Grant Mitchell (EastEnders)
Grant Mitchell | |
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EastEnders character | |
Barney Mitchell |
Grant Mitchell is a fictional character from the
Throughout the course of his 1990s duration, Grant established himself as one of the show's most prominent characters. He was portrayed as a tough persona, known for his fiery temper and his tendency to resort to violence. Despite this, however, his
The character has also become a prime suspect in the murder of Sharon's hated boss
Despite his tough nature, he is also a womaniser and has been involved in several relationships with an array of women – including
Storylines
1990–1999
Grant Mitchell first arrived in
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/97/Grant_shax.jpg/170px-Grant_shax.jpg)
Despite his hot-headed tendencies, Sharon sees a different side to Grant, and when he proposes marriage to her, she accepts on the condition that he buys her childhood home, The Queen Vic, which he does. Grant marries Sharon in December 1991 and together they run The Queen Vic. Their marriage is stormy and punctuated with violent rows and fights. Grant is desperate for a child, although Sharon would rather concentrate on the pub for the time being, and when he discovers Sharon is still taking contraception, he smashes up the pub and then disappears. In his absence, Sharon is comforted by Phil and they begin an affair, although this comes to an abrupt end when Grant returns and promises to change his ways. He cannot live up to his promises, however, and, on Sharon's birthday in October 1992, Grant sets fire to The Queen Vic to generate insurance money to pay off debts. He does not check to see whether Sharon is out of the way, and she and her dog
With Sharon and Michelle both gone, he goes on to marry the much younger
It is at this point that Grant and Phil have established themselves as the undisputed hardman of the square's local borough –
2005–2006
Grant returns to Walford with Phil to exonerate their younger sister, Sam (Kim Medcalf), for the murder of her ex-boss and Sharon's adopted father – Den Watts (Leslie Grantham). Although she was involved in the events surrounding Den's murder, Sam was framed for the crime by his widow and her nemesis Chrissie (Tracy-Ann Oberman) – the real murderer. Grant manages to put behind him his differences with both Phil and Sharon, forgiving Sharon when she confesses that she aborted his child. The two brothers manage to convince Sharon that Chrissie is the real killer and that Sam is innocent. Whilst teaming up with Phil and Sharon to prove Sam's innocence, Grant forms a rivalry with her husband Dennis Rickman (Nigel Harman) – who had previously teamed up with Den to imprison Phil for robbery. Grant and Dennis soon put their differences aside to help Phil with their conflict against Johnny Allen (Billy Murray), the local gangland kingpin who holds a grudge against the Mitchell brothers because of their mother – Peggy (Barbara Windsor). When Johnny extracts CCTV footage of Chrissie confessing to her boyfriend Jake Moon (Joel Beckett) that she killed Den, he plans to use the tape as bait for Phil and Grant – intending to kill them. The brothers eventually beat Johnny at his nightclub office in order to get the tape, which is promptly delivered to the police; as a result, Sam is released from prison and Chrissie is arrested for Den's murder.
Following Sam's release, Grant initially returns to Rio – only to later come back to Walford with Courtney (now played by Megan Jossa), citing family and financial problems back in Brazil. When Phil learns about his brother's return, he tricks Grant into helping him with quest against Johnny. During Grant's absence, Phil and Johnny embarked on a feud that led to Dennis and Sharon getting involved. The impact escalated after Dennis humiliated Johnny on Christmas Day 2005, which prompted Johnny to throttle Sharon with an ultimatum; Dennis will be killed unless she and him leave Walford for good. On the eve of 2006 commencing, Dennis learned from Phil about the threat Johnny made to Sharon – as well as being told that Johnny killed his best-friend and Sam's ex-husband, Andy Hunter (Michael Higgs), on the same night Chrissie killed Den. This resulted in Dennis beating up Johnny, who then ordered Jake's brother Danny (Jake Maskall) – his henchman – to kill Dennis. Following Dennis' murder, Phil was wracked with guilt for sparking the events of Sharon losing her husband and has vowed revenge on Johnny more than ever. After hearing Phil explain his reasons for wanting to bring Johnny to justice for killing Dennis, specifically as a promise he made to Sharon before she left Walford, Grant reluctantly accompanies his brother in settling their score with Johnny once and for all. Their efforts quickly falter by Grant arguing with Phil about the situation he has put them in, all the while Phil demands Grant to maintain their course against Johnny – who uses this opportunity to capture the brothers. Johnny later orders Danny to kill the brothers and bury them in the woods. After marching them into the forest for execution, Danny prepares to kill Grant; however, the brothers are saved when Jake appears and shoots Danny – accidentally killing him. After telling the brothers that it was Danny who killed Dennis on Johnny's orders, Jake allows Phil and Grant to flee whilst he himself proceeds to bury Danny in the woods. Phil and Grant rush back to Johnny's mansion to confront him once more, only to find out that he has already been arrested; Johnny surrendered to the police after his daughter, Ruby (Louisa Lytton) threatened to disown her father unless he confessed to his crimes. Following his arrest, Johnny is sentenced to life imprisonment and later dies of a heart attack – allowing Phil and Grant to finally put their demons to reason for good. The brothers reconcile after Phil apologises to Grant for the situation he put them in, and Grant forgives Phil for his actions.
