EastEnders confirms special Comic Relief episode for Phil Mitchell mental health story
This follows on from Phil's special episode earlier in the week.
BBC One soap EastEnders is teaming up with Comic Relief this Red Nose Day for a five-minute episode that will focus on Phil Mitchell's (Steve McFadden) mental health and the importance of treatment.
Over the last few months, viewers have watched as McFadden has excellently portrayed a devastating mental health storyline, which saw his character reach a crisis point when he attempted to take his own life during the soap's 40th anniversary week.
In this new five-minute episode, Phil will make friends with a patient called Andy (Jake Rory), who shares details of his time at a homeless youth hostel, and the pair soon realise they have a lot more in common than meets the eye.
The episode follows on from a previously announced special episode featuring Keith Allen, which follows Phil's mental health journey across four weeks in a mental health unit and airs the day prior.
EastEnders' executive producer Chris Clenshaw said of the storyline: "We're thrilled to be working alongside Comic Relief and Brandon Centre as we continue to explore the complex realities of Phil’s journey with mental health. Whilst seeking treatment, Phil and Andy quickly realise they have more in common than they first anticipated."
The Comic Relief special will be shown to audiences on Friday 21st March during Comic Relief: Funny For Money, which kick starts at 7pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
EastEnders and Comic Relief have consulted with Brandon Centre, a Comic Relief funded charity which focuses on youth mental help support to ensure that the storyline has been handled as sensitively and as accurately as possible.
Samir Patel, CEO of Comic Relief, said: "Comic Relief has a long and proud history of supporting incredible organisations who are delivering vital work to help tackle homelessness and the ongoing mental health crisis. We are extremely grateful to EastEnders and Brandon Centre for their work in helping to create this powerful and poignant film that will resonate with so many.
"Together with your support this Red Nose Day, we can help ensure support just like this is available to those who need it the most right here in the UK and around the world."
While Julia Brown, CEO of Brandon Centre, added: "The support from Comic Relief has been invaluable. It has allowed us to make an enormous difference to local homeless young people, with therapy delivered directly in hostels, at a time when they need it the most.
"Working alongside the EastEnders team has been hugely important, as it is significantly helping raise awareness of the drastic impact of homelessness on young people's lives."
Read more:
- EastEnders confirms exit for groundbreaking Felix Baker after 3 years on BBC soap
- EastEnders live episode viewership ratings revealed for 40th anniversary week
- EastEnders confirms special episode for Phil Mitchell story with Trainspotting star
- EastEnders at 40: Best ever scandals from Pat and Frank to Sharongate
- EastEnders at 40: Best ever villains from Nick Cotton to Nish Panesar
- EastEnders at 40: Best ever whodunnits – From who shot Phil to who killed Archie?
Red Nose Day 2025 airs at 7pm on Friday 21st March on BBC One and iPlayer, while EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer.
Visit our dedicated Soaps page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.
Authors
Katelyn Mensah is the Senior Entertainment Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
