EastEnders spoilers follow for Monday’s episode (27 April), which is available to watch now on streaming service BBC iPlayer and hasn’t yet aired on TV.
EastEnders has aired Grant Mitchell’s return to Walford, but his reunion with his loved ones wasn’t without drama. With Nigel Bates’ condition worsening in hospital, last week Mark Fowler realised that his dad should be kept in the loop. He also decided that only Grant could help his brother Phil, who was refusing to visit Nigel since his friend moved to a care home.
Mark left Grant a voicemail, and in today’s episode it was revealed that his desperate appeal worked, as Grant sped into Albert Square – to the annoyance of Max, who he almost hit with his car.
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Grant smugly reunited with Mark and Sam, who were stunned by his surprise appearance. In the café, Mark and Sam explained that Nigel had deteriorated significantly since he saw him last year and didn’t have long left. When Grant discovered that Nigel was now in a care home, he was furious that Phil had let this happen.
He stormed round to confront his brother, but was met by Julie, who was rushing to the hospital after being informed that Nigel had suffered a fall in the night. Grant agreed to drive Julie and Sam to the hospital, but refused to have a word with Phil.
The trio headed to Nigel’s bedside, but Grant couldn’t bear to see his friend in such a bad way so ran out. Sam checked on him but made it clear that he had no right to criticise Phil when he had ignored all her calls.
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Grant admitted that he struggled after his last visit to Walford when Phil tried to take his own life, so he was worried about hearing any more bad news. Julie then broke down in tears over the situation, so Grant agreed to sit with Nigel while she had a break.
When Grant spent a poignant moment sat with his dear friend, Nigel woke up and spoke for the first time in days, although he mistook him for his brother. Meanwhile in the pub, Mark confronted Phil and told him about Nigel’s fall – though Phil refused to go and see him.
It was then that Phil and Grant came face to face and finally had an important chat. Grant raged at Phil for breaking his promise to Nigel, but as a row broke out, Phil blurted out that Sam never told Grant about her cancer.
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Phil lashed out at Mark and Sam and kicked them out, before a huge argument unfolded between him and Grant. His devastation about Nigel’s dementia exploded, and he told Grant to leave as well.
Outside, Sam and Mark were adamant that Grant was the only one who could bring Phil back from the brink, but will he be able to help his struggling brother?
EastEnders airs on Mondays – Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
Read more EastEnders spoilers on our dedicated homepage
For exclusive soap star interviews, gossip, spoilers and theories every week, don’t miss the Soap Scoop podcast from Inside Soap magazine. The latest episode delves into next week’s soap spoilers for EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale- as Weatherfield’s murder mystery unfolds, and Grant Mitchell returns to Walford!