As time goes on, Grant begins flirting with
2016
In May 2016, Peggy returns to Albert Square following a diagnosis of terminal cancer. She decides to stop her treatment, but Phil tries to change her mind, enlisting the help of Sharon. Sharon then calls Grant in Portugal, leaving a voicemail saying that his family needs him. Grant returns to the square for the first time in nearly a decade soon after and walks in on Phil and Peggy. He plans to take Peggy with him back to Portugal, only for her to say that her cancer is active. Grant is angry when Peggy reveals that her plan for him and Sam to learn about it was by letters to them after her death by suicide, however Phil and Grant seemingly convince Peggy not to do this. Grant tells Phil he immediately needs the money that he lent him. Knowing he cannot get it, Grant threatens him unless he returns the money. Grant returns to Portugal, and Sharon has to call him about Peggy having killed herself. When Sam returns to Walford for Peggy's funeral, she reveals that Grant is unable to attend the funeral, although Grant secretly attends, laying a flower and watching from a distance.
When Grant's nephew
Character creation
Background
In the latter part of 1989 EastEnders executive producer Michael Ferguson, had taken over from Mike Gibbon. Ferguson had previously been a producer on ITV's The Bill — a hard-hitting and successful police drama, which seemed to be challenging EastEnders in providing a realistic vision of modern life in London. Due to his success on The Bill, Peter Cregeen, the Head of Series at the BBC, poached Ferguson to become executive producer of EastEnders.[4]
Following a relatively unsuccessful inclination towards comedic storylines throughout 1989, Ferguson decided to take the soap in a new direction in 1990. Big changes were implemented both off-screen and on-screen.[4] Ferguson altered the way the episodes were produced, changed the way the storylines were conceptualised and introduced a far greater amount of location work than had previously been seen. EastEnders scriptwriter Colin Brake has said that it was a challenging period, but "the results on-screen were a programme with a new sense of vitality, and a programme more in touch with the real world than it had been for a while".[4]
As a consequence of these changes, a large number of characters, including Marge Green (Pat Coombs), Julie Cooper (Louise Plowright), Trevor Short (Phil McDermott) and Paul Priestly (Mark Thrippleton), were axed in early 1990 as the new production machine cleared way for a new direction and new characters.[4] Two major new characters, the Mitchell brothers, made their first appearance in February 1990. Ferguson wanted to introduce a couple of young men who would bring an air of danger, characters who would be "unpredictable" and "bursting with energy". Phil and Grant Mitchell went on to become major long-term characters, rooted firmly at the heart of the series.[4]
Casting
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/62/Grant787.jpg/200px-Grant787.jpg)
To cast Phil and Grant Mitchell many actors were screen-tested together. This was done to assure that the chosen actors — who would work predominantly alongside each other — had a strong rapport and physical resemblance. Producer Corinne Hollingworth has commented: "There were some good actors we had to turn down because we couldn't find the 'right' brother". Ross Kemp was chosen to play Grant. Kemp was an actor with a stocky, muscular build and shaven hair, making him an ideal choice to play one of Walford's latest "tough-men".[5] Steve McFadden was given the role of Phil. Both actors worked well and convincingly together and both shared similar physical characteristics, such as short cropped hair and a "round, open face" — facial characteristics also shared by Danniella Westbrook, who was chosen to play their sister Samantha partly because of this (Westbrook was later recast, with Kim Medcalf taking over).[5]
Personality
Of the two brothers Grant was the more volatile, but both had a sense of physical danger about them, and both displayed stereotypical masculinity, thuggish behaviour and a tendency to resolve problems through violence. Grant was originally depicted as the more spontaneous of the Mitchell double-act, suffering from a lack of self-control, often incapable of restraining himself and requiring his elder brother to do it for him.[5] Despite the brothers' closeness, rivalry between them was sometimes evident. It was later revealed that Grant's terrible temper was due to post-traumatic stress disorder, caused by nightmares and scarring memories of his combat in the Falklands War.
