Spoilers for EastEnders: Phil reacts emotionally to the tragedy of the Mitchell family

In forthcoming episodes of EastEnders, Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), who is supporting Alfie Moon (Shane Richie) in preparation for his new plot, is reminded of the death of a family member.

Unexpectedly, Phil and Alfie were going to become friends before Alfie learned he had prostate cancer.

In the hopes that Alfie will talk about his upcoming MRI, Phil decides to invite him to hang out with Bert, Ernie, and Tommy (Sonny Kendall).

Phil explains to Alfie that he needs to take care of his health for his kids because someone like Lexi (Isabella Brown) doesn’t have the luxury of having two parents. Alfie seems evasive about what’s coming up.

Phil tries again later in the week, informing Alfie that he’s going to get checked out because his father Eric passed away from prostate cancer, but his attempts during the football game fall short.

Fortunately, Alfie makes the decision to go to the hospital for his test and expresses his gratitude to Phil for his help.

Chris Clenshaw, the show’s executive producer, spoke about this new plot line:

“When we originally started working on this plot, we realized it was essential that we collaborated with Prostate Cancer UK and Macmillan Cancer Support to appropriately convey such an emotional and important storyline for Alfie, one to which many viewers may be able to connect.

With grace and empathy, Shane thoughtfully captured the facts of receiving a prostate cancer diagnosis. We hope that the audience may relate to this plot and that we have accurately and sympathetically portrayed it.