EastEnders shock as Ben Mitchell collapses - is he dead?

In new pictures from Tuesday 16th June's instalment, the last before the pandemic-induced hiatus, Ben is getting ready to have the operation that will hopefully restore some of his hearing loss caused by the boat disaster.

The Mitchell lad was due to have the procedure a few weeks ago but came down with a fever and was deemed not well enough to go under. On a heist with dad Phil, Ben lost his hearing completely but has not divulged this to anyone.

Now, Ben is still not well but desperately trying to hide it so he can have the rescheduled op. Boyfriend Callum Highway gives him some strong medication before leaving him alone in the flat, but when Jay Brown later calls in he is shocked at the state of his surrogate brother - who then passes out.

Ben eventually wakes up but admits to Jay he can't hear a thing, so the boys head off to hospital. What will doctors tell him, is there any hope for his hearing to return, and could there be something more sinister behind the collapse?

EastEnders is expected to return to filming by the end of June having halted production in March, but with no specific date yet announced it is unclear how long the show will be off air. During the break, Monday night's 'Enders slot will be replaced by EastEnders: Secrets From the Square, a behind-the-scenes weekly documentary hosted by Stacey Dooley in which she interviews members of the cast. On Tuesdays you can catch classic episodes from the soap's 35-year archive.

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