EastEnders legends Steve McFadden and Ross Kemp reunited, sending fans wild. Two legendary EastEnders stars have reunited following an emotional soap exit. Yesterday, fans were treated to a rare snap of Ross Kemp and Steve McFadden together, enjoying a day out.
Kemp famously played Grant, one half of the terrifying Mitchell brothers, with McFadden taking on the role of notorious Phil. Their characters were forever plagued by drama, with the brothers becoming involved in gang crime and a famous love triangle with Sharon Watts, who married both.
Following a stint away from Walford, Grant returned earlier this year to reunite with Phil. His return coincided with the heartbreaking death of long-term pal Nigel Bates, who had been suffering from dementia. Grant eventually left Albert Square at the end of last month, with his younger sister Sam in tow, after bailing his son, Mark Fowler, out of trouble.
But yesterday, both Steve and Ross sent fans wild as they went out on a boat. Talking to the camera, Ross, 61, said: "The Mitchell brothers are reunited, but this time on the river!" As Steve added: "Ahoy there, ahoy there!"
Captioning his post, Ross penned: "The Mitchell brothers are reunited." His post, which has been liked over 107,000 times, was soon flooded with messages from fans who couldn't contain their excitement.
"This is bigger than the World Cup," said one. A second went on to write: "This duo made EastEnders one of the best soaps on TV back in the day. If you know, you know." "Great to see you guys," added a third.
Meanwhile, a fourth referenced the infamous scene, which aired in 1999, which saw Phil and Grant crash into the River Thames in a red Vauxhall car while the two brothers argued over Kathy Beale, who was married to Phil. "Gone fishing for that red Vauxhall from 1999?" one fan asked.
Another joked: "Are you searching for that car you drove in there?" But it wasn't just soap fans who were overjoyed by seeing the gangster brothers back together.
Paul Bradley, who played loveable Nigel, penned: "So sorry I couldn't make it, ahoy there! X." Thomas Law, who plays Peter Beale, typed: "This is class." While Cheryl Fergison, who took on the role of Heather Trott, commented: "Ho ho ho and a bottle of rum."
Balvinder Soap, who plays Suki Panesar-Unwin, shared: "Love!" alongside a red heart emoji. Although Ross was last on set in Walford in April, his scenes aired weeks later as he came to terms with the death of Nigel.
Speaking about his reason for returning to Albert Square, Ross said at the time: "Coming back has been a wonderful experience. Nigel's dementia storyline was deeply important to me, as my father died with Alzheimer's, as did Dame Barbara Windsor, so returning came with a mixture of excitement and emotional pressure.
"I was nervous about letting people down, and I thought about Barbara a great deal while being back on set – particularly in The Vic, where we spent so much time together.
"The storyline was the main reason I wanted to come back, and I was delighted when Ben Wadey asked me to return. I felt honoured to be part of something that has been handled so beautifully by EastEnders, alongside Steve McFadden, Paul Bradley, Karen Henthorn, and the rest of the cast.
"It's been incredibly special to have the Mitchells reunited – the first time in ten years that Sam, Phil, and Grant have been on set together. I've loved working with Steve McFadden again, and to be reunited with Kim Medcalf and to work alongside Stephen Aaron‑Sipple for the first time."
