Shake up for Phil Mitchell’s gay son on EastEnders *SPOILERS*
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
The prodigal son of Phil Mitchell, after returning to Albert Square, has now decided to publicly come out and elope with his boyfriend.
Afters splitting up with Abi Branning, Ben Mitchell, the half-brother of Ian Beale, decided to go steady with Paul Coker.
The couple are now set to leave the square after Friday’s episode saw Mitchell, played by Harry Reid, setting up a romantic outside dinner setting for he and Coker, played by Jonny Labey.
The pair have been enjoying each other’s company behind closed doors for some time, and have been caught by Phil, who has not had any sort of extreme reaction to the revelation, so far.
But now that the news is set to go public, will he have something more to say.
Photos have been released of the couple kissing in the Queen Vic pub in front of Mitchell’s stepmother Sharon, who looks happy for the pair.
Mitchell split with Branning after a revelation that she faked a pregnancy and miscarriage.
The Mitchell family looks to be the centre of attention once again in Walford, after Peggy Mitchell returned to announce that she has cancer. The long-standing character is evidently taking a break from those bingo adverts to return to the square later this year.
But even when Ben and Paul leave the square, there is still some gay action to be had on EastEnders, as John Partridge will reprise his role as Christian this summer for what promises to be an ‘explosive’ storyline.
His character is best remembered for his love affair with Muslim character Syed Masood – with the pair facing backlash when their relationship was exposed.
Earlier this year, EastEnders introduce the first transgender character to be played by a trans actor in a British soap.
The character Kyle, is played by 21-year-old Riley-Carter Millington.
EastEnders bosses also recently recast gay character Johnny Carter – with actor Ted Reilly taking over the popular role previously played by Sam Strike.
Strike originally played the character from 2013 to 2014 – winning acclaim for a storyline that saw him come out to his on-screen father Danny Dyer.
He recently spoke to Digital Spy about the recast, explaining that he wasn’t ready to return himself after leaving to pursue other acting projects.
He added: “I think it’s a great thing and that the character needs a facelift – and I wish whoever lands it the best of luck.”
Strike cited a “mixture” of reasons for his decision to quit, including a desire to branch out into acting and “try new things”.
However, he added: “I also didn’t really feel like at the time my character was necessarily needed in EastEnders.”
The latest episode of EastEnders airs on BBC 1 on Monday 25 April.
