EastEnders’ Grant and Phil Mitchell are set to lock horns as they reunite for their mother Peggy Mitchell’s tragic death.
Ross Kemp – who is returning to the BBC One soap to play one half of Walford’s original bad boys – has revealed his hard man alter-ego won’t get on with his alcoholic brother (Steve McFadden) to begin with but he’s hoping they will be able to ride the storm and stand strong as a duo again.
The 51-year-old actor teased: "They’re not going to get on to start with – there’s going to be an element of conflict… I hope Phil and Grant will get back together at the end though. The Mitchell brothers ride again!"
But it doesn’t look like their relationship will straighten out any time soon as Grant is sent into a spiral of anger when he learns his beloved mum – portrayed by Dame Barbara Windsor – is dying of breast cancer, which has now spread.
Asked how Grant reacts to the shock news, Ross said: "Very badly! I think he’s quite immature when it comes to stuff like that. It’s going to cause some problems between him and Phil. Grant hasn’t changed – you’ll see more of his violent side and less of his sensitive side. There will be lot of raging crying and slamming of doors, but they’ll muddle through. I think Phil will become the new patriarch of the Mitchells."
Meanwhile, the actor – who initially quit the soap in 2006 to make documentaries – was scared he had forgotten how to play Grant and feared he would disappoint fans, but was relieved when he returned and nothing had changed.
He told Inside Soap magazine: "There’s always that worry about if you can do it again! I’ve been doing something very different for 10 years now so there was a natural concern – I’d say maybe even a fear of letting people down. The most overwhelming thing for me, when I walked back on to set, was actually how little had changed."
Ross Kemp: The Mitchell brothers will be at war
