BEN Mitchell is back in Walford after more than a year away and it seems his feelings for his dad haven’t changed in that time.
He and Lola Pearce have some sort of plan. But what are they up to? And why does Ben hate his dad so much? Let’s find out…
Ben and his dad Phil have a long and complicated relationship.
Ben came to live with him when he was a young child after his mum Kathy supposedly died in a car crash in South Africa.
Ben had been living with his mum for years and moving back to Walford was a shock, with the pair struggling to bond.
Phil didn’t approve of Ben’s love of dancing because he thought it was ‘girly.’
The resentment really kicked in though when Ben came out as gay and Phil refused to accept it.
Ben went as far as faking an entire relationship with Abi Branning to impress his dad.
Ben was secretly in love with Paul Coker and was devastated when he died after a homophobic attack.
Even after this Phil struggled to come to terms with the fact that his son is gay.
Ben has always felt that he’s not good enough for Phil and is a disappointment to him, thinking Phil would prefer a son who’s more of a thug.
It was revealed that Ben and Lola have a plan to fleece Phil Mitchell in EastEnders.
Lola was surprised when she heard Ben tell his dad that they could rebuild the Mitchell empire together after discovering Phil was broke.
He then explained to Lola that it was all part of his plan.
He said he would help Phil to build everything up again, and then take it all from him.
