Phil Mitchell

It's a reflection of his ability to cover his tracks, silence witnesses, and of his trusted briefs' knowledge of legal loopholes that Phil's only been in prison a few times. But though he's untouchable as the guvnor of Albert Square, he does have an Achilles heel - faaaamily.

• Football team: Supports West Ham
• Likes: Power, curry, pie and mash
• Hobbies: Cars, football, boxing
• Dislikes: Musicals, theatres, dance and snakes
• Health issues: Heart attack and substance abuse

Being a Mitchell means everything to Phil. He and brother Grant ruled the Square, while grand matriarch Peggy looked on proudly. Not to mention his son and daughter - Ben and Louise. But the trouble with family is, they let you down. Phil and Grant had a tempestuous relationship.

When Phil slept with Grant's wife Sharon, Phil ended up in hospital. Peggy orchestrated a situation that lost him his daughter Louise. Though he made amends with Peggy before she left, he found her stifling. Troublesome sister Sam was a liability. He's always struggled to bond with his son Ben, who has lashed out at his father, frustrated by his lack of understanding and love, even getting him falsely imprisoned.

Another weakness of Phil's? Women. He's been married three times. First marriage was to Nadia, a Romanian refugee to whom he provided a visa. Wife number two was Kathy who left him and took Ben to South Africa; wife number three was Kate who grew tired of his criminal behaviour and left him. Basically, being married to Phil is as easy as being his child.

However, in Shirley he found a real partner. She might not have been a Mitchell, but she had the spirit, and was more than a match for him. She stuck by him through thin and thin - affairs, substance abuse and prison; and was as tough as he is.

But, this is Albert Square and happy couples don't tend to stay that way for long. After Shirley found out that Phil's son Ben was responsible for Hev's murder, Shirley lost her reason. The revelation that Phil had known all along was too much for Shirley to handle and she called it a day on their relationship... but will Shirley keep Phil's secret? Only time will tell.

With all his family gone, Phil looked set to live a solitary life... that is until the surprise revelation that son Ben fathered Lexi, and he is actually a Granddad! Phil fought tooth and nail to try and get Lexi back into the Mitchell fold, even recruiting old flame Sharon into his ruse. Now he has custody of Lexi, will he let Lola be part of her life, or will he decide that Lexi is better off under his watchful eye?

Phil's still had some pretty strong feelings for old flame Sharon, and has constantly tried to get between her and hubby to be Jack... he was gutted when Sharon turned down his wedding proposal in favour for Jack.  Phil even tried to make Sharon jealous by dating her best mate Tanya, and while that relationship died before it ever really got started, it was enough to get Sharon examining her feelings for the two main men in her life. Although she went on to share a secret kiss with Phil, Sharon decided to go ahead with her wedding to Jack, and leave the past where it belongs... pity Jack didnt feel the same way and he decided not to go ahead with the wedding. Now Phil has put his cards on the table and declared his love for Sharon... and Sharon seems willing to give it another go with her old flame. But are the two really better off as friends? Is it too soon for Sharon to be moving on? We can only imagine what The Square's inhabitants will make of this lateast development!

Steve McFadden

• Steve's early TV credits include guest appearances in Bergerac and Minder and a part in the 1988 drama series The Firm with Gary Oldman.
• In 2000, he took a break from EastEnders to appear in the BBC's anthology series Murder In Mind.
• On the big screen, he played a gang member in Buster and a bouncer in Kevin and Perry Go Large.
• Steve is a keen swimmer, and completed The Great North Swim in 35 minutes in aid of the RNLI.
• He's a keen sailor and has his own boat.
• He studied at and subsequently graduated from London's prestigious RADA.