EastEnders star Harry Reid promises "life-changing" drama for Ben, Kathy and the rest of the Mitchells

Reid's comments follow executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins's comments to RadioTimes.com that we should all be paying close attention to what's going on with Phil's kidnap ordeal.

"What Gavin does to Phil while he's off screen will take Phil in a whole new direction that will run into next year. We talked about doing for Phil Mitchell what we did recently for Ian Beale," the soap boss said last week.

As for what happens in the meantime, viewers will next see Kathy and Ben decide to do a runner from Walford and away from Gavin after trying to come up with the cash to free Phil. But can they succeed?

Says Reid: This is all such a shock to Ben that he just seizes the chance to run off and start a new life in fairytale land! Ultimately, it's about he and Kathy going back to the days when they were together in South Africa as a proper family.

"So the idea that they could have that opportunity again takes over and they decide to leg it out of Walford. But Gavin is a nasty bloke with an edge to him."

Kathy and Ben's reunion has certainly knocked Ben for six and got him craving a better life free from the various crises of Albert Square. But how has Harry Reid found finally sharing scenes with his on-screen mum?

"Well, Gillian Taylforth has this twinkle in her eye, as though she's always on the verge of crying. We had a get-together recently where my mum met her and they are like sisters.

"She's perfect as an on-screen mum. I found it so easy to full in love with her - and hate her at the same time because of what she's done to Ben. Its an interesting dynamic and she's a joy to work with. She's a legend."

You can watch a 60-second rundown of next week's episodes of EastEnders below.

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