It’s time for Dennis’s funeral in EastEnders and Sharon, who remains unaware of the role Ian played in his death, has one very strict rule- no Mitchell is welcome.

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So, it probably isn’t the best time for Phil to make a return. The man who Sharon blames for her son’s death hasn’t been seen since the boat accident and when the two come face to face, things get out of hand very quickly.

Before seeing him, Sharon is already riled up thanks to Ben, who arrives at the wake despite knowing that he isn’t welcome. An angry and emotionally exhausted Sharon wastes no time in attacking Phil, with Ian and Kathy doing all they can to break the pair up.

The situation escalates to the point that the police need to be called- which leads to Phil making a hasty retreat and hiding out at The Mitchell’s before they arrive where he is quick to take solace in alcohol, despite Jay doing all he can to discourage him from doing so.

Later though while Phil avoids the police at The Arches, he and Sharon find themselves alone again. Will this lead to another war of words between the two?

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As for Ian, he is still harbouring the guilt of what happened on that fateful night on the Thames and the role that he played in it. He gets a shock later though when he bumps into Phil and discovers what his long-time frenemy is planning to do. What does Phil have planned now?

EastEnders sparked controversy when it killed off the young Dennis Rickman Jnr, son of the also deceased Denis Snr, the much-loved character who died after a New Year stabbing back in 2005.

EastEnders producer Jon Sen said at the time that the reason for that character being the one to perish was due to how much mileage they could get from the death afterwards. “There is only ever one candidate really who can generate the story we wanted to tell going forward for months and months” Sen said, with Katie Oakes adding: "You want consequence and that is the main thing that comes out of the death we are seeing. It is where it goes, it's the people who are left behind and the story that it generates”.

With Phil only just coming back to the square and Ian’s potentially friendship destroying secret still to be revealed, it’s hard to argue that the move hasn’t given EastEnders fans a lot to chew on since it happened.

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