EastEnders' Karen Taylor faces trouble as Phil Mitchell returns with a vendetta

But as these spoiler pictures from this Thursday night’s (20^th February) episode show it’s not just the revellers on the Thames whose lives are in danger.

With Keanu (Danny Walters) nowhere to be seen Phil and Ben (Max Bowden) are putting the frighteners on his nearest and dearest, mum Karen (Lorraine Stanley) and mother-to-be Sharon (Letitia Dean) in the hope that they will give him up.

For Phil it’s a simple case of blood-curdling revenge as he hopes to end his brazen former employee for sleeping with his wife and getting her pregnant.

For Ben, it’s a little more nuanced as only Keanu knows where Callum Highway (Tony Clay), the love of Ben’s life, is being held hostage.

So far in this gripping 35^th anniversary week the focus has been on three other Walford families, the Carters, the Beales and the Fowlers.

On Monday, Linda and Mick Carter were left bracing themselves for going down with the ship. On Tuesday, it was the turn of Dennis Rickman, locked in a cabin by Ian Beale for his part in a race hate attack on Bobby Beale.

• EastEnders: Does Dennis die as Ian's revenge twist goes wrong?
• EastEnders: 8 anniversary twists that changed everything
• EastEnders cast: Who is joining, leaving and returning to the soap?

Thursday’s episode sees the Mitchells front and centre as we discover where Ben heads next after leaving Sharon and Kathy in the funeral parlour. As multiple storylines unfold we edge closer to Friday’s climax when viewers discover who hasn’t made it out alive.

EastEnders continues at 7:30pm tomorrow on BBC One.

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