Phil Mitchell is one of the best known television and soap opera hard man in Britain. The no-nonsense cockney, played by Steve McFadden, has been on our screens for over 30 years now. A son of the equally tough late Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor) his character has been on a rollercoaster ride throughout the journey, including getting shot, suffering alcoholism, going through the motions with his son who has ranged from a ballet dancer to a murderer, then finally having an equally as tough brother in Grant (Ross Kemp) who has arguably elapsed Steve’s career in “hardness.”
But while we may never have seen “Ross Kemp on Southwick” we have in fact seen Steve McFadden here on Wearside, not only once, but twice. First in the year 2004, he was invited to ceremonially open a new Kwik Save supermarket which was located in the nearby retail park. When opening a new establishment, it is nice of course to be able to have a special guest to do so. Usually, this may come down to the Ceremonial Mayor of Sunderland for ordinary things, and for special things even a member of the Royal Family.
But for some reason or another, Kwik Save wanted to do something different, and so Steve was invited to famously cut the ribbon. But this would not be his last dance with Southwick or its retail park. In the year 2013, Steve was back again re-opening the transformation of that former Kwik Save supermarket (with the brand no longer existing) into a New Look Store. How or why exactly he was chose a second time remains unclear, or if he had some kind of friendship with the owners of the property.