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195-556: Phil Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders , played by Steve McFadden . He was introduced to the soap opera on 20 February 1990 and was followed by his brother Grant ( Ross Kemp ), sister Sam ( Danniella Westbrook / Kim Medcalf ) and mother Peggy ( Jo Warne / Barbara Windsor ). Phil was one of the major characters introduced by executive producer Michael Ferguson , who wanted to bring in some macho male leads. Phil and his brother Grant became popularly known as

390-466: A Quickstep , achieving the maximum 40 points from the judges and winning the competition. Between September and November 2024, Borthwick competed in the twenty-second series of Strictly Come Dancing and was paired with professional dancer, Michelle Tsiakkas . Controversially, the couple were voted off in the 10th week, placing 7th. Borthwick carried boxer Kevin Mitchell 's championship belt into

585-403: A "typical portrayal of bottled-up masculinity". Phil's disposition altered during the early 2000s when a darker more menacing side to his personality began to surface. This change was perhaps a consequence of Grant's departure, who up until this point had always been depicted as the more selfish, thuggish and nastier of the two. The storyline signifying the departure of Ross Kemp played heavily on

780-504: A brief struggle, Phil is accidentally shot. He is then rushed to hospital, Shirley fleeing with the help of her aunt, Babe Smith ( Annette Badland ). When Ronnie discovers her gun was used after Shirley stole it, Ronnie asks Jay and Ben to dispose of it. BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation ( BBC ) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London , England. Originally established in 1922 as

975-474: A car chase that ends when Steve crashes his car into a wall. Phil rescues Louise but the car explodes before he can help Steve, who dies in the inferno. Phil persuades Lisa to return to him and then makes it clear that it is Louise he and Peggy want, not Lisa. Phil and Peggy hire a nanny, Joanne Ryan ( Tara Lynne O'Neill ), without consulting her, telling her that Lisa is mentally unstable. Phil demands that Lisa change Louise's name to Mitchell legally and organises

1170-550: A car driven by Frank's daughter Janine Butcher ( Charlie Brooks ). Following Danielle's funeral, Peggy asks Phil to kill Archie so they could get justice for Danielle and Ronnie. He obliges and has Archie kidnapped, but lets him go after threatening him to stay away from Walford. However, Archie later returns to the square and ignores Phil's constant demands that he leave Walford again. As Christmas approaches in December 2009, Phil and Peggy are horrified to learn that Archie has extorted

1365-693: A censorship apparatus for the inevitability of war. Due to the BBC's advancements in shortwave radio technology, the corporation could broadcast across the world during the Second World War. Within Europe, the BBC European Service would gather intelligence and information regarding the current events of the war in English. Regional BBC workers, based on their regional geo-political climate, would then further censor

1560-429: A charity abseil on top of The Queen Vic, Shirley proposes to Phil and he accepts. At their engagement party, Sharon returns, begging for help, as she has left her fiancé John Hewland ( Jesse Birdsall ) at the altar and he has her son, Dennis Rickman (Harry Hickles). Phil helps her to rescue Dennis and they return with Phil to Walford. When Phil gets home, he finds that Shirley knows the truth about Heather's death. After

1755-541: A christening. Lisa agrees until some of Phil's relatives, assuming she is the nanny, start talking about how unstable Louise's mother is. Furious at this, she and Louise flee to Portugal – with Jamie reluctantly assisting her after growing uncomfortable with Phil's violent tendencies. However, Phil soon takes his frustrations out of Jamie, who then dies after being struck by a car driven by Martin Fowler – leaving Phil devastated. After Jamie's funeral, Phil goes to Portugal and returns

1950-463: A divorce. Kathy agrees to marry Phil in 1994, despite the pair having to overcome a incident where he torched a vehicle in a car lot owned by his future stepfather Frank Butcher ( Mike Reid ) to secure an insurance scam; the result accidentally killed a homeless boy trapped inside. Intent on winning him back, Sharon kisses Phil but he ends things there. During Phil and Kathy's engagement party, Grant plays an audio cassette recording of Sharon admitting to

2145-444: A furious confrontation, he tries to convince her not to tell the police but Ben confesses to the police and is charged with Heather's murder. Jay is charged with perverting the course of justice and Phil orders him to change his statement so Ben will not go to prison, but Jay refuses and Phil disowns him but does manage to convince Roxy to lie in her statement. His solicitor, Ritchie Scott ( Sian Webber ), tells him that Ben could face

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2340-428: A group of thugs to beat Dennis up and later slaps Sharon when she confronts him over it. Phil and Kate get married. However, on their wedding day, Phil is unhappy when Lisa reappears – demanding access to Louise. When Phil refuses to do so, Lisa plans to shoot him again until she backs down. Towards the end of September 2003, Dennis and Sharon are reunited with their father Den Watts ( Leslie Grantham ) – who returns to

2535-678: A gun and shoots at the dashboard, causing Grant to crash into the River Thames . Phil is rescued, but Grant isn't found and is presumed dead. However, it is soon revealed that Grant is alive and he escapes to Brazil – though not before sending Phil and their mother Peggy ( Barbara Windsor ) the deeds for his half of The Queen Vic. Though Phil is entrusted by his mother to protect Grant's share of The Queen Vic, he ends up selling it to his business partner Dan Sullivan ( Craig Fairbrass ) for £5 to spite Peggy due to her favouritism towards Grant. By then, Phil and Dan have become close friends; with Phil being

2730-461: A larger brand: in 2003, BBC Choice was replaced by BBC Three , with programming for younger adults and shocking real-life documentaries, BBC News 24 became the BBC News Channel in 2008, and BBC Radio 7 became BBC Radio 4 Extra in 2011, with new programmes to supplement those broadcast on Radio 4. In 2008, another channel was launched, BBC Alba , a Scottish Gaelic service. During this decade,

2925-552: A meet-up with his associates. However, he then deliberately crashes the car after releasing Phil's seatbelt – thus causing Phil to be thrown through the windscreen. He is airlifted to hospital and requires an operation. While he is recovering, he puts Ronnie in charge of his businesses. Carl tries to intimidate her and use the garage for illegal purposes. Shirley confronts Carl about his actions, and she mysteriously disappears after this, though her friends believe she has gone to Greece as she had planned. Once recovered, Phil learns that Carl

3120-460: A minimum of 10 years in prison. Shirley ends her relationship with Phil as she is unable to cope with his betrayal. Phil visits Ben in prison with Ian in the hope of persuading Ben to retract his confession but Ben refuses, insisting that he is doing the right thing as he needs to be punished. Ben refuses to have any contact with his family until his release. After Ben's departure, Phil bonds with Dennis. When Billy's great-granddaughter, Lexi Pearce ,

3315-443: A month later with Louise. This causes some of Phil's neighbors to suspect that he has murdered Lisa. Phil soon falls for Kate Morton ( Jill Halfpenny ), unaware that she is an undercover police officer investigating Lisa's disappearance. The police believe that Lisa is dead, and at one stage a body is found which the police fear may be that of Lisa. After Phil confesses that he manipulated Lisa to give him Louise and paid her to leave

3510-599: A news and information service. In 1978, BBC staff went on strike just before the Christmas, thus blocking out the transmission of both channels and amalgamating all four radio stations into one. Since the deregulation of the UK television and radio market in the 1980s, the BBC has faced increased competition from the commercial sector (and from the advertiser-funded public service broadcaster Channel 4 ), especially on satellite television, cable television, and digital television services. In

3705-489: A number of additional channels and radio stations have been launched: Radio 5 was launched in 1990, as a sports and educational station, but was replaced in 1994, with BBC Radio 5 Live to become a live radio station, following the success of the Radio 4 service to cover the 1991 Gulf War . The new station would be a news and sport station. In 1997, BBC News 24 , a rolling news channel, launched on digital television services, and

3900-455: A one-off role in Not Going Out . He also appeared in an episode of Gina's Laughing Gear . Borthwick won the award for Best Dramatic Performance From a Young Actor or Actress at the 2008 British Soap Awards and dedicated it to his late grandmother, who died one day prior to his win. He was paired with Nancy Xu for the 2023 Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special and the couple danced

4095-599: A permanent return in October 2005, and has now overtaken Dot Cotton ( June Brown ) as the second-longest-serving character in EastEnders – surpassed only by original character Ian Beale ( Adam Woodyatt ). A teenage version of Phil, played by Daniel Delaney, appeared in a flashback episode broadcast on 5 September 2022, which focuses on the Mitchell family in the 1970s. Phil's most prominent storylines include his battles with alcoholism and addiction ; suffering from cirrhosis of

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4290-681: A proposal to cut 4,000 jobs, and to privatise parts of the BBC, disrupted much of the BBC's regular programming. In 2006, BBC HD launched as an experimental service and became official in December 2007. The channel broadcast HD simulcasts of programmes on BBC One , BBC Two , BBC Three and BBC Four as well as repeats of some older programmes in HD. In 2010, an HD simulcast of BBC One launched: BBC One HD . The channel uses HD versions of BBC One's schedule and uses upscaled versions of programmes not currently produced in HD. The BBC HD channel closed in March 2013 and

4485-539: A series of strikes; however, the BBC stated that the cuts were essential to move the organisation forward and concentrate on increasing the quality of programming. On 20 October 2010, the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne announced that the television licence fee would be frozen at its current level until the end of the current charter in 2016. The same announcement revealed that the BBC would take on

4680-417: A sexual relationship with drug addict Rainie Cross ( Tanya Franks ) and begins to use crack cocaine – developing an addiction. When Peggy finds out about this, she locks him inside her home so he cannot have access to drugs; however, Phil – suffering from withdrawal symptoms – escapes and confronts Peggy, setting the pub on fire as a result. Within minutes, the pub is ablaze and the roof collapses on Phil. He