Grant often displayed laddish, thrill-seeking behaviour; drinking, chasing women, clubbing, gambling and living off of his wits.[5] He became restless easily and actively sought the thrill of danger in order to regain excitement in his life, which led to his participation in numerous crimes, fights and affairs. Grant showed impulsive behaviour, a disregard for social rules and an indifference to the feelings of others, particularly the women in his life. He was often portrayed as arrogant and egotistical, with an inflated opinion of his own importance. Because of this, he rarely admitted to being at fault or backed down from an argument. While the character mellowed in his later years, such behaviour was still apparent. However he is not completely without showing rare signs of compassion. An example of this was that he was one of the few people who offered support to Mark Fowler when he was isolated by the rest of Albert Square (led ironically by Grant's mother, Peggy), because of his HIV illness. Another was that he went to console Nigel Bates after his wife, Debbie, was killed by in a road accident.
Grant took great pride in being a Mitchell, his late father had a local reputation as a boxer.[5] He always strived to live up to the family name and enjoyed the reputation he inherited and maintained.[5] While Grant liked to think of himself as indestructible, he at many times showed emotional vulnerability and a need to be mothered.[6] Indeed, at times he was just as likely to burst into tears as he was to throw a punch.[7] Because of this, he attracted many women, despite the fact that he often treated them as possessions, disregarding their feelings and eliciting exaggerated revenge should they cross him (resulting in spousal abuse and the destruction of all three of his marriages).[8] His quick temper was off-set by a period of genuine remorse and promises that he would change. However, more often than not, Grant reverted to form and when placed under pressure he seemed incapable of controlling his aggression, disregarding all consequences.[9]
Character development and impact
The Mitchell brothers quickly became two of the soap's most popular characters and storylines involving the brothers soon began to dominate the programme. Their arrival heralded a new era for the soap, which aptly coincided with the beginning of a new decade — EastEnders during the 1980s having been very much dominated by the hugely popular Fowler and Watts families.[10]
Sharongate
One of the most notable and popular early storylines involving Grant was a love triangle between him, his brother and his wife
Volatile marriage to Tiffany
From 1996 to 1998 viewers were gripped by Grant's combustible marriage to
The following year EastEnders topped the ratings at Christmas 1998 when Grant was accused of the attempted murder of Tiffany, and the following Monday 15.7 million viewers tuned in to see Grant make a first court appearance.[17] The year finally culminated with the death of Tiffany — killed in a motor accident, while trying to reclaim her daughter from Grant. 22 million viewers tuned in to see Grant and Tiffany's final clash on New Year's Eve 1998.[18]
Initial departure and the Mitchell Brothers car crash
On 24 March 1999, it was reported that Kemp had decided to leave EastEnders after almost ten years of playing Grant. The storyline signifying his departure played heavily on the Mitchell brothers' fragile and damaged relationship. After discovering that Grant vengefully had sex with his wife
Initially viewers were left uncertain as to whether Grant survived the crash, but the character was not killed off and a week later viewers saw Grant depart along with his daughter Courtney for a new life in Rio, Brazil. A spokesperson from the BBC confirmed, "the door is always open for a return."[21]
2005 return
After nearly six years away, Kemp was lured back to EastEnders for a fixed period in order to reunite the Mitchell family on-screen. Executive producer, Kate Harwood, commented: "We are so pleased that Ross will be back on the show. His character is one of the most iconic and popular in the history of soap. The impact of his return for the inhabitants of Walford should not be underestimated. It is going to be fireworks from the start."[22]
Grant’s high-profile return, which aired in October 2005, proved to be a ratings success. The first two episodes drew respective audiences of 13.15 million (52.9%) and 12.8 million (55.2%) in the overnight ratings alone, consolidating to 13.34 and 13.21 million viewers, respectively.[23] Although he only featured in the show for a period of three weeks initially, his contract was subsequently extended for a further three months, beginning in the spring of 2006. The character was involved in numerous storylines, including the unveiling of Den Watts’ killer; an affair with Ian Beale’s (Adam Woodyatt) girlfriend, Jane Collins; and a week’s worth of episodes dubbed “Get Johnny Week,” which saw the Mitchell brothers embroiled in a vendetta against gangland boss Johnny Allen. Soon afterwards, Kemp departed the role again on 9 June 2006.
