Back in September 2004, Phil Mitchell was nowhere to be seen in Albert Square - but the actor who plays him was spotted in Tonypandy of all places.
Star-struck shoppers got a glimpse of the EastEnders hard man, played by Steve McFadden, who, at the time, had briefly left the soap as he went on the run after fleeing custody before returning the following year when his character was caught. In the meantime, he turned up to officially open the newly-refurbished Tonypandy Kwik Save store and even hung around long enough to sign autographs and answer questions before fleeing again.
The actor was greeted by eager fans who formed a giant queue which snaked round the aisles of the outlet. For more than an hour, shoppers kept on posing the question, “Where’s Grant?” and “When are you returning?”