4875-436: A surrogate child. Before Sharon leaves, she tells Phil that he is the father of Lisa's daughter Louise (Rachel Cox) – not Mark, as she had earlier claimed. Phil confronts Lisa, demanding contact. Unhappy at this, Steve and Mel ask Lisa and Louise to emigrate to California with them. She agrees but changes her mind and telephones Steve, asking him to return Louise. He refuses to, so Phil attempts to get Louise back, resulting in

5070-413: A tryst with and supposedly fallen pregnant by his daughter Louise's fiancé Keanu Taylor ( Danny Walters ), the culmination of his feud with Keanu sparking the 35th anniversary episodes which sees Phil's stepson Dennis Rickman ( Bleu Landau ) die in a boat crash partly caused by Phil and Keanu's fight, and marrying Kat Slater ( Jessie Wallace ). As such Phil has also been a father figure to characters on

5265-440: A writer's laptop was stolen in what was believed to be an attempt to gain the identity of the assailant. The storyline captivated the public's imagination leading to thousands of bets being placed at the bookies across the UK – bookmaker William Hill said there was about 50,000 bets on who was responsible. An estimated 22 million viewers watched EastEnders on 5 April 2001 to find out that Lisa Shaw – Phil's ex-girlfriend –

5460-441: Is gay , and makes it clear that he prefers Billy's foster son, Jay Brown ( Jamie Borthwick ). Jay likes spending time with Phil and changes his surname to Mitchell, becoming Phil's surrogate son. Ben secretly enacts revenge on Phil for this rejection, terrorising him with letters, implying he has evidence to incriminate Phil for past misdemeanours. Among other deeds, Ben sends Denise Fox ( Diane Parish ) evidence that Phil supplied

5655-616: Is also having an affair with his enemy Ian, he threatens to tell Ian's wife Jane Beale ( Laurie Brett ), unless he pays him £5,000. Phil's bullying of Ian almost costs him his life: when Ian finds Phil having a heart attack, he threatens to let him die but helps Phil for Ben's sake. Phil re-evaluates his life following his near-death experience and proposes to Shirley. Shirley initially accepts, but later changes her mind after discovering Phil's affair with Glenda; though she later forgives Phil for his infidelity, Shirley refuses to marry him. Phil reacts badly when he discovers Ben (now Joshua Pascoe)

5850-425: Is angry and tells Shirley what he has discovered only for their conversation to turn to passion. Phil later changes his mind; he realises that since Sharon is returning the money, it should not matter to him as he still wants to go through with the wedding. They later marry, but are oblivious to Shirley's bitterness – up to the point where she attempts to persuade him to be with her, rather than Sharon, only hours before

6045-458: Is brief, and amidst more rowing and physical violence, Grant is arrested and imprisoned. In his absence, Phil and Sharon continue their affair but when Grant is released, Sharon reconciles with him, leaving Phil heartbroken. On the rebound, Phil enters into a marriage of convenience with Nadia Borovac (Anna Barkan) - a Romanian refugee - enabling her to stay in Britain, with Nadia departing after

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6240-564: Is conning him; he stays with Suzy until he discovers she has been forging her pregnancy in a bid to con money from him. Soon afterwards, Phil recoups his alcoholism upon struggling to cope with his turbulent relationships with Stella and Suzy – up to the point where he nearly takes his frustrations out of Ben. During a family meal where Peggy is set to announce her engagement to her brother-in-law Archie ( Larry Lamb ), tensions build when Phil upsets Ben and nearly lashes out at him. This prompts Archie to confront Phil over his behaviour. In doing so,

6435-482: Is doing it so she will stay quiet about his involvement in Heather's death. Shirley demands money from Phil, which he does not have, forcing him to accept a deal from Derek's associate Carl White ( Daniel Coonan ) – who had recently arrived in the square. They soon clash, however, when it becomes clear that Carl plans to usurp Phil as the square's reigning hardman. After luring Phil into his car, Carl seemingly drives them to

6630-717: Is framing their business partner Max Branning ( Jake Wood ) for causing the car crash – as well as using Ian as a false witness. Phil kidnaps Ian on the day of Max's trial so he cannot testify, and then kidnaps Carl once Max is acquitted. Phil prepares to kill Carl, but Carl implies that he caused harm to Shirley. He takes Phil to a block of run-down flats where Shirley is staying with her sister Tina Carter ( Luisa Bradshaw-White ). It quickly turns out Carl threatened Shirley to stay away from Walford or he would harm Phil's family. Carl leaves, and Phil pleads with Shirley to return to Walford. She agrees and they return together, after which Phil confronts Carl once Shirley returns to her home. Carl

6825-629: Is going to be an explosive episode in the Mitchells' history." Phil also loses his son Ben (Charlie Jones), who makes a temporary departure from the show in order for the part to be recast. Subsequently, Phil becomes addicted to crack cocaine. Producers worked closely with drug and alcohol charities, including Addaction and DrugScope . Viewers never see Phil take drugs to make sure the episodes are suitable for all audiences. Martin Barnes, chief executive of DrugScope, commented: "If EastEnders sensitively reflect

7020-455: Is heartbroken and decides to keep quiet about her pregnancy, but not before telling her lover Mark Fowler ( Todd Carty ) about it; Mark, who has grown to resent Phil for his abusive treatment of Lisa, suggests they tell people that the baby is his and she agrees. Mel soon becomes outraged by Phil's volatile behaviour, such as his treatment of Lisa and Ian after refusing to help the latter when he undergoes financial bankruptcy. On 1st March 2001,

7215-737: Is hiding anymore secrets from her – up to the point when she asks him what could be worse than covering up a murder. This prompts Phil to finally reveal the true circumstances of how Dennis died on New Year's Eve 2005, explaining how he is the reason Dennis attacked Johnny, prior to the latter having him killed. In response, Sharon runs away from Phil and becomes so distraught that she refuses to rebuild their relationship – though she eventually reconsiders after Phil apologizes to her about Dennis, and she forgives him soon afterwards. When Phil learns that Jake and Danny's cousin Alfie Moon ( Shane Richie ) has upset Roxy no sooner after she started working for him and

7410-493: Is horrified by Ben's behaviour, and tells the police that Ben is lying; but Ben thinks Shirley's best friend, Heather Trott ( Cheryl Fergison ), is responsible. Fearful and angry, Ben retaliates by murdering Heather just as Phil returns to confront him. Blaming himself for Ben's actions, Phil makes the murder look like a burglary, spurns a grieving Shirley, allows his neighbors and family to become murder suspects, and bullies Ian into keeping quiet after Ben confesses to him. During

7605-507: Is infertile due to a botched abortion; Sharon later admits that the baby she aborted six years earlier was that of Grant. This soon puts a strain on their relationship and by Christmas they have separated, resulting in Sharon returning to the United States. They had been intent on adopting a baby until Peggy reacts to the suggestion with horror, and Sharon is not keen on Phil's suggestion of having

7800-453: Is joined by his younger brother Grant ( Ross Kemp ). Two years later, Phil goes into partnership at The Queen Victoria public house with Grant and his wife Sharon Watts ( Letitia Dean ) – up to the point where he moves in with them. Phil grows close to Sharon, who turns to him for comfort during Grant's violent outbursts. Sharon and Phil have sex but she stays with Grant, who is unaware of their betrayal. Sharon and Grant's reconciliation

7995-813: Is later sentenced to life imprisonment for the murders of Andy and Dennis, though he later dies of a heart attack in October 2006. After resolving matters with Grant and securing Jake's safety from being exposed as a killer following the discovery of Danny's death, Phil resumes life with his family and Sharon. Following the supposed death of Kathy and her husband Gavin Sullivan ( Paul Nicholas ) earlier on, Ben returns to England and moves in with Ian – much to Phil's surprise. Phil and Ben later spend time together and they slowly bond, eventually leading to Ben moving in with Phil. Phil starts dating Stella Crawford ( Sophie Thompson ), but she mentally and physically abuses Ben – forcing him into persuading Phil to propose to her. Ben reveals

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8190-500: Is obviously of paramount importance." Reith succeeded in building a high wall against an American-style free-for-all in radio in which the goal was to attract the largest audiences and thereby secure the greatest advertising revenue. There was no paid advertising on the BBC; all the revenue came from a tax on receiving sets. Highbrow audiences, however, greatly enjoyed it. At a time when American, Australian and Canadian stations were drawing huge audiences cheering for their local teams with

8385-436: Is rescued and Peggy leaves the next day, realising he is better off without her. Shirley supports Phil through recovery. They steal a large amount of money from Ronnie's sister, Roxy ( Rita Simons ), to buy a house together. This is soon discovered by Ronnie and Roxy's mother, Glenda ( Glynis Barber ). In response, she makes a deal with Phil for her daughters' sake and the two later begin an affair. When Phil discovers Glenda

8580-474: Is responsible for operational management and delivery of services within a framework set by the board, and is chaired by the director-general , currently Tim Davie , who is chief executive and (from 1994) editor-in-chief. The corporation has the following in-house divisions covering the BBC's output and operations: Jamie Borthwick Jamie Simon Borthwick (born 23 June 1994) is an English actor. He rose to prominence for his portrayal as Jay Brown in

8775-490: Is staying with Phil while Lisa is away. Trouble stirs, however, when Phil ends up getting distant from both his children in 2010: Ben is sent to a juvenile offenders' unit for attacking his friend Jordan Johnson ( Michael-Joel David Stuart ), which sparks a clash between Jordan's father Lucas ( Don Gilet ) and Phil himself in the process, and Louise returns to her mother before the pair disappear under Lisa's guise that Phil can have contact at any time. Depressed, Phil embarks on