In 2011, Kemp told Radio Times that he has no plans to return to EastEnders: "I enjoy the fact that I've far more control over my destiny than I ever had when acting. I didn't even watch the soaps when I was in them because it's like a coal miner coming home and staring at the coal scuttle—I was never a great lover of watching myself act."[24]
2016 return
On 18 January 2016, it was announced that Kemp had agreed to reprise his role for a few episodes.[25] His return coincided with Windsor's final appearance as Grant's mother Peggy. Grant was also reunited with Phil, Sharon and Kathy.[25] Of his return, Kemp commented, "When I was approached about returning to EastEnders for Barbara's final episodes, it was something I could not turn down. Barbara is a very close friend so when I learned of the storyline, it felt right that the Mitchell brothers are reunited with their mother for the last time. I am really looking forward to going back to EastEnders and filming what are set to be some classic EastEnders episodes."[25] Kemp returned to filming on 6 April 2016.[26] Later, it was announced that Kemp would film a further three weeks,[27] and he resumed filming on 6 June 2016[28] and finished on 26 June 2016.[29]
Reception
The character of Grant Mitchell has been hailed as "one of the most iconic and popular in the history of soap".
Grant's long-awaited return eventually happened in 2005, during a period of heavy media criticism aimed at EastEnders. The character was reintroduced along with his brother Phil. Of the Mitchell brothers' highly publicised return, one reporter commented "Soapville must confess that we did get goosebumps and feel properly excited when we first saw the Mitchell Brothers back on the Square... After all, you associate them with the golden days of Enders".[34] Their return was voted as one of the Golden TV Moments of 2005 in a BBC poll.[33]
Kemp has won several awards for his role as Grant. He was named 'Best Actor' at the 1999 and 2006
The character has been the focus of varying EastEnders merchandise in other media, which includes the VHS EastEnders – The Mitchells – Naked Truths
In 2009, a poll by magazine Inside Soap named Grant as the UK's favourite leading male character in a soap opera.[41]
Although popular with many viewers, the character has garnered criticism, mainly regarding the way his anti-social behaviour is sensationalised by the programme makers.[16] In November 2005 the character was blamed for turning children into playground bullies by Dr. Sally Henry, who claimed that impressionable children look to male soap characters as role models and subsequently copy their violent behaviour.[42]
In addition, the character's predisposition to violence has allegedly been criticised by actor Ross Kemp. In 1998, press reports claimed that Kemp had asked producers to tone down Grant's violent behaviour because "it was insulting the viewers' intelligence."[43]
Grant and Phil's brotherly confrontation — marking Grant's initial exit in 1999 — was panned by critics. Ian Hyland of the
There were mixed reviews for the highly publicised storyline (dubbed "Get Johnny Week") involving the Mitchell brothers reunion in 2006. It was criticised as "patchy" and "awkwardly written... unveiling a common weakness in the EastEnders camp, that character continuity can often fall by the wayside when you are dealing with larger characters".[45] Additionally, the show was criticised for turning the brothers into a comical farce by incorporating uncharacteristic humour into their dialect, which was described as "cringeworthy."[34]
Following Grant's third departure in September 2016, Kemp revealed that he did not think he would ever go back to EastEnders again but even so, he refused to rule out a return.[46]
See also
References
- ^ Ison, Rianne (26 January 2022). "EastEnders viewers fight back tears as Peggy Mitchell 'returns' to BBC soap". OK!. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
- ^ Chase, Stephanie (26 July 2022). "EastEnders is bringing in Jaime Winstone to play Peggy in flashback episode". Digital Spy. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- bbc.co.uk. 30 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-563-37057-4.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-685-52957-7.
- ISBN 978-0-563-52165-5.
- ^ "Happy Birthday EastEnders", BBC. URL last accessed on 3 December 2006.
