The following article contains spoilers from an episode of EastEnders that hasn’t aired on BBC One yet, but is available to view on BBC iPlayer.

Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) has fallen into the pit in The Arches after attempting to end his life in EastEnders.

In recent months, the beloved character has been experiencing depression and loneliness. As a result, Phil has isolated himself from his friends and family, which has caused huge concern.

His distant behaviour continued in tonight’s episode of the BBC One soap. In the pub, as Phil entered, his pal Nigel (Paul Bradley) was getting ready to meet female friend Norma.

When she arrived, Norma introduced Nigel to her mate Livvy.

The group sat down and topic of conversation soon turned to how Nigel and Phil know each other. When Norma and Nigel went to the bar, Phil became troubled when Livvy started talking about her life, and how she felt sad like Phil following the death of her father.

A complete stranger seeing right through Phil sparked anger and tears. He smashed a glass and ran out, where a frustrated Nigel wondered what was going on.

Not wanting to talk, Phil took himself off to the garage where he bandaged his injured hand.

The emptiness and hopeless Phil was feeling completely consumed him. He then entered the vehicle parked inside of The Arches, and proceeded to wait for smoke to fill the car.

Just before the episode ended, Phil fell out of the car. Disorientated and coughing, he ended up falling into the pit.

How the aftermath of this plays out remains to be seen, but we do know the development comes ahead of another important instalment for Phil, which will see him hallucinate figures from his past.

These conversations will take place both in the Square and at his home at Number 55 Victoria Road.

The cast of the Mitchell flashback episode, which aired to acclaim in 2022, will reprise their roles for the scenes in question, with Jaime Winstone returning as matriarch Peggy, while Teddy Jay will return as Grant, George Russo as Eric and Daniel Delaney as Phil.

A younger iteration of Nigel Bates, who recently returned to the Square after a three decade absence, will also appear, with Sam Miles playing the role.