8970-417: Is stunned when Ritchie tells him that Ben has already been released from prison. Phil starts to track down Ben, but is convinced by Jay and Sharon that Ben will return when he is ready. Phil is stunned when he realises that Mick is in fact Shirley's son, who she had at fourteen, subsequently raised by Shirley's parents as their son, without Mick ever discovering the truth. Phil then agrees to be her confidant for

9165-414: Is subsequently arrested when the police arrive on the scene. When she discovers this, Lisa tells Kate that she is taking Louise. Unable to stop her legally, Kate agrees; however, Phil discovers this and his marriage with Kate ends after he refuses to forgive her for costing him Louise. Just before Christmas 2003, Phil escapes from prison and confronts Den; they fight until Den gives him £200,000 to survive 'on

9360-430: Is taken into care, Lexi's mother Lola ( Danielle Harold ) tells Phil that Ben is Lexi's father and Phil is her grandfather. Lola agrees for Phil to have residence of Lexi and he suggests to Sharon that they pretend to be in a relationship to increase the chances of success, even though she is in a relationship with Jack Branning ( Scott Maslen ). They tell social workers that they are engaged but Shirley threatens to tell

9555-409: Is unfazed by Phil's threats for retribution and gloats that he has contacts inside prison who can harm Ben if Phil does anything to him. At the start of 2014, Phil learns that Carl has entrapped Ronnie into having a relationship with him – though she quickly ends it upon discovering his actions against the Mitchells. Phil later kidnaps Carl in the garage and plans to kill him, though Ronnie stops him at

9750-508: Is unwell, Phil praises Lola's actions, and decides to tell Social Services that Lola may be ready to have Lexi back. Phil and Sharon reunite after her relationship with Jack ends. However, it ends when Sharon's painkiller addiction puts Lexi in danger. Lola regains full custody of Lexi, leaving Phil to feel lonely. When Shirley's benefits are cut and she is forced to move out of the B&;B, Phil secretly pays her rent. Shirley finds out and believes he

9945-601: Is upset by Lisa's accusation and Phil comforts her, leading to a one-night stand. Mel, however, realises it was a mistake and reconciles with his sworn enemy Steve Owen ( Martin Kemp ), making Phil jealous. The day before the wedding, Steve finds out that about Mel's one-night stand with Phil after overhearing the pair talk about it. Elsewhere, Lisa decides that a baby will improve their relationship so stops taking contraceptive pills. But Phil wants Lisa to leave him, not get pregnant, and so admits to Lisa that he and Mel slept together. Lisa

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10140-476: Is wrongfully remanded in custody for Den's murder; Den was murdered by his second wife and Sam's nemesis, Chrissie ( Tracy-Ann Oberman ), after the duo and Sam's friend Zoe Slater ( Michelle Ryan ) initially worked together to get revenge on Den for his nefarious activities – including Sam's intent to avenge Phil's ordeal. Upon arriving at the square, Phil and Grant notice Peggy being mugged and end up rescuing her. Shortly afterwards, they learn that Peggy's mugging

10335-626: The Archbishops of Canterbury and York came to St Paul's to broadcast to the UK and the world on the National Day of Prayer. BBC employees during the war included George Orwell who spent two years with the broadcaster. During his role as prime minister during the war, Winston Churchill delivered 33 major wartime speeches by radio, all of which were carried by the BBC within the UK. On 18 June 1940, French general Charles de Gaulle , in exile in London as

10530-613: The BBC soap opera EastEnders which he has starred in since 2006. His role on EastEnders earned him a British Soap Award for "Best Dramatic Performance from a Young Actor or Actress" in 2008. Borthwick has portrayed Jay Brown in EastEnders since 2006. His first appearance aired on 14 December. His first appearance on mainstream television was as an orphan in the Celebrate Oliver! musical alongside Shane Richie and Joseph McManners in December 2005. In late 2006 Borthwick had

10725-577: The BBC Television Service ) started from Alexandra Palace in November 1936, alternating between an improved Baird mechanical 240-line system and the all-electronic 405-line Marconi-EMI system which had been developed by an EMI research team led by Sir Isaac Shoenberg . The superiority of the electronic system saw the mechanical system dropped early the following year, with the Marconi-EMI system

10920-478: The British Broadcasting Company , it evolved into its current state with its current name on New Year's Day 1927. The oldest and largest local and global broadcaster by stature and by number of employees, the BBC employs over 21,000 staff in total, of whom approximately 17,200 are in public-sector broadcasting. The BBC was established under a royal charter , and operates under an agreement with

11115-936: The MediaCityUK development in Salford , with BBC Three moving online only in 2016, the sharing of more programmes between stations and channels, sharing of radio news bulletins, more repeats in schedules, including the whole of BBC Two daytime and for some original programming to be reduced. BBC HD was closed on 26 March 2013, and replaced with an HD simulcast of BBC Two; however, flagship programmes, other channels and full funding for CBBC and CBeebies would be retained. Numerous BBC facilities have been sold off, including New Broadcasting House on Wilmslow Road in Manchester. Many major departments have been relocated to Broadcasting House in central London and MediaCityUK in Salford, particularly since

11310-525: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport . Its work is funded principally by an annual television licence fee which is charged to all British households, companies, and organisations using any type of equipment to receive or record live television broadcasts or to use the BBC's streaming service, iPlayer . The fee is set by the British Government , agreed by Parliament , and is used to fund

11505-460: The cut-and-shut car responsible for her ex-husband, Kevin Wicks ' ( Phil Daniels ), death in 2008. Denise's attempts to get Phil imprisoned fail; however, Marsden soon investigates the allegations and Ben tells her that Phil forced Stella to jump from the roof back in 2007. Phil is held on remand in prison on suspicion of Stella's murder and Ben delights in the distress he causes his father. Ian, however,

11700-410: The river , saying their marriage was over for good. Phil begins sleeping rough, gambling, and blaming Kathy for his decline. This prompts her to leave Walford for South Africa , letting it be known that an offer of reconciliation from Phil would make her reconsider. Phil is undecided until Lorna stops him going after Kathy by locking herself in his bathroom and attempts suicide. He later follows Kathy to

11895-551: The " Get Johnny Week " storyline; becoming a prime suspect in the murder of his uncle Archie ( Larry Lamb ) (see " Who Killed Archie? "); developing an addiction to crack cocaine that sparks the events of The Queen Vic Fire Week ; his ongoing struggle to bond with his children Ben ( Max Bowden ) and Louise ( Tilly Keeper ), a tempestuous relationship with Shirley Carter ( Linda Henry ), which ends when Phil covers up her best friend Heather Trott 's ( Cheryl Fergison ) murder after Ben kills her, discovering that his wife Sharon had

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12090-514: The 2025–26 season of the Women's Super League campaign. The BBC is a statutory corporation , independent from direct government intervention, with its activities being overseen from April 2017 by the BBC Board and regulated by Ofcom . The chairman is Samir Shah. The BBC is a state owned public broadcasting company and operates under a royal charter . The charter is the constitutional basis for

12285-467: The BBC announced a BBC News savings target of £80 million per year by 2022, involving about 520 staff reductions. The BBC's director of news and current affairs Fran Unsworth said there would be further moves toward digital broadcasting, in part to attract back a youth audience, and more pooling of reporters to stop separate teams covering the same news. In 2020, the BBC reported a £119 million deficit because of delays to cost reduction plans, and

12480-565: The BBC is subject to an additional 'Agreement' between it and the Culture Secretary , and that its operating licence is to be set by Ofcom, an external regulatory body . It used to be that the Home Secretary be departmental to both Agreement as well as Licence, and regulatory duties fall to the BBC Trust , but the 2017 charter changed those 2007 arrangements. The charter, too, outlines

12675-791: The BBC released minutes of the board meeting which led to Greg Dyke's resignation. Unlike the other departments of the BBC, the BBC World Service was funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office . The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, more commonly known as the Foreign Office or the FCO, is the British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom abroad. A strike in 2005 by more than 11,000 BBC workers, over

12870-440: The BBC suddenly became the primary source of news for the duration of the crisis. The crisis placed the BBC in a delicate position. On the one hand Reith was acutely aware that the government might exercise its right to commandeer the BBC at any time as a mouthpiece of the government if the BBC were to step out of line, but on the other he was anxious to maintain public trust by appearing to be acting independently. The government

13065-477: The BBC was granted sufficient leeway to pursue the government's objectives largely in a manner of its own choosing. Supporters of the strike nicknamed the BBC the BFC for British Falsehood Company. Reith personally announced the end of the strike which he marked by reciting from Blake's " Jerusalem " signifying that England had been saved. While the BBC tends to characterise its coverage of the general strike by emphasising

13260-531: The BBC", was priced at tuppence (two pence ) on newsstands, and quickly sold out its run of a quarter of a million copies. Mid-1925 found the future of broadcasting under further consideration, this time by the Crawford committee. By now, the BBC, under Reith's leadership, had forged a consensus favouring a continuation of the unified (monopoly) broadcasting service, but more money was still required to finance rapid expansion. Wireless manufacturers were anxious to exit

13455-459: The BBC's airwaves. In 1937, a MI5 security officer was given a permanent office within the organisation. This officer would examine the files of potential political subversives and mark the files of those deemed a security risk to the organisation, blacklisting them. This was often done on spurious grounds; even so, the practice would continue and expand during the years of the Cold War. There

13650-535: The BBC's censorship office, which surveilled and edited American coverage of British affairs. By 1940, across all BBC broadcasts, music by composers from enemy nations was censored. In total, 99 German, 38 Austrian and 38 Italian composers were censored. The BBC argued that like the Italian or German languages, listeners would be irritated by the inclusion of enemy composers. Any potential broadcasters said to have pacifist, communist or fascist ideologies were not allowed on

