married Grant and then has an affair with Phil, climaxing in 1994 with Grant's discovery of the affair, which remains one of EastEnders' highest viewed episodes; the storyline was reinvented in 2018 when Sharon began an affair with a much younger Keanu Taylor. She was named the best EastEnders character of all time by the Daily Mirror in 2020. For her portrayal of Sharon, Dean won the award for "Outstanding Achievement" at The British Soap Awards 2022.
Walford is a fictional borough of east London in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. It is the primary setting for the soap. EastEnders is filmed at Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, towards the north-west of London. Much of the location work is filmed in nearby Watford, which was chosen for many of the exterior scenes due to its close proximity and the town's name being so similar to Walford. Thus, any stray road signs or advertising boards which are accidentally filmed in the back of shots will appear to read Walford. Locations used in Watford include most interior and exterior church scenes of various churches, the snooker club, the County Court and Magistrates' Courts courtrooms, and the cemetery.
Mark Fowler is a fictional character in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. Mark, an original regular character when the series started in February 1985, became a semi-regular after his original portrayer David Scarboro was written out of the role in April 1985. Scarboro made brief returns to the role in 1986 and 1987. Scarboro died by suicide in April 1988 and subsequently Mark was recast two years later on his return, with former Grange Hill regular Todd Carty taking on the role. From this point the character was a permanent fixture in the series and Carty remained in the role until the character was written out of the series in early 2003.
Ian Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Adam Woodyatt. He is the drama's longest-serving main character and one of four remaining original characters, the others being Kathy Beale, Sharon Watts and Tracey. The character appeared in his 2,000th episode in the show on 26 March 2007, and his 3,000th on 27 May 2016. Woodyatt took an extended break from EastEnders on 22 January 2021. He made appearances on 12 December 2022 and 22 June 2023, prior to a full-time return on 24 August.
The Queen Victoria is the Victorian public house in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders. It has the fictional address of 46 Albert Square, Walford, London E20.
Phil Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Steve McFadden. He was introduced to the soap opera on 20 February 1990 and was followed by his brother Grant, sister Sam and mother Peggy. Phil was one of the major characters introduced by executive producer Michael Ferguson, who wanted to bring in some macho male leads. Phil and his brother Grant became popularly known as the Mitchell brothers in the British media, with Phil initially portrayed as the more level-headed of the two thugs. Storylines featuring the Mitchell family dominated the soap opera throughout the 1990s, with Phil serving as one of the show's central characters and protagonist villains since the 1990s. McFadden temporarily left the series in late 2003, then returned in April 2005 for a brief appearance before making a permanent return in October 2005. A teenage version of Phil, played by Daniel Delaney, appeared in a flashback episode broadcast on 5 September 2022, which focuses on the Mitchell family in the 1970s.
Melanie "Mel" Owen is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Tamzin Outhwaite. Mel was introduced by executive producer Matthew Robinson and made her first appearance on 19 October 1998. Outhwaite made her departure on 12 April 2002. Outhwaite's return to the series was announced in October 2017 and she returned on 9 January 2018. The actress chose to leave the soap again in July 2019 and her final episode aired on 14 November 2019 when Mel was killed-off. Outhwaite proved popular in the role, winning multiple awards and critical acclaim for her portrayal of Mel as the character became prominent in the show.
Steve Owen is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Martin Kemp. He first appeared onscreen from 28 December 1998 and remained in the series until 1 March 2002. Introduced by series producer Matthew Robinson, the character Steve was a shady businessman who originally came into Albert Square to buy the local Market Cellar club – which he then renovated and later renamed the E20. He soon became one of the show's primary villains when the character's first major storyline saw Steve murder his old flame Saskia Duncan during the opening night of his E20 nightclub on Valentine's Day 1999, after which he ended up framing his DJ employee Matthew Rose for the crime. The eventual episode in which Matthew enacted revenge on Steve drew in outstanding viewing figures and brought a storyline that had gripped the nation to a close.
Billy Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Perry Fenwick, who made his first appearance on 2 November 1998. Billy was originally introduced by producer Matthew Robinson as a guest character, facilitating the introduction of Jamie Mitchell to the show. Early on, Billy was Jamie's abusive uncle and guardian - which results in Jamie being taken away from Billy by his relative Phil Mitchell. Billy was then brought back to the serial on 2 August 1999 and Fenwick was offered a longer-term contract, and Billy ended up becoming a regular character. Frequently portrayed as a small-time criminal, Billy is a luckless resident of Albert Square who often struggles financially. His most prominent storylines include two failed marriages and having a daughter Janet (Grace) born with Down syndrome. Fenwick filmed his 1000th episode on 6 August 2010, and later his 2000th on 24 September 2022.
Jamie Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jack Ryder. The character debuted on 9 November 1998 and became one of the show's central protagonists, until he was killed-off on 25 December 2002.
Dan Sullivan is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Craig Fairbrass. He was first introduced to the series as a regular character from 7 June 1999 to 10 July 2000 before returning as one of the show's primary antagonists from 26 February to 16 August 2001.
Lisa Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lucy Benjamin. The character was introduced as a "home-wrecking blonde" by executive producer Matthew Robinson on 7 December 1998. The character made her initial departure on 3 October 2002, when she was written out by producer Louise Berridge.
DCI Jill Marsden is a fictional character in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Sophie Stanton. She made her first appearance on 5 March 2001 investigating the shooting of Phil Mitchell, which was part of the whodunit storyline "Who Shot Phil?". Marsden returned in 2002, 2003 and 2009. She returned on 5 January 2012 for her third whodunit storyline, "Who's Stalking Phil?", departing four months later on 10 May 2012. Marsden returned for two episodes on 17 August 2012 to conclude the latter storyline. On 16 July 2015, she returned for part of the "Who Killed Lucy Beale?" whodunit storyline.
Louise Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, who has been played by four different actors since her on-screen birth on 6 November 2001. Louise has been played by Rachel Cox between 2001 and 2003, Danni Bennatar in 2008, Brittany Papple in 2010, and Tilly Keeper from 2016 to 2020. Keeper's casting was announced on 16 December 2015, and she made her first appearance as Louise on 15 January 2016. The character's departure was announced in December 2019, with Louise making her last appearance on 24 January 2020.