Executive Producer Chris Clenshaw is bringing us EastEnders announcement after announcement lately, and the most recent one released tonight had everyone in the Metro.co.uk office stunned.

The soap is currently filming scenes for a special flashback episode centred around the Mitchell family.

Playing the role of Peggy Mitchell is Jaime Winstone, who also portrayed Dame Barbara Windsor in the BBC biopic, Babs.

The news has left us with many questions but before we delve into them, let’s first get into…

The Past detail

This unravelling of the Mitchells’ chequered past marks the beginning of a tumultuous journey for Phil as he is forced to confront some long-forgotten truths.

The scenes will also feature characters from EastEnders history that have never been seen on screen before such as Peggy’s husband Eric (George Russo), Billy Mitchell’s older brother, Charlie (Charlie Heptinstall) and Billy and Charlie’s father, Stephen (Dean Roberts).

Also joining the cast are Daniel Delaney as Phil, Teddy Jay as Grant, Henry Garrett as Archie, Rose Reynolds as Glenda and George Greenland as Billy. 

Viewers will be transported to the winter of 1979 as the Mitchells are hit hard by a Britain in economic turmoil. Peggy has her hands full between keeping the boys, Sam and the household in line whilst her marriage to Eric is showing its cracks. Phil and Eric are vying for the title of man of the house as the tension between them rises. Elsewhere, Archie is up to his usual tricks as Glenda does her best to keep the lively Ronnie and Roxy out of trouble.

The Present detail

As present-day Phil grapples with growing pressure from DCI Keeble, audiences will take a journey back to his youth where clues to his present will undoubtedly be revealed.

How will the episode impact Phil?

That’s question number one on our list. Currently, Phil is reluctantly working as an informant for Keeble, something he only agreed to because his life was in serious danger behind bars.

Information about the flashback episode is of course, quite vague, but we’re given the hint past revelations will change Phil forever.

But what don’t we know about the Mitchell family?

The clan has been on our screens since 1990 and during those years, we’ve learnt an awful lot about them.

Does Phil have secrets from his past he hasn’t told anyone?

What happened to the family?

Short answer: quite a lot.

Whatever airs in this special will definitely impact Phil and the family going forward.

What we know so far doesn’t reveal anything massive for the Mitchells, it all seems pretty normal – but there must have been something that happened between Peggy and Eric, or Peggy and Archie, or Glenda, that meant the younger Mitchell clan – Phil, Grant (Ross Kemp), Billy (Perry Fenwick) etc  – all felt the repercussions?

Right?

Will this change the Mitchell family relationships?

One thing still at the heart of the Mitchell family is Phil and Ben’s (Max Bowden) troubled relationship.

Over the years, Ben has struggled to live up to what Phil’s perception of a ‘man’ is. We saw this during the boat crash aftermath, Ben coming to terms with being gay and just recently, when he was unable to tell his dad that Lewis raped him.

While Phil is an iconic character, the hard-man act and ‘don’t mess with Phil Mitchell’ notion is something we think needs to change.

If this flashback allows us to see a more emotional side to Phil, will it change him forever?

Can we expect to see him develop a stronger relationship with his son and other family members, this time for good?

What does this mean for the future of the Mitchell family?

Faaaamily is so important to the Mitchells. They stick together through thick and thin!

Well, they don’t always, but we won’t discuss that part.

‘This unravelling of the Mitchells’ chequered past marks the beginning of a tumultuous journey for Phil as he is forced to confront some long-forgotten truths’, is a very intriguing part of the press release as usually when something like this happens, when a character is reminded of things from their past, it changes their present forever.

We don’t think Phil will accept faaaamily isn’t as important as he’s been led to believe, given the fact destroying the Mitchells would have EastEnders fans fuming, but maybe he does come to realise the importance of forgiving and moving on, subsequently mending current broken relationship in the process?

The Mitchell relationships – what will change?

As we mentioned, Phil and Ben’s relationship is particularly strong right now, and the same can be said for Phil and Billy and Phil and Sam (Kim Medcalf).

While Phil and Billy have never been best pals, Sam’s recent choices with Peggy’s (the club) are set to leave Phil contemplating revenge.

Will it be a case of Phil having to choose?

Destroy his relationship with Sam because he’s so furious with her, or be a better person and leave things in the past?

More returns?

All these casting announcements and returns have got us back to loving EastEnders after a difficult few years, that’s for certain.

With Chris Clenshaw promising new arrivals recently, we’ve also seen confirmation Alfie Moon (Shane Richie), Big Mo (Laila Morse) and Freddie Slater (Bobby Brazier) are all heading back to Walford.

So, will this episode hint at any Mitchell family members returning?

With Glynis Barber busy in Hollyoaks right now, that sadly crosses Glenda’s return off our list, but what about Grant?

He’s been mentioned a number of times in recent instalments, but could he head back to Albert Square to support Phil with whatever he’s going through when Autumn comes around?

Autumn is always an exciting time in soapland and after receiving this press release and typing out our thoughts on what’s ahead, we can’t wait for the nights to start drawing in.

Discussing the flashback scenes, Chris Clenshaw said: ‘We’re delighted to be welcoming an incredible cast of actors to set for this special flashback episode, including the luminous Jaime Winstone as a young Peggy Mitchell. Focussed on the Mitchell family, audiences will embark on a rollercoaster journey to the East End of London in 1979 where they’ll delve into the family’s past, seeing much-loved and iconic characters, as well as meeting characters from the show’s history that have never been seen on screen before.

‘There are twists, turns and secrets revealed – after all, trouble is never too far away where The Mitchells are concerned!’

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