13845-446: The BBC's international 24-hour English-language news services BBC News , and from BBC.com, provided by BBC Global News Ltd. In 2009, the company was awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise in recognition of its international achievements in business. Since its formation in 1922, the BBC has played a prominent role in British life and culture. It is sometimes informally referred to as

14040-663: The BBC's radio, TV, and online services covering the nations and regions of the UK. Since 1 April 2014, it has also funded the BBC World Service (launched in 1932 as the BBC Empire Service), which broadcasts in 28 languages and provides comprehensive TV, radio, and online services in Arabic and Persian . Some of the BBC's revenue comes from its commercial subsidiary BBC Studios (formerly BBC Worldwide ), which sells BBC programmes and services internationally and also distributes

14235-510: The BBC, and sets out the BBC's Object, Mission and Public Purposes. It emphasises public service , (limited) editorial independence , prohibits advertising on domestic services and proclaims the BBC is to "seek to avoid adverse impacts on competition which are not necessary for the effective fulfilment of the Mission and the promotion of the Public Purposes". The charter also sets out that

14430-480: The BBC, poached Ferguson to become executive producer of EastEnders . For the roles of Phil and Grant Mitchell many actors were screen-tested together. This was done to assure the chosen actors – who would work together – had a strong rapport and physical resemblance. Producer Corinne Hollingworth commented: "There were some good actors we had to turn down because we couldn't find the 'right' brother." Steve McFadden , an actor who had worked extensively in television,

14625-680: The Beeb or Auntie . In 1923 it launched Radio Times (subtitled "The official organ of the BBC"), the first broadcast listings magazine; the 1988 Christmas edition sold 11 million copies, the biggest-selling edition of any British magazine in history. Britain's first live public broadcast was made from the factory of Marconi Company in Chelmsford in June 1920. It was sponsored by the Daily Mail ' s Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe and featured

14820-575: The British government's asylum policy on social media. Lineker was suspended from his position on Match of the Day before being re-instated after receiving overwhelming support from his colleagues. The scandal was made worse due to the connections between BBC's chairman, Richard Sharp, and the Conservative Party. In April 2023, Richard Sharp resigned as chairman after a report found he did not disclose potential perceived conflicts of interest in his role in

15015-500: The CBBC Channel and CBeebies Channel. In addition to the television channels, new digital radio stations were created: 1Xtra , 6 Music and Radio 4 Extra . BBC 1Xtra was a sister station to Radio 1 and specialised in modern black music, BBC 6 Music specialised in alternative music genres and BBC7 specialised in archive, speech and children's programming. The following few years resulted in repositioning of some channels to conform to

15210-676: The Corporation's governance and regulatory arrangements as a statutory corporation, including the role and composition of the BBC Board. The current Charter began on 1 January 2017 and ends on 31 December 2027; the Agreement being coterminous. The BBC Board was formed in April 2017. It replaced the previous governing body, the BBC Trust, which itself had replaced the board of governors in 2007. The board sets

15405-642: The GPO and the BBC had become deadlocked and the Postmaster General commissioned a review of broadcasting by the Sykes Committee. The committee recommended a short-term reorganisation of licence fees with improved enforcement in order to address the BBC's immediate financial distress, and an increased share of the licence revenue split between it and the GPO. This was to be followed by a simple 10 shillings licence fee to fund broadcasts. The BBC's broadcasting monopoly

15600-498: The GPO proposed that it would issue a single broadcasting licence to a company jointly owned by a consortium of leading wireless receiver manufacturers, to be known as the British Broadcasting Company Ltd , which was formed on 18 October 1922. John Reith , a Scottish Calvinist , was appointed its general manager in December 1922 a few weeks after the company made its first official broadcast. L. Stanton Jefferies

15795-464: The Mitchell brothers in the British media, with Phil initially portrayed as the more level-headed of the two thugs. Storylines featuring the Mitchell family dominated the soap opera throughout the 1990s, with Phil serving as one of the show's central characters and protagonists since the 1990s. McFadden temporarily left the series in late 2003, then returned in April 2005 for a brief appearance before making

15990-659: The Mitchell brothers – six years since they last appeared together. 13 million viewers tuned in to see their return giving the BBC a 52.9% British audience share, a massive coup for the show which had come under heavy criticism in the British media after it drew its lowest audience in more than five years (6.6 million viewers tuning in to one episode in September 2005). Phil Mitchell first arrives in Walford in February 1990 to open an automobile repair shop, known as The Arches; he

16185-454: The Mitchell brothers' fragile and damaged relationship. After discovering that Grant had vengefully slept with Kathy, Phil went ballistic with a handgun causing the hijacked Vauxhall Astra they were driving to career at high speed into the River Thames , in an episode that was watched by 19.5 million viewers. Shot in London's Docklands, the scenes required stunt doubles , divers and crash test dummies and it has been hailed as "one of

16380-686: The Mitchells still celebrate Chrissie's imprisonment when Sharon announces that she forged a contract that Ian had signed – thereby meaning that Ian does not officially own the pub, and thus the Mitchells are the true owners of The Queen Vic once more. Around Christmas 2005, Phil escalates his feud with Johnny and ends up entrapping Dennis on his behalf; Dennis and Johnny embark on a conflict afterwards. When Phil discovers that Johnny threatened Sharon with Dennis' life, he attempts to intimidate Dennis in attacking Johnny in retribution; Dennis refuses, but relents when Phil tells him that Johnny killed Andy and throttled Sharon. Unfortunately, after Dennis batters Johnny at

16575-498: The Prime Minister, maintained the censorship of editorial opinions on public policy, but allowed the BBC to address matters of religious, political or industrial controversy. The resulting political "talk series", designed to inform England on political issues, were criticised by members of parliament, including Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George and Sir Austen Chamberlain . Those who opposed these chats claimed that they silence

16770-562: The Stirling Media Research Institute, where men were asked questions about the violence contained within a spectrum of broadcast television material. The study reported that much group discussion centred on the Alcoholics Anonymous group scene, which was, for the most part, seen as an accurate depiction of an AA group therapy session. In addition, Phil's portrayal of a suffering alcoholic was also seen as realistic and

16965-492: The UK's first Independent local radio station, LBC came on-air in the London area. As a result of the Pilkington Committee report of 1962, in which the BBC was praised for the quality and range of its output, and ITV was very heavily criticised for not providing enough quality programming, the decision was taken to award the BBC a second television channel, BBC2 , in 1964, renaming the existing service BBC1 . BBC2 used

17160-592: The abuse during the wedding ceremony, and Stella flees to an abandoned warehouse with Phil in pursuit – where she kills herself by jumping from the roof. Later on, Phil claims to have killed Stella and is taken into custody – but is later released without charge. He then forms a relationship with local beautician Suzy Branning ( Maggie O'Neill ) in an attempt to move on from Stella, and the two end up getting engaged with each other after she falsely claims to be pregnant with his child. Phil does not believe his friend, Shirley Carter ( Linda Henry ), when she tells him that Suzy

17355-451: The affair. Kathy is incensed, and Grant beats Phil so badly that he has to go to hospital, due to a blood clot on his brain. Phil undergoes surgery, which stirs remorse in Grant. He pressures Phil into blaming Sharon for their affair and Grant forces her to leave Walford. Phil and Grant make peace but things between them are not the same. Kathy and Phil eventually sort out their differences, up to

17550-622: The air and forced the British government finally to regulate radio services to permit nationally based advertising-financed services. In response, the BBC reorganised and renamed their radio channels. On 30 September 1967, the Light Programme was split into Radio 1 offering continuous "Popular" music and Radio 2 more "Easy Listening". The "Third" programme became Radio 3 offering classical music and cultural programming. The Home Service became Radio 4 offering news, and non-musical content such as quiz shows, readings, dramas and plays. As well as

17745-425: The airport but is stopped by Kathy's son, Ian ( Adam Woodyatt ), who persuades him that Kathy and Ben are better off without him. Phil agonies over the loss of his son. To distract himself, Phil gets involved in a protection racket with Annie Palmer ( Nadia Sawalha ), who he is also having casual sex with, but grows tired of being bossed around by her and quits. He starts seeing Lisa Shaw ( Lucy Benjamin ), but

17940-419: The bar when she is unimpressed at his lack of interest in her work. Closing up one night after an event, two men break in and vandalize the bar, and when Sharon attempts to defend herself alone, she is severely beaten and left for dead. She is later hospitalized with a ruptured spleen , leaving Phil distraught – though he later admits to Shirley that he arranged for the men to scare Sharon at the bar, but believed

18135-630: The bodyguards that he hired for her would have protected her and did not realise that she would be hurt. When Shirley confesses she still loves Phil, he spurns her advances and instead proposes marriage to Sharon after she regains consciousness. Unaware of Phil's role in her attack, Sharon accepts. However, she later overhears his secret and begins plotting against him with the help from their family solicitor Marcus Christie ( Stephen Churchett ). Despite this, she later changes her mind and asks Marcus to return all Phil's money to his accounts – unaware that Phil has seen them. After meeting with his accountant, Phil

18330-510: The boxing ring prior to a bout in July 2007. He attended Sylvia Young Theatre School until he was 16. He is a second cousin to former EastEnders co-star Charlie Winter, who played Hunter Owen . In January 2019, it was announced that he would be running the London Marathon with some of his EastEnders co-stars for a dementia campaign in honour of Barbara Windsor . In May 2021, Borthwick

18525-458: The broadcast of baseball, rugby and hockey, the BBC emphasised service for a national rather than a regional audience. Boat races were well covered along with tennis and horse racing, but the BBC was reluctant to spend its severely limited air time on long football or cricket games, regardless of their popularity. John Reith and the BBC, with support from the Crown , determined the universal needs of

