When Dot Branning sends the Mitchells and Beales on a camping trip it ends in tragedy... and death?! Steve McFadden reveals all... Why do Phil and Ian find it so hard to get along? "Ian and Phil are probably soap's biggest sworn enemies. It goes right back to when Phil married Ian's mum Kathy and over the years their mutual hatred of one another has just grown." And in many ways it's cry-baby Ian and not bully-boy Phil who has always got the upper hand… "Strange but true! It was Ian who taunted him all the time Ben was away from him in South Africa. Ian who shoppped him to the police when he was on the run and Ian who set about buying all the Mitchell assets while he was banged up." So, when the Mitchell-Beale feud looks like it's reaching a head, Dot sends Phil and Ian, sons Ben and Peter, and Billy on a camping trip to see if they can bury the hatchet. Is that wise? "Well, it's certainly going to be an eventful trip.” Mmm... Phil must really be looking forward to it. What does he expect will happen? "He really isn’t planning anything except to somehow get through the whole ordeal. He's doing this for Ben and really will make an effort for his son." The Beales and the Mitchells on a camping trip. Surely it can only end in disaster? "Yes, the trip has disaster written all over it - and what a disaster you're going to get!" Tell us more... "There's a car crash and water – lots of it – involved and drowning victims." Was it hard to film? "We did a lot of the filming specially at Pinewood Studios where James Bond is shot in order to achieve the special effects and it was amazing stuff. I spent hours in a water tank!" Wow! Rumour has it that this is the biggest stunt EastEnders has ever pulled off. "Everyone still talks about the stunt years ago when Phil and Grant ended up plunging into the Thames in a car but this will knock that off its top slot. This going to be the one that everyone will be talking about for years to come. It's sensational and I promise viewers will be on the edge of their seats!" Apparently, Phil plays the hero throughout the tragedy. Does that mean an end to the Mitchell and Beale feud. "It's being hailed as the final showdown between Phil and Ian. Put it this way... the rift between Phil and Ian will definitely be sorted. But that's all I'm saying..."
