EastEnders spoilers follow for Wednesday’s episode (8 October), which is available to watch now on streaming service BBC iPlayer and hasn’t yet aired on TV.
Note: This story contains discussion of topics including suicide.
EastEnders has aired exits for two major characters, as Ben Mitchell reels in the aftermath of the bombshell about his husband Callum Highway. But when Phil attempts to reach out to his son, another big secret is revealed…
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This week, Ben made a surprise appearance at Jonno’s funeral, having been moved to a UK prison as a reward for turning informant on his cellmate.
But Callum eventually broke the news that he had started a new romance with Johnny while he’s been inside. Ben was devastated but put on a front in front of his loved ones and demanded a divorce.
Phil was annoyed to spot Callum and Johnny kissing in the Square in today’s episode, and expressed his frustrations to Kathy, ahead of their visit to prison to see their son.
BBC
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It’s the last we’ll see of Phil in Walford for a few weeks, as he told Julie that he was heading straight from the prison to the airport, to visit Louise in Portugal.
Julie twigged that Phil was nervous about seeing Ben and reassured him, saying that he has been amazing with Nigel and will be the same with his son.
At the prison, Ben’s first words to his parents were that he wanted to see Lexi to tell her about Callum – though it had previously been agreed that Callum was going to break the news himself.
BBC
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Phil saw through Ben’s snarky remarks and told him that he shouldn’t bottle up his feelings. He said that he had been in the same position, and this led to Phil revealing that he tried to take his own life earlier this year.
Ben had been kept in the dark about Phil’s mental health struggle until now, so he was saddened to find out what his dad had been through.
This conversation led to an emotional breakthrough for Ben, who admitted that the thought of Callum and Lexi was the only thing keeping him going in prison and that he didn’t know how to cope without that family unit.
BBC
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Ben accepted that he had to let Callum go, but Phil encouraged him to concentrate on Lexi and said that he’ll bring his daughter for regular visits when he’s transferred to a Manchester prison.
With Ben’s brief return having come to an end, will we ever see him back in Albert Square?
EastEnders airs on Mondays – Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
Read more EastEnders spoilers on our dedicated homepage
We encourage anyone who identifies with the topics raised in this article to reach out. Information about how to access support is available via the NHS, and organisations who can offer help include Samaritans on 116 123 or Mind on 0300 123 3393
Readers in the US are encouraged to visit mentalhealth.gov or the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.