EastEnders confirms who brings Grant back and it’s not who you assume | Soaps

It’s almost comeback time, as EastEnders is officially reuniting all three Mitchell siblings: Phil, Grant and Sam (Steve McFadden, Ross Kemp and Kim Medcalf).

The Mitchells have been having a tough time of late, en masse.

Phil struggled deeply with caring for his best friend, Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley). Nigel’s return saw him reveal that he’d been diagnosed with dementia, and Phil pledged to be there for him as the disease progressed, becoming one of Nigel’s primary carers alongside Julie (Karen Henthorn).

Since Nigel was moved into a care home, Phil hasn’t been to visit, unable to deal with his ever-worsening condition and his own feelings of failure for being unable to care for him at home.

Sam, meanwhile, has been fighting her own war since returning to Walford, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She bravely faced the initial appointment and underwent a lumpectomy, with this week showing her confide in Zack Hudson (James Farrar) that she’s cancer free.

Grant’s son, Mark Fowler Jr (Stephen Aaron-Sipple), has also made his way back to the Square, having apparently inherited his paternal families taste for dabbling in organised crime, with Phil having to save him from some particularly bloodthirsty gangsters.

While watching Phil and Sam mend their sibling bond and seeing him step up as her support system as she faced her cancer head on was incredibly heart warming and a welcome break from seeing the Mitchell clan wrapped up in criminal capers, one vital ingredient has been missing; the third piece of the puzzle.

Grant.

Upon the announcement of his return back in February, Ross said: ‘I’m truly delighted to be stepping back into Grant Mitchell’s shoes and returning to EastEnders later this year.

‘As well as exploring Grant’s attempts to reconnect with his son Mark, it’s especially an honour to be part of Nigel’s powerful ongoing dementia storyline, which holds deep personal meaning for me due to a close family connection in real life.’

Next week sees Sam faced with the grave task of telling Phil that Nigel’s pneumonia has significantly worsened.

Don’t miss a Soaps scoop! Add us as a Preferred Source

As a loyal Metro Soaps reader, we want to make sure you never miss our articles when searching for stories. We have all the latest soaps news, spoilers, videos, and interviews, with a vibrant community of highly engaged readers.

Click the button below and tick Metro.co.uk to ensure you see stories from us first in Google Search.

Add us as a Preferred Source

Advertisement

As news of his continued deterioration reaches both Sam and Mark, the latter suggests they call Grant and tell him, with Grant having shared his own friendship with Nigel. Sam tells him it’s fruitless, though. She’s tried contacting Grant numerous times to no avail, and she’s struck with just how far the siblings have drifted away from one another after the Mitchell matriarch and undisputed Queen of Walford, Peggy (Barbara Windsor) passed away.

Mark suggest that Nigel could be just what’s needed to reunite the three of them, but Sam doesn’t buy it. As she leaves, though, Mark is unable to let the idea go. He rings Grant and asks him to come home.

What’s instore for the reunited family? Will Nigel’s illness rebuild their broken bonds, or are the siblings too far gone?

MORE: EastEnders’ Sam confirms her cancer test results during emotional heart-to-heart

MORE: Sparks fly as EastEnders’ Mark clocks palpable atmosphere between Vicki and Zack

MORE: EastEnders ‘confirms’ who takes Mark down – and it’s unexpected