18720-487: The brothers pursue him. However, Phil's squabbling with Grant allows Johnny to capture them and Johnny orders Jake's brother Danny Moon ( Jake Maskall ) to kill the brothers. But before Danny can execute Grant, Jake arrives and shoots Danny – accidentally killing him, as Jake meant to merely stop his brother by shooting him in the arm or leg. While Jake buries Danny's body alone, Phil and Grant return to Johnny's home and find that Johnny has surrendered at Ruby's request; Johnny

18915-406: The ceaseless degradation of Lisa showed a particularly malicious side to the character. While Phil has shown compassion to the women in his life, he frequently finds he is unable to give them the emotional security needed to sustain the relationship. Several women have left him due to this and his inability to put their needs before the needs of his family. The Mitchell brothers quickly became two of

19110-606: The challenge of better reflecting and representing a changing UK". Since 2017, the BBC has also funded the Local Democracy Reporting Service , with up to 165 journalists employed by independent news organisations to report on local democracy issues on a pooled basis. In 2016, the BBC Director General Tony Hall announced a savings target of £800 million per year by 2021, which is about 23% of annual licence fee revenue. Having to take on

19305-416: The character down a darker, more destructive route. Phil can be very violent, but unlike Grant, he occasionally showed restraint when dealing with various enemies encountered – exacting revenge over time, using mind games or getting others to do his dirty work, amongst other things. Phil has occasionally shown sadistic traits. His bullying of Ian Beale is often done as a means of deriving pleasure. Equally

19500-464: The closure of BBC Television Centre in March 2013. On 16 February 2016, the BBC Three television service was discontinued and replaced by a digital outlet under the same name, targeting its young adult audience with web series and other content. Under the new royal charter instituted in 2017, the corporation must publish an annual report to Ofcom, outlining its plans and public service obligations for

19695-408: The corporation began to sell off a number of its operational divisions to private owners; BBC Broadcast was spun off as a separate company in 2002, and in 2005, it was sold off to Australian -based Macquarie Capital Alliance Group and Macquarie Group Limited and rebranded Red Bee Media . The BBC's IT , telephony and broadcast technology were brought together as BBC Technology Ltd in 2001, and

19890-497: The court hearing to determine Lexi's future, Phil exposes Lola's lateness and temper during her scheduled meetings with Lexi, sabotaging her chances of winning Lexi back. He later tells Billy that Lola will never get Lexi back, which Lola overhears. She snatches Lexi from his house. Lola evades Phil, Billy and Sharon, until eventually they find her. Phil tells Social Services it is his fault for being too relaxed with Lola, but then allows Lola to look after Lexi while he goes out. When Lexi

20085-466: The culprit-reveal episode was watched by 23 million viewers. In late 1989 EastEnders acquired a new executive producer, Michael Ferguson , who took over from Mike Gibbon . Ferguson had previously been a producer on ITV 's The Bill which seemed to be challenging EastEnders in providing a realistic vision of modern life in London . Due to his success on The Bill , Peter Cregeen , the Head of Series at

20280-818: The day of Steve and Mel's wedding, Phil has created many enemies around him; Lisa, Steve, Mark, Ian, and Dan. Later on that night, Phil is shot and collapses in a pool of blood. Steve is the prime suspect and is arrested, but Phil – knowing Steve is innocent – confronts the real culprit, Lisa, weeks later after he is discharged from hospital. Realizing he drove her to it, Phil gradually forgives Lisa and instead decides to frame Dan upon learning that he has been extorting money from his godson Jamie ( Jack Ryder ) – whom Phil had taken under his wing to spare him from being further abused by his legal guardian and uncle, Billy ( Perry Fenwick ). His plan come to fruition when Phil contacts Dan's former crime boss, Ritchie Stringer ( Gareth Hunt ), and together to pair conspire to incriminate Dan for

20475-553: The division was later sold to the German company Siemens IT Solutions and Services (SIS). SIS was subsequently acquired from Siemens by the French company Atos . Further divestments included BBC Books (sold to Random House in 2006); BBC Outside Broadcasts Ltd (sold in 2008 to Satellite Information Services ); Costumes and Wigs (stock sold in 2008 to Angels Costumes ); and BBC Magazines (sold to Immediate Media Company in 2011). After

20670-468: The end of the year, and Phil even proposes to Sharon, though she accepts Jack's proposal of marriage instead. When Phil offers Sharon an increase of her salary, and a 19% stake in club, Jack is not pleased and punches Phil, who falls into the vehicle pit in the garage. Jack thinks he has killed Phil, but Phil later arrives at the pub and announces Jack's guilt. Jack is arrested but Phil does not press charges after Sharon convinces him for her and Lexi's sake. At

20865-407: The facilitation of a loan to Prime Minister Boris Johnson . Dame Elan Closs Stephens was appointed as acting chairwoman on 27 June 2023, and she would lead the BBC board for a year or until a new permanent chair has been appointed. Samir Shah was subsequently appointed with effect from 4 March 2024. In October 2024 it was announced that the BBC along with Sky Sports signed a deal to broadcast

21060-538: The fact that Sharon was married to Grant, EastEnders writer Tony Jordan revealed in The Mitchells – The Full Story that the love-triangle storyline had been planned since Phil and Grant's introduction, after the writers decided Sharon was perfect for them both. This storyline was slow burning and spread over several years, providing a plethora of dramatic tension along the way. The episode in which Phil betrayed his brother with Sharon occurred in September 1992 in one of

21255-404: The famous Australian soprano Dame Nellie Melba . The Melba broadcast caught the people's imagination and marked a turning point in the British public's attitude to radio. However, this public enthusiasm was not shared in official circles where such broadcasts were held to interfere with important military and civil communications. By late 1920, the pressure from these quarters and uneasiness among

21450-447: The first fully electronic television system in the world to be used in regular broadcasting. The success of broadcasting provoked animosities between the BBC and well-established media such as theatres, concert halls and the recording industry. By 1929, the BBC complained that the agents of many comedians refused to sign contracts for broadcasting, because they feared it harmed the artist "by making his material stale" and that it "reduces

21645-429: The following year, BBC Choice was launched as the third general entertainment channel from the BBC. The BBC also purchased The Parliamentary Channel, which was renamed BBC Parliament . In 1999, BBC Knowledge launched as a multimedia channel, with services available on the newly launched BBC Text digital teletext service (later rebranded as BBC Red Button), and on BBC Online . The channel had an educational aim, which

21840-402: The forthcoming ending of the remaining £253 million funding towards pensioner licence fees would increase financial pressures. In January 2021, it was reported that former banker Richard Sharp would succeed David Clementi , as chairman, when he stepped down in February. In March 2023, the BBC was at the centre of a political row with football pundit Gary Lineker , after he criticised

22035-499: The four national channels, a series of local BBC radio stations were established in 1967, including Radio London . In 1969, the BBC Enterprises department was formed to exploit BBC brands and programmes for commercial spin-off products. In 1979, it became a wholly owned limited company, BBC Enterprises Ltd. In 1974, the BBC's teletext service, Ceefax , was introduced, created initially to provide subtitling, but developed into

22230-562: The full cost of running the BBC World Service and the BBC Monitoring service from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and partially finance the Welsh broadcaster S4C . Further cuts were announced on 6 October 2011, so the BBC could reach a total reduction in their budget of 20%, following the licence fee freeze in October 2010, which included cutting staff by 2,000 and sending a further 1,000 to

22425-633: The government. Throughout the 1930s, political broadcasts had been closely monitored by the BBC. In 1935, the BBC censored the broadcasts of Oswald Mosley and Harry Pollitt . Mosley was a leader of the British Union of Fascists , and Pollitt a leader of the Communist Party of Great Britain . They had been contracted to provide a series of five broadcasts on their parties' politics. The BBC, in conjunction with The Foreign Office of Britain, first suspended this series and ultimately cancelled it without

22620-439: The gun to go after Dalton, and is later surprised to learn that Dennis actually killed Dalton as he promised. Following Dalton's death, his representative Andy Hunter ( Michael Higgs ) confronts Phil over the circumstances of his and Dennis's alleged involvement; Andy manipulates Phil into confirming that Dennis was the one who killed Dalton, reigniting their feud when Dennis finds out. In the ensuing clash between them, Phil orders

22815-405: The higher resolution 625-line standard which had been standardised across Europe. BBC2 was broadcast in colour from 1 July 1967 and was joined by BBC1 and ITV on 15 November 1969. The 405-line VHF transmissions of BBC1 (and ITV) were continued for compatibility with older television receivers until 1985. Starting in 1964, a series of pirate radio stations (starting with Radio Caroline ) came on

23010-637: The impact that drug use has on Phil, it could help." The storyline also sees Phil become more violent. McFadden explained: All he can see is Peggy's betrayed him. She knows how much he fought for custody, for contact and how important it was for him to see his children. He's really angry about it and feels the world is against him. [...] What he's really doing is self-harm which is a common response to anger. People do crazy, mad things like this when they're desperate. It's very ugly and disturbing. [...] He's hit his kids and his mum, so yes, [worse violence is] something he's capable of. McFadden decided to lose weight for

23205-517: The last minute. However, as they reluctantly agree to force him out of Walford, Ronnie ends up killing Carl after he attempts to rape her whilst Phil is out of the garage. After discovering this, Phil helps Ronnie cover up the murder – only for Sharon to investigate the pair upon learning of Carl's death. When she eventually confronts Phil about this, he confines to Sharon about how Ronnie killed Carl to protect their family against his threats. Sharon grows to accept his theory, but then demands to know if he

23400-534: The late 1980s, the BBC began a process of divestment by spinning off and selling parts of its organisation. In 1988, it sold off the Hulton Press Library, a photographic archive which had been acquired from the Picture Post magazine by the BBC in 1957. The archive was sold to Brian Deutsch and is now owned by Getty Images . In 1987, the BBC decided to centralize its operations by the management team with

