EastEnders confirms Ritchie Scott return - can she keep Phil out of jail?

Wracked with guilt over causing the boat crash that resulted in adopted son Dennis Rickman's death, Phil decides to hand himself in to the police next week and explain it was his actions that led to the tragedy.

In doing so he hopes to earn the forgiveness of Denny's grieving mum, and his ex-wife, Sharon Mitchell, but if he confesses it's only a matter of time before the boys in blue link him to the botched hit he ordered on Keanu Taylor at Christmas, which would land the patriarch in a whole heap of deeper trouble.

Getting wind of the latest Mitchell mess, severely-coiffed solicitor Ritchie rushes back to her old stomping ground hoping she'll be in the nick of time to keep Phil out of the nick. Can she save Phil's bacon or is time finally up for the Walford hard man?

Fan favourite Ritchie has been a much-loved supporting player in the soap since 2005, replacing crooked Marcus Christie who previously held the title of the dodgy family's go-to legal adviser until he double crossed them by siding with Den Watts.

Taking no prisoners with her no-nonsense attitude, and with a knack for getting members of the Mitchell clan off the hook for all manner of crimes, Ritchie briefly fell out with Phil in 2015 when she refused to help him worm his way out of tampering with the brakes on a car that resulted in an accident that almost killed his pregnant cousin Ronnie.

The pair made up and last summer Phil called upon her expertise to help him change his will in July 2019 (her most recent appearance), cutting son Ben Mitchell out and giving his share to future son-in-law Keanu - before the Taylor totty's fling with Sharon was exposed, of course.

It's not just the mighty Mitchells Ms Scott has helped out, though - she defended Bobby Beale when he assaulted adopted mum Jane Beale when the truth about him killing big sister Lucy Beale finally emerged, represented Dot Branning when she was implicated in son nasty Nick's death, and came to the Carters' aid after Mick was framed for shooting nemesis Stuart Highway.

Scott is played by Sian Webber, and while it's her best known role her other screen credits include Holby City, Bad Girls, The Bill and Waterloo Road.

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