Steve McFadden struggles to enjoy EastEnders sometimes.

The 66-year-old actor – who has played hardman Phil Mitchell in the hit BBC soap since 1990 – says the endless amount of “dark” storylines for his alter ego can make the job miserable for him.

Steve told the Daily Star Sunday newspaper: “The past year has been particularly hard. It’s not a walk in the park … a lot of it is quite dark. It takes a lot out of you.

“When I do panto, that’s fun. EastEnders isn’t.”

Phil has faced mental health struggles so bad that he had serious psychotic episodes and even attempted to take his own life.

And Steve – who was nominated for the Best Storyline gong for the harrowing scenes in the Phil Mitchell: Hypermasculinity in Crisis storyline at the 2025 British Soap Awards – admitted he was pushed hard whilst filming those scenes.

He added: “It’s been tough. But it’s what the producers and directors and writers want.

“They want us to graft and go to the edge. They got the most they could out of me.”

But Steve said viewers’ praise for his performance has made the hard work worthwhile.

He admitted: “It’s very gratifying to hear from viewers. It validates what we do.

“The storyline has touched people, and it’s great to be able to reach out to people that don’t have a voice.”

Steve teased that Christmas in Walford will not be good for Phil.

The acting legend hinted: “There will be more sadness for Phil. That’s what is coming up. Christmas might not be so good.”

Steve credits his EastEnders co-stars, including Jessie Wallace – who plays Phil’s ex-wife Kat Moon – for his success in the soap.

He said: “If it wasn’t for people like Jessie, I wouldn’t be standing here today.

“I still feel lucky to be on the show. I love it.”

The star beat his EastEnders co-star Jacqueline Jossa (Lauren Branning), as well as Coronation Street stars Jack P. Shepherd (David Platt) and Sue Devaney (Debbie Webster), and Emmerdale actress Eden Taylor-Draper (Belle Dingle, Emmerdale), to bag the Serial Drama Performance gong for his work as Phil at the National Television Awards on September 10.

And Steve was thrilled to win his first National Television Award.

He said: “I’m absolutely over the moon.

“My mate told me, ‘I hope you win because it’ll show them you’ve finally got the hang of it after 35 years.'”