- ^ "The queens of mean", The Guardian. URL last accessed on 3 December 2006.
- ^ "EastEnders Blood Ties Archived 29 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine", avalonbooks. URL last accessed on 3 December 2006.
- ^ "Phil to quit EastEnders". BBC. 8 February 2003. Retrieved 26 February 2007.
- ^ "Mitchells Special[permanent dead link]", BBC. URL last accessed on 18 September 2006.
- ^ "Sharongate Archived 21 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine", BBC. URL last accessed on 18 September 2006.
- ^ "Profiles: EastEnders Kemp and McFadden", BBC. URL last accessed on 18 September 2006.
- ^ "Tony Jordan interview", youtube. URL last accessed on 24 February 2007.
- ^ "Corrie killer Hillman makes top soap moment". Breaking News. 27 October 2003. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
- ^ a b "EastEnder hardman Ross says he'll quit over Christmas Day rape plot", Sunday Mirror. URL last accessed on 24 February 2007.
- ^ "Tiffany helps trounce ITV", BBC. URL last accessed on 24 February 2007.
- ^ "Tiffany's death Archived 9 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine", BBC. URL last accessed on 24 February 2007.
- ^ "The Mitchell car crash", BBC. URL last accessed on 24 February 2007.
- ^ "Is this the Ender Grant Mitchell?", Sunday Mirror. URL last accessed on 24 February 2007.
- ^ "EastEnders loses its Grant", BBC. URL last accessed on 24 February 2007.
- ^ a b "Ross Kemp signs to EastEnders", BBC. URL last accessed on 24 February 2007.
- ^ "Kemp's EastEnders return extended", BBC. URL last accessed on 24 February 2007.
- Hachette Filipacchi UK. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
- ^ a b c Sandwell, Ian (18 January 2016). "Grant's BACK! Ross Kemp to return to EastEnders later this year". Digital Spy. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
- ^ "Ross Kemp returns to EastEnders today!". RadioTimes. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ^ "EastEnders: Ross Kemp to film for an extra three weeks". Retrieved 9 May 2016.
- ^ "Ross Kemp on Twitter: "Anyone need a car fixing? Back to work on the @bbceastenders set today #EastEnders"". Twitter. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
- ^ Longmire, Becca (25 June 2016). "'Sad to leave' Ross Kemp reveals he's finished filming final EastEnders scenes". Daily Express. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
- ^ "Men Viewing Violence Archived 30 December 2006 at the Wayback Machine", Stirling Media Research Institute. URL last accessed on 24 February 2007.
- ^ "Ross Kemp Archived 1 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine", womenrepublic.co.uk. URL last accessed on 24 February 2007.
- ^ "TV soap hunks win the gay vote", Sunday Mirror. URL last accessed on 24 February 2007.
- ^ a b "Kings Of Soap Archived 22 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine", Custard.tv. URL last accessed on 2 March 2007.
- ^ a b "SOAPVILLE", Daily Mirror. URL last accessed on 2 March 2007.
- ^ Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
- ^ "EastEnders beats Corrie at awards". BBC News. 21 May 2006. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
- ^ a b "EastEnders cleans up". BBC News. 3 September 1998. Retrieved 28 March 2009.
- ^ "Viewers' favourites to be revealed". BBC News. 27 October 1998. Retrieved 28 March 2009.
- ^ "EastEnders – The Mitchells – Naked Truths", Amazon. URL last accessed on 24 February 2007.
- ^ "Eastenders": Blood Ties", Amazon. URL last accessed on 24 February 2007.
- ^ Green, Kris (23 June 2009). "'Soap's Greatest' lineup revealed". Digital Spy. Retrieved 18 July 2009.
- ^ "TV YOBS 'ARE ROLE MODELS TO BULLIES'", Daily Mirror. URL last accessed on 2 March 2007.
- ^ "The diary: EastEnding for Tiff as Grant kills her off", Sunday Mirror. URL last accessed on 2 March 2007.
- ^ "SadEnder to Grant and groan show", Sunday Mirror. URL last accessed on 2 March 2007.
- ^ "Return of The Mitchell Brothers... Archived 26 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine", 020magazine.com. URL last accessed on 2 March 2007.
- ^ "Ross Kemp admits his days in Albert Square could be numbered". 8 September 2016.