Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Charlotte Tutton

Baby lie exposed, drunk Phil and underage romance: EastEnders six years ago

EastEnders was a little different around this time in 2016, with plenty of characters taking centre stage who are no longer on the BBC soap in 2022.

Abi Branning was exposed when her baby lie was revealed to all of Walford, and the arrival of Louise Mitchell certainly caused a stir.

Little Ollie had an accident during a fight between his older siblings Nancy and Lee, leading to a hospital dash.

One of the huge storylines unfolding at this time, asides alcoholic Phil Mitchell destroying the car lot with a digger, was Jay Brown finding out his girlfriend was underage.

EastEnders was a little different around this time in 2016 (BBC/Kieron McCarron)

So if you're looking for some Albert Square nostalgia, we thought we'd take a look at what went on six years ago in April on the BBC soap - as we say goodbye to the month and move into May.

Abi feared her boyfriend Ben Mitchell was going to leave her, knowing he was secretly gay, and she decided to pretend she was having his baby.

EastEnders aired dramatic scenes around this time in 2016, from near deaths and accidents, to life-changing bombshells (BBC/Kieron McCarron)

When she realised she couldn't keep up the lie any longer as she was not really pregnant, she faked a miscarriage and told Ben their baby had sadly died.

Aunt Babe ended up exposing Abi's lies in a letter which was found by Ben's sister Louise, who had recently arrived.

When Ben learned the truth and finally got his hands on the letter, he took revenge on Abi - even attacking Louise prior to this.

Phil's alcoholism continued and he was in a really bad way (BBC/Kieron McCarron)

Ben dragged Abi out half dressed during the pub's karaoke night, and outed her baby lie to the entire Square, before chasing her out into the street and confronting her.

Elsewhere, Phil's alcoholism continued and he was in a really bad way - but his decision to destroy the car lot with a digger almost led to murder.

He didn't realise his teenaged daughter Louise was inside, and she was left badly injured.

Jay Brown learned horrifying news when he realised his girlfriend Linzi, also known as Star, was underage (BBC)

This wasn't the only drama for the family though at this time, as Jay Brown learned horrifying news when he realised his girlfriend Linzi, also known as Star, was underage.

She had lied about her age to her older boyfriend, and it wasn't until he spotted her at Louise's school in her uniform that he realised she was much younger.

She had lied about her age to her older boyfriend (BBC)

Jay was accused of child grooming, and was put on the sex offenders register despite not knowing his girlfriend was underage - while he did plead guilty to charges, as he wanted to spare Linzi the ordeal of being on trial.

Elsewhere, and the Carters were facing their own turmoil after an incident involving little Ollie during a fight between Lee and Nancy.

Phil's alcoholism continued and he was in a really bad way (BBC/Jack Barnes)

Nancy shoved her older sibling and he fell into toddler Ollie's highchair, sending him crashing to the ground.

His worried parents Linda and Mick raced him to hospital, while Mick couldn't help blame his daughter for what happened.

There were fears the little one had suffered brain damage, and doctors warned they might not know for some time the full extent of his injuries.

Linda and Mick raced him to hospital, while Mick couldn't help blame his daughter for what happened (BBC/Jack Barnes)

A month on, and Mick was still struggling to forgive his daughter, while Linda was in denial that something had changed about her son.

Eventually, Mick accepted that it was an accident and forgave Nancy, but she decided she needed to get away from Walford.

She and her then partner Tamwar Masood departed for a new life travelling that same month, while Nancy did return in 2021.

Got any theories or thoughts on the storyline? Let us know in the comments section below

EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.