23595-665: The leader of the Free French, made a speech, broadcast by the BBC, urging the French people not to capitulate to the Nazis. In October 1940, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret made their first radio broadcast for the BBC's Children's Hour , addressing other children who had been evacuated from cities. In 1938, John Reith and the Government of the United Kingdom , specifically the Ministry of Information which had been set up for WWII, designed

23790-478: The lights to distract Phil, which allows Dan to overpower him. Dan then escapes with the money, never to be seen in Walford again, while Phil recovers and returns to the square upon helping Steve rescue Mel. Shortly before the events of Dan's trial and Mel's kidnapping, Sharon returns to the square; she reconciles with Phil and they run The Queen Vic together. Phil soon wants children with Sharon, but she reveals that she

23985-543: The liver ; various criminal dealings; having an affair with Grant's wife Sharon Watts ( Letitia Dean ) — a storyline popularly dubbed " Sharongate "; a failed marriage to Kathy Beale ( Gillian Taylforth ); a longstanding animosity with his tormented stepson Ian Beale ( Adam Woodyatt ); sparking numerous feuds and rivalries; having relationship problems; seeking to avenge the death of Sharon's adoptive brother and later husband Dennis Rickman ( Nigel Harman ) by confronting his gangland killer, Johnny Allen ( Billy Murray ), in

24180-535: The loss-making consortium, and Reith was keen that the BBC be seen as a public service rather than a commercial enterprise. The recommendations of the Crawford Committee were published in March the following year and were still under consideration by the GPO when the 1926 United Kingdom general strike broke out in May. The strike temporarily interrupted newspaper production, and with restrictions on news bulletins waived,

24375-754: The material their broadcasts would cover. Nothing was to be added outside the preordained news items. For example, the BBC Polish Service was heavily censored due to fears of jeopardising relations with the Soviet Union . Controversial topics, i.e. the contested Polish and Soviet border, the deportation of Polish citizens, the arrests of Polish Home Army members and the Katyn massacre , were not included in Polish broadcasts. American radio broadcasts were broadcast across Europe on BBC channels. This material also passed through

24570-530: The modest, church-going elderly or a member of the Clergy . Until 1928, entertainers broadcasting on the BBC, both singers and "talkers" were expected to avoid biblical quotations, Clerical impersonations and references, references to drink or Prohibition in the United States , vulgar and doubtful matter and political allusions. The BBC excluded popular foreign music and musicians from its broadcasts, while promoting British alternatives. On 5 March 1928, Stanley Baldwin,

24765-441: The murder investigation; as Phil and Marsden became sworn enemies ever since she investigated his shooting – before going on to intercept Phil's criminal activities prior to him being set up for the robbery. During the investigation, Phil clashes with Janine as they both plan to retake various properties from the square. However, it is later revealed that Archie's killer was in fact his rape victim Stacey Slater ( Lacey Turner ); this

24960-413: The new corporation adopted the coat of arms , including the motto "Nation shall speak peace unto Nation". British radio audiences had little choice apart from the upscale programming of the BBC. Reith, an intensely moralistic executive, was in full charge. His goal was to broadcast "All that is best in every department of human knowledge, endeavour and achievement.... The preservation of a high moral tone

25155-569: The news that Lucy Benjamin was to return for a single episode, reprising her role as Lisa, the mother of Phil's daughter Louise (Brittany Papple). In the storyline, Phil gains custody of Louise after she is dropped off in Walford by an unseen person; however, Peggy eventually returns Louise to Lisa after Phil punches his mother in the face. A spokesperson for the show said "Lisa Fowler was a major part of Phil's life – she knows him as well as anyone, so she won't be happy about him looking after his daughter. With their history, you know that this storyline

25350-473: The next year. In its 2017–18 report, released July 2017, the BBC announced plans to "re-invent" its output to better compete against commercial streaming services such as Netflix . These plans included increasing the diversity of its content on television and radio, a major increase in investments towards digital children's content, and plans to make larger investments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to "rise to

25545-423: The night of the shooting, Dan kidnaps Mel and alerts both Phil and Steve about this – threatening to kill her unless they pay him £200,000. After the two are forced to work together to provide £200,000 for Mel's release, Phil plans to take Dan down during the exchange. He momentarily subdues Dan and prepares to shoot him, but Mel – after learning how Phil and Steve framed Dan for the shooting – helps Dan by turning off

25740-413: The notice of the public. Less radical politicians faced similar censorship. In 1938, Winston Churchill proposed a series of talks regarding British domestic and foreign politics and affairs but was similarly censored. The censorship of political discourse by the BBC was a precursor to the total shutdown of political debate that manifested over the BBC's wartime airwaves. The Foreign Office maintained that

25935-420: The only person to defend Dan when he is revealed to have cheated on his girlfriend Carol Jackson ( Lindsey Coulson ) by having an affair with her daughter Bianca ( Patsy Palmer ), the wife of Frank's son Ricky ( Sid Owen ). By this stage, Phil's mother Peggy has married Frank. Phil and Dan's friendship soon ends after Dan tells the police about a motor scam Phil was involved in and Phil cons Dan into signing

26130-541: The opinions of those in Parliament who are not nominated by Party Leaders or Party Whips, thus stifling independent, non-official views. In October 1932, the policemen of the Metropolitan Police Federation marched in protest at a proposed pay cut. Fearing dissent within the police force and public support for the movement, the BBC censored its coverage of the events, only broadcasting official statements from

26325-482: The pair later got married, he retaliates by selling the pub to get one over Alfie. However, Phil is surprised when the pub's new owner turns out to be Shirley's brother Mick Carter ( Danny Dyer ). He then learns from Ben that Lola has ended their relationship and has begun dating Ian's son Peter Beale ( Ben Hardy ). When Phil confronts her about this, she tells Phil that he cannot see Lexi if he objects. This prompts Phil to confront Ian once more, forcing him to object to

26520-407: The people of Britain and broadcast content according to these perceived standards. Reith effectively censored anything that he felt would be harmful, directly or indirectly. While recounting his time with the BBC in 1935, Raymond Postgate claims that BBC broadcasters were made to submit a draft of their potential broadcast for approval. It was expected that they tailored their content to accommodate

26715-505: The point where it manages to reveal the basis of his problem – the physical abuse he received from his late father, Eric ( George Russo ) when he was a boy, and his fear that he may abuse Ben. He and Kathy reconcile when he attends counselling, but soon he cheats on Kathy by sleeping with fellow alcoholic Lorna Cartwright ( Janet Dibley ) – who starts stalking him. With his marriage in jeopardy, Phil takes Kathy to Paris and admits his dalliance with Lorna so Kathy throws her wedding ring into

26910-432: The point where they get married and Kathy later gives birth to their son – Ben (Matthew Silver). As time goes on, however, Phil becomes depressed and turns to alcohol – which causes him to develop an addiction. This makes him bitter and neglectful towards Kathy and Ben, so Kathy takes Ben and moves out. Realizing what he has lost, Phil gives up alcohol and attends Alcoholics Anonymous . This progressively helps Phil, up to

27105-412: The police catch up to Chrissie just as she prepares to flee the country at the airport and Sharon punches her in revenge for her father's death; Chrissie is then arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment, while Sam is released from prison – only to end up fleeing the country when she finds herself implicated for perverting the course of justice for Den's murder. Despite the circumstances over Sam's ordeal,

27300-456: The police involved, Kate allows Phil to deal with Dalton on his own. This Phil does by frogmarching Peters back to Dalton's nightclub, the "Imperial Room", and urging Dalton himself to let Kate go free. Dalton agrees to spare Kate, but tells Phil that he now owes him a favor. It is at this point where Sharon's adoptive brother, Dennis Rickman ( Nigel Harman ), arrives in Walford. Dennis is nearing 30 but Sharon had only discovered his existence in

27495-435: The positive impression created by its balanced coverage of the views of government and strikers, Seaton has characterised the episode as the invention of "modern propaganda in its British form". Reith argued that trust gained by 'authentic impartial news' could then be used. Impartial news was not necessarily an end in itself. The BBC did well out of the crisis, which cemented a national audience for its broadcasting, and it

27690-476: The post, with a note saying 'We regret, etc.'" In the 1930s music broadcasts also enjoyed great popularity, for example the friendly and wide-ranging BBC Theatre Organ broadcasts at St George's Hall , London by Reginald Foort , who held the official role of BBC Staff Theatre Organist from 1936 to 1938. Television broadcasting was suspended from 1 September 1939 to 7 June 1946, during the World War II , and it

27885-441: The pub from them after he formed a relationship with Janine and the two conspired to have Ian collaborate with them – particularly when Phil gave Ian a loan and gets beaten up as a result of not being able to pay it back. This could have been a motive for both Phil and Peggy, along with their family, when Archie is later murdered on Christmas night. Afterwards, Phil is surprised when DCI Jill Marsden ( Sophie Stanton ) takes charge of

28080-481: The pub over to Peggy. Phil is unsupportive when his girlfriend, Lisa, has a miscarriage and he starts domestically abusing her by getting her sacked from her job and insists she stays at home. This makes her dependent on him so he moves on to her best friend, Mel Healy ( Tamzin Outhwaite ). Lisa is paranoid that Phil is having an affair and accuses Mel of being his other woman, which she is not, at that point. However, Mel

28275-456: The pub's ownership. When Billy uses his job as Johnny's nightclub to discover CCTV footage of Chrissie confessing Den's murder to her boyfriend Jake Moon ( Joel Beckett ) and Johnny's henchman from an earlier night, Billy informs Phil – who goes to confront Johnny without Grant's consent. At first Phil attempts to negotiate with Johnny to no avail, but they end up fighting when Grant intervenes – punching Jake and helping Phil batter Johnny to steal

