EastEnders airs shock passion for iconic character in early iPlayer release

Although Emma was warned away from granddaughter Lexi (Isabella Brown) by Phil's son Ben (Max Bowden), she went looking for Ben in the café. Phil was already in a bad mood after his fiancée Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) suggested she would call off their wedding, and he told Emma to leave.

Ben's husband Callum Highway (Tony Clay) promised Ben that he would sort the Emma problem out for him, but Ben's mum Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth) advised Callum to think what was best for Lexi, rather than what Ben wanted.

So Callum met with Emma at The Vic. Emma showed Callum some heartbreaking texts from Lexi, who was now being bullied at school, and he was stunned.

But Ben was fuming to walk in and spot them, once again ordering Emma away. Callum agreed to talk to Ben about letting Emma in, warning Emma not to make him regret it.

Meanwhile, Kat was unimpressed when Phil arrived at the cab office with chocolates, but still didn't understand why she was upset. Kat pointed out that she wasn't like Phil's exes, who had jumped into bed with his brother Grant (Ross Kemp) and pulled guns on him!

Kat dismissed Phil, who ended up at Peggy's bar, where Emma arrived to get drunk. Phil, firmly on Ben's side, joined in with slating Emma's behaviour, while Emma urged Phil to consider that everyone makes mistakes.

Pushing all the right buttons, Emma likened herself to Phil. But in the Vic, Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) spoke to Kat about Phil. She urged Kat not to throw away what she had with Phil, and Kat headed off to find him.

But at that very moment, Phil and Emma stumbled into the office at Peggy's, kissing and tumbling onto the sofa. Will Kat catch them in the act? And will we ever recover from the sight of EastEnders' latest fling?

Read more:

• EastEnders sweeps National Television Awards 2023 with big wins
• EastEnders' epic Cindy Beale return week was a true gift from the soap gods
• Former EastEnders star Caroline Paterson makes emotional return to Walford set
• EastEnders confirms the “unwelcome” return date for Emma Harding
• Why EastEnders must resurrect Fatboy next after glorious flashback cameo

EastEnders airs on BBC One from Monday to Thursday, and from 6am on BBC iPlayer. Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.

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