Phil Mitchell’s return revealed as he walks into a war zone in EastEnders

SEVERAL weeks after his shock exit, Phil Mitchell makes his way back to Albert Square.

But the long-standing EastEnders tough man is shaken to the core when he realises how much has changed since his departure.

With Phil gone, Kat Slater (portrayed by Jessie Wallace) has felt at a loss and her former husband Alfie Moon (Shane Richie) has somewhat taken advantage of her confusion.

However, in scenes due to air next week, the owner of Kat's Cabs gets a visit from DCI Samantha Keeble (Alison Newman) who demands she get Phil back.

The detective follows this up with a threat - if Phil doesn't come back to the Square, she'll bring him back herself with handcuffs.

Later on, Kat's love triangle develops as she confides in Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) about her confusion over Alfie and Phil.

Alfie goes above and beyond for Kat and she's thrilled by his big gesture when she returns home.

Charmed, she agrees to have a magical Moon Christmas as a family with their children.

But with Phil (Steve McFadden) back, Kat's confusion grows and she's soon angry to uncover the real reason for his return.

Phil also has to face Billy Mitchell's (Perry Fenwick) anger upon his comeback as the latter scolds him for not being there when he was needed.

Billy then updates Phil on Lola's tragic brain tumour diagnosis and he's horrified - but there's worse.

The pair could even be torn apart for good.

Things will go from bad to worse for Phil when Alfie wants Kat and the boys at the Christmas carol fundraiser, prompting him to categorically refuse.

Alfie doesn't back down and finds him at the Arches to demand that the boys come to the concert.

Could tensions between the two escalate?

Is there a new feud brewing?

As fans of the London-based drama may remember, Phil left Walford in October, 2022, to find an ally in his plan to take down DCI Keeble.

Phil has had a long-running feud with Keeble and it only got more tense when he was made to rely on her to get out of prison.

To top it all off, Billy was arrested for armed robbery and the murder of Keeble's father, which occurred four decades ago and Phil has been desperate to get him off the hook.

But will he manage to go through with it?

EastEnders airs from Monday to Thursday.