© BBC
Phil (Steve McFadden) lashed out at Ben (Joshua Pascoe) in last night's episode after the teenager came clean over his feud with Patrick Trueman, admitting that the tense situation began when the shopkeeper saw him kissing someone.
Although Ben did not explicitly state that he had kissed another boy, Phil realised what he was saying and was unable to accept the news.
EastEnders' executive producer Bryan Kirkwood and scriptwriter Christopher Reason have now both revealed that there is a lot more to come from Phil and Ben's plotline.
Speaking on BBC Three's EastEnders: The New Moons, Kirkwood explained: "For me, what's at the heart of Phil is a man who is desperate to be a good father. The fact that he is so desperate to reach out to his son but doesn't quite have the words to do so - that's what makes that relationship so interesting."
© BBC
© BBC
He continued: "Phil is about as unreconstructed a man as it's possible to be. When Ben admits that he kissed a boy, I don't think it is much of a surprise to Phil. Actually, he's probably been dreading this news for many years.
"But it's still not something that he particularly wants to hear. And how Phil reacts really kicks off the next big story for the Mitchells."
Meanwhile, Reason added: "This arc that we're writing for Ben is a long one, and he will learn wrath from Phil."
Ben's storyline continues in tonight's episode of the soap as he makes a second attempt to confide in his father.
> EastEnders Ben sexuality plot is a great storyline, says Steve McFadden
> EastEnders Phil could hit the bottle over Ben, warns Steve McFadden
> Read more EastEnders spoilers and news
Watch Phil Mitchell's EastEnders character trail below:
