'Enders actor misses work after pub fight

EastEnders producers were forced to disrupt their filming schedule last week - because Steve McFadden was too bruised to work.

The actor, who plays hardman Phil Mitchell on the BBC One soap, got involved in a fight with a fellow drinker at the British Legion in Falmouth, Cornwall on July 29. McFadden suffered from swelling and bruising following the altercation, which forced executives to write him out of some scenes and delay others.

A show source told The Sun: "We heard Steve was in a bad way and had to cancel all his scenes - it's the talk of the set. Any time a big star is off it throws things off kilter."

A spokeswoman for the soap refused to comment, insisting: "This is a personal matter."

McFadden returned to the EastEnders set in Elstree, Herts yesterday.