28470-459: The public should not be aware of their role in the censorship. From 1935 to 1939, the BBC also attempted to unite the British Empire's radio waves, sending staff to Egypt, Palestine , Newfoundland , Jamaica, India, Canada and South Africa. Reith personally visited South Africa, lobbying for state-run radio programmes which was accepted by South African Parliament in 1936. A similar programme

28665-423: The radio and television divisions joining forces together for the first time, the activities of the news and currents departments and coordinated jointly under the new directorate. During the 1990s, this process continued with the separation of certain operational arms of the corporation into autonomous but wholly owned subsidiaries , with the aim of generating additional revenue for programme-making. BBC Enterprises

28860-467: The reception; Phil witnesses his cousin, Ronnie ( Samantha Womack ), discover that Archie – her father – had manipulated her into believing that her long-lost daughter Danielle Jones ( Lauren Crace ), whom she previously employed as her secretary, was dead. When Peggy learns the extent of Archie's deceit, she ends their marriage by ordering Phil to throw him out of the pub – shortly before the family learn that Danielle has died after being fatally struck by

29055-444: The recording. As Jake flees to alert Chrissie of the situation, Johnny holds Phil and Grant at gunpoint to reclaim the recording – but relents in letting them escape when his daughter Ruby Allen ( Louisa Lytton ) walks in on the incident. Before fleeing with the recording, Phil learns from Johnny that Ian is Chrissie's mystery buyer for the pub; he and Billy confront Ian, while Grant helps Sharon and Dennis look for Chrissie. Eventually,

29250-494: The relationship instead. Phil repairs his fractured relationship with Sharon and they have sex. Sharon resumes her relationship with Phil and moves in with him. Together, they buy 10 Turpin Road and convert it into a new bar, which Sharon names "The Albert". When Ian's daughter Lucy dies, Phil begins supporting his former enemy and helps him get back on his feet. Witnessing Ian's grief prompts Phil to try to get back in touch with Ben, but he

29445-484: The relationship stalls when Kathy returns briefly in 1999 and sleeps with Grant. Before Kathy returns to South Africa, she asks Phil to go with her but he declines as Grant has planned an armed robbery and Phil refuses to let him do the job alone. Infuriated by Phil's loyalty to Grant, Kathy reveals their recent tryst, leading to Phil confronting Grant and Grant's confession that he slept with Kathy as revenge for Phil's affair with Sharon. While trying to escape, Phil pulls out

29640-477: The run', and Phil punches Dennis in revenge for their earlier differences. Phil then flees Walford and is not seen for over a year afterwards. Phil returns 18 months later, needing more money. He attacks Ian, who calls the police and Phil is arrested. However, the case collapses after Grant returns to Walford and pays a witness to change his testimony and Phil is released. The brothers return to Walford when Peggy requests they help his sister Sam ( Kim Medcalf ), who

29835-443: The sales of OBs and costumes, the remainder of BBC Resources was reorganised as BBC Studios and Post Production , which continues today as a wholly owned subsidiary of the BBC. The 2004 Hutton Inquiry and the subsequent report raised questions about the BBC's journalistic standards and its impartiality. This led to resignations of senior management members at the time including the then Director General, Greg Dyke . In January 2007,

30030-420: The secret in exchange for money, which Shirley steals from her younger son Dean Wicks ( Matt Di Angelo ) at his salon; he later discovers this and confronts his mother about her involvement with Phil, who later warns Dean off when they cross paths. Phil soon gets into a disagreement with Sharon when she continually puts her work at The Albert before their relationship, only beginning to become more involved with

30225-544: The shooting; with Ritchie giving Dan the same gun that Lisa used to shoot Phil. Unaware that he is being set up, Dan holds Phil at gunpoint – demanding money until he is arrested for attempted murder. Despite the pair still being fierce enemies, Steve later conspires with Phil to have Dan sent down in order to rid Mel from her tormentor for good, but Dan is ultimately acquitted despite their efforts. Dan later seeks revenge on Phil and Steve. After blackmailing Billy into telling him that Mel slept with Phil before she married Steve on

30420-409: The show, evaluated the episode in an article about social realism, education and the moral messages within EastEnders storylines, commenting: "The episode blames his destructiveness on the 'male' response to self-hate: violence. It says that unless problems are worked through (the female method), they will be repeated generation after generation". This particular episode has also been used in a study by

30615-571: The show, taking several under his wing including Ricky Butcher ( Sid Owen ), his relative Jamie ( Jack Ryder ), Jay Brown ( Jamie Borthwick ), and his stepsons Dennis and Tommy Moon (Sonny Kendall). One of the most culturally significant storylines featuring the character aired in 2001 and was dubbed " Who Shot Phil? ". The events saw Phil shot in a whodunit mystery, with the assailant eventually revealed to be his former girlfriend and Louise's mother Lisa Shaw ( Lucy Benjamin ). The "Who Shot Phil?" storyline captured viewer and media interest and

30810-468: The slow deterioration of their marriage, which gripped viewers throughout 1997. Of particular note is an episode where Phil attends Alcoholics Anonymous (February 1997), an "alien and uncomfortable arena" where he was forced to talk about his condition, expose his vulnerability and reveal the basis of his problem – the physical abuse he'd received from his father and his fear that he will do the same. Writer Jacquetta May , who once played Rachel Kominski in

31005-591: The soap's most dramatic storylines ever." Phil's behaviour earned him a number of sworn enemies in Albert Square and by 2001 the character had become one of the soap's nastiest villains. In an interview with The Guardian McFadden commented on his alter ego's descent into villainy "Phil's been had over by a lot of people, so now he feels like he can do it back. It's his history". However, the character finally received his comeuppance in one of EastEnders most highly anticipated storylines, dubbed " Who Shot Phil? ". Phil

31200-486: The soap's most popular characters and storylines involving them began to dominate the programme. Their arrival heralded a new era for the soap, which aptly coincided with the beginning of a new decade – EastEnders during the 1980s having been very much dominated by the hugely popular Watts family. One of the most notable and popular early storylines involving Phil was a love triangle between him, his brother and his brother's wife Sharon (played by Letitia Dean ). Despite

31395-433: The soap's notorious three-handers . Things finally came to a head in 1994 with some of EastEnders most popular and renowned episodes, which were dubbed " Sharongate " – centred around Grant's discovery of the affair and his reaction. The repercussions of Phil's betrayal contributed to many subsequent storylines involving the Mitchell brothers during the 1990s. Sharongate has also proven a popular storyline with viewers and it

31590-566: The spring of 2003 – he was the product of an affair between Sharon's adoptive father Den Watts (who had disappeared and supposedly died in 1989) and a younger woman called Paula Rickman, who dies just before Sharon finally manages to locate him. Phil and Dennis waste no time in becoming enemies, clashing when Dennis punches Phil in The Queen Vic. During this time, Phil rebuilds his relationship with Kate, but he later grows annoyed when Kate befriends Dennis, and ends up punching him upon learning that

31785-435: The square after 14 years, when he had supposedly been shot dead on Dalton's orders. When Phil and Den cross paths with each other, they quickly become enemies, although Den manages to feign an admiration for Phil as part of his bid to bring about his downfall. Their feud culminates badly for Phil, when he reluctantly joins Den in an armed robbery – only to learn that Den had set him up on behalf of both Lisa and his family; Phil

31980-708: The square for good, Kate reveals her true identity. In response, Phil ends his romance with Kate and threatens to kill her – even when she admits to loving him with the promise of quitting her job. Kate disappears, but several months later, Phil finds her working as the secretary for the Walford's veteran reigning gangland kingpin – Jack Dalton ( Hywel Bennett ). He soon begins to visit Dalton, most notably when Phil finds out that Dalton discovers Kate's identity. When Dalton plans to have her killed, sending his bouncer George Peters ( Andy Beckwith ) to rape and murder Kate in her house, Phil comes to Kate's rescue by knocking out Peters just as he attacks Kate. Though she insists on getting

32175-460: The staff of the licensing authority, the General Post Office (GPO), was sufficient to lead to a ban on further Chelmsford broadcasts. But by 1922, the GPO had received nearly 100 broadcast licence requests and moved to rescind its ban in the wake of a petition by 63 wireless societies with over 3,000 members. Anxious to avoid the same chaotic expansion experienced in the United States,

32370-441: The storyline by going on a crash diet, saying that food would not be one of Phil's priorities. The character continues to be featured heavily in high-profile storylines which have included various feuds, police enquiries, armed robbery, kidnapping, numerous affairs and relationship problems and an ongoing plot concentrating on the character's struggles to bond with his children. 2005 saw the highly anticipated screen return of both of

32565-427: The strategy for the corporation, assesses the performance of the BBC's executive board in delivering the BBC's services, and appoints the director-general. Ofcom is responsible for the regulation of the BBC. The board consists of the following members: The executive committee is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the broadcaster. Consisting of senior managers of the BBC, the committee meets once per month and

32760-492: The stroke of the New Year, Johnny arranges for him to be stabbed and Dennis dies in Sharon's arms – leaving her devastated, while Phil becomes ridden with guilt for Dennis' death and vows revenge against Johnny. After comforting Sharon when she lashes out at Johnny in the wake of Dennis' funeral, Phil promises to avenge his death. Phil later convinces Grant to help him confront Johnny at his new home in rural Essex , but he escapes and

32955-400: The truth about Chrissie killing Den and they end up joining forces with the Mitchells to help Sam against Chrissie – with Phil and Dennis putting their differences aside over their previous rivalry. While Grant also make amends with Sharon by making peace with Dennis as well, Phil begins a feud with Johnny over his issue with Peggy and the fact that he and Chrissie are having a partnership over

33150-425: The truth, so Phil tells them the engagement is over. Phil is appointed Lexi's foster carer and ordered to arrange for Lola to visit Lexi three times a week but he immediately takes over, angering Lola by calling Lexi his baby, refusing to take presents that Lola buys for her and having her christened with the name Mitchell, instead of Pearce. Phil and Jack become rivals when Phil tells Jack that he will be with Sharon by

33345-600: The two nearly had sex together. Later on, Phil learns that Dennis has previously been involved in Dalton's criminal organization – The Firm. This is further notified when Dalton summons Phil to carry out his favour with a task: killing Dennis. At first, Phil is willing to go along with it and goes to confront Dennis at Sharon's nightclub, "Angie's Den", where he holds him at gunpoint. Phil prepares to kill Dennis, but changes his mind when Dennis offers to kill Dalton himself – so that they can both be free of him; Phil reluctantly gives Dennis

33540-496: The two share a conversation about how they were respectively abused by their fathers – with Phil confining to Archie about to extent of how Eric treated him, before Archie explains that both he and Eric were mistreated by their father prior to his death; which Archie claims to be the "best thing that happened to him". Afterwards, Phil makes amends with Ben and the two support Archie when he and Peggy plan to get married. Their wedding initially appears successful, but it ends in disaster at

33735-563: The value of the artist as a visible music-hall performer". On the other hand, the BBC was "keenly interested" in a cooperation with the recording companies who "in recent years ... have not been slow to make records of singers, orchestras, dance bands, etc. who have already proved their power to achieve popularity by wireless." Radio plays were so popular that the BBC had received 6,000 manuscripts by 1929, most of them written for stage and of little value for broadcasting: "Day in and day out, manuscripts come in, and nearly all go out again through

33930-399: The wedding. Phil begins a relationship with a divorced Kathy Beale ( Gillian Taylforth ), but Nadia returns, needing Phil to prove he is her husband to prevent deportation. She moves in with him while she is investigated. Nadia seduces and sleeps with a drunken Phil. He regrets it, denying it to Kathy so Grant threatens to kill her to make her leave but Phil later bribes her into agreeing to

34125-437: The wedding. After the reception, Shirley enters their house and confronts them; Sharon is left devastated when she realises Phil has been cheating behind her back even after he asked her to marry him. However, she decides that she still loves Phil and wants to be with him. After Phil insults Shirley and makes hurtful remarks about the fling they had together, an enraged Shirley attempts to go for him, but Sharon stops her, and after

34320-509: The £700 million cost for free TV licences for the over-75 pensioners, and rapid inflation in drama and sport coverage costs, was given as the reason. Duplication of management and content spending would be reduced, and there would be a review of BBC News . In September 2019, the BBC launched the Trusted News Initiative to work with news and social media companies to combat disinformation about national elections. In 2020,

34515-438: Was "looking forward to Steve returning in 2004". In July 2004, it was announced that McFadden had delayed his return. In February 2005, it was confirmed that McFadden would return. His return scenes aired in April 2005 for a brief stint before returning full-time in October. In June 2010, it was reported that Phil would develop an addiction to crack cocaine after his troubled personal life leads to depression. The report followed

34710-442: Was a widely reported urban myth that, upon resumption of the BBC television service after the war, announcer Leslie Mitchell started by saying, "As I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted ..." In fact, the first person to appear when transmission resumed was Jasmine Bligh and the words said were "Good afternoon, everybody. How are you? Do you remember me, Jasmine Bligh ... ?" The European Broadcasting Union

34905-495: Was adopted in Canada. Through collaboration with these state-run broadcasting centres, Reith left a legacy of cultural influence across the empire of Great Britain with his departure from the corporation in 1938. Experimental television broadcasts were started in 1929, using an electromechanical 30-line system developed by John Logie Baird . Limited regular broadcasts using this system began in 1932, and an expanded service (now named

35100-419: Was cast as Phil. His shape, skills in stage fighting and a variety of sports including boxing, football and karate made him an ideal choice to play one of Walford 's latest "tough-men". Ross Kemp got the role of Grant. Both actors worked well together and shared similar physical characteristics, such as short cropped hair and a "round, open face" – facial characteristics also shared by Danniella Westbrook , who

35295-430: Was chosen to play their sister Samantha because of this. Initially, Phil was calmer than Grant but both brothers had a sense of physical danger, displaying stereotypical masculinity, thuggish behaviour and a tendency to resolve problems through violence. Phil was originally depicted as the thinker and the more streetwise of the pair, often bailing his more spontaneous brother out of trouble, although later plotlines drove

35490-428: Was discovered just moments after her husband Bradley Branning ( Charlie Clements ) fell to his death whilst on the run from the police, which Phil had witnessed in the midst of celebrating Ricky and Bianca's second wedding. Although troubled by lapses in alcoholism due to numerous family upsets, Phil begins to settle into a relationship with Shirley – particularly when she becomes a mother figure for Ben and Louise, who

35685-513: Was divided on how to handle the BBC, but ended up trusting Reith, whose opposition to the strike mirrored the PM's own. Although Winston Churchill in particular wanted to commandeer the BBC to use it "to the best possible advantage", Reith wrote that Stanley Baldwin 's government wanted to be able to say "that they did not commandeer [the BBC], but they know that they can trust us not to be really impartial". Thus

35880-640: Was followed by the Government's acceptance of the recommendation made by the Crawford Committee (1925–26) that the British Broadcasting Company be replaced by a non-commercial, Crown-chartered organisation: the British Broadcasting Corporation. The British Broadcasting Corporation came into existence on 1 January 1927, and Reith – newly knighted – was appointed its first director general. To represent its purpose and (stated) values,

36075-474: Was formed on 12 February 1950, in Torquay with the BBC among the 23 founding broadcasting organisations. Competition to the BBC was introduced in 1955, with the commercial and independently operated television network of Independent Television (ITV) . However, the BBC monopoly on radio services would persist until 8 October 1973 when under the control of the newly renamed Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA),

36270-630: Was gunned down outside his home in March 2001 in a " Dallas -style" whodunit mystery. Various key characters were in the frame for the deed and viewers were left guessing for weeks as to which of them was the real culprit. Several outcomes were allegedly filmed and it was reported that only a few TV executives knew the identity of the would-be assassin – even the actors were kept in the dark. A spokesman commented "The cast are only getting their own scripts. They are not being told anyone else's storylines. Not even Phil knows who shot him. It's top secret." Script writers were reportedly given private security after

36465-504: Was its first director of music. The company was to be financed by a royalty on the sale of BBC wireless receiving sets from approved domestic manufacturers. To this day, the BBC aims to follow the Reithian directive to "inform, educate and entertain". The financial arrangements soon proved inadequate. Set sales were disappointing as amateurs made their own receivers and listeners bought rival unlicensed sets. By mid-1923, discussions between

36660-575: Was left to BBC Radio broadcasters such as Reginald Foort to keep the nation's spirits up. The BBC moved most of its radio operations out of London, initially to Bristol , and then to Bedford . Concerts were broadcast from the Bedford Corn Exchange ; the Trinity Chapel in St Paul's Church, Bedford was the studio for the daily service from 1941 to 1945, and, in the darkest days of the war in 1941,

36855-486: Was made explicit for the duration of its current broadcast licence, as was the prohibition on advertising. To avoid competition with newspapers, Fleet Street persuaded the government to ban news bulletins before 7 pm and the BBC was required to source all news from external wire services. The Radio Times , the world's first and longest-running radio and television listings magazine, was launched by Reith in September 1923. The first edition, subtitled "The official organ of

37050-400: Was modified later on in its life to offer documentaries. In 2002, several television and radio channels were reorganised. BBC Knowledge was replaced by BBC Four and became the BBC's arts and documentaries channel. CBBC , which had been a programming strand as Children's BBC since 1985, was split into CBBC and CBeebies , for younger children, with both new services getting a digital channel:

37245-404: Was organised by her enemy and Walford's newly installed crime kingpin: Johnny Allen ( Billy Murray ). This prompts Phil and Grant to confront Johnny, warning him to stay away from Peggy under the threat of further violence. The pair then confront Chrissie in the pub, where Phil stops Grant from attacking her and Dennis, before Sharon intervenes on their behalf. However, Sharon and Dennis soon learn

37440-457: Was reorganised and relaunched in 1995, as BBC Worldwide Ltd. In 1998, BBC studios, outside broadcasts, post production, design, costumes and wigs were spun off into BBC Resources Ltd. The BBC Research & Development has played a major part in the development of broadcasting and recording techniques. The BBC was also responsible for the development of the NICAM stereo standard. In recent decades,

37635-479: Was replaced by BBC Two HD in the same month. On 18 October 2007, BBC Director General Mark Thompson announced a controversial plan to make major cuts and reduce the size of the BBC as an organisation. The plans included a reduction in posts of 2,500; including 1,800 redundancies, consolidating news operations, reducing programming output by 10% and selling off the flagship Television Centre building in London. These plans were fiercely opposed by unions, who threatened

37830-626: Was the culprit. The episode caused the third-largest power surge on record, and the Liverpool and Barcelona UEFA Cup semi-final was postponed for 10 minutes to accommodate a special 40-minute edition of the soap. In February 2003, it was confirmed that Steve McFadden would be taking a year hiatus. McFadden said: "I'm going to stick my mechanic's overalls in a locker while I take a look at a few other projects. EastEnders will always be No1 in my heart and I look forward to returning to Albert Square." Executive producer Louise Berridge went on to say that she

38025-401: Was voted the sixth top soap opera moment of the decade in a poll of 17,000 people for What's on TV magazine. Among the many issues Phil has been used to cover is alcoholism and the consequences the condition has upon the sufferer's life. The relationship between alcohol abuse and domestic violence was explored between Phil and his wife Kathy (played by Gillian Taylforth ) culminating in

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