EastEnders fans have been left divided as Phil Mitchell and Denise Fox prepare to go to war over son Raymond.
The pair conceived Raymond during an ill-judged drunken one-night-stand years ago and Denise subsequently gave up little Raymond for adoption.
However, following the deaths of Raymond’s adoptive parents, Denise was able to regain custody of her biological son and looks to raise him with partner Jack Branning.
Despite enabling Phil to have some access to Raymond, Denise was not keen on him being a father figure in Raymond’s life and was riled when Raymond revealed Phil had told him the truth about his paternity on Thursday night’s episode of the BBC One soap.
Yet, with encouragement from girlfriend Kat Slater to fight for Raymond - and indirect encouragement from his bitter estranged son Ben Mitchell - Phil took a stand against Denise in a confrontation at the Arches.
Phil shouted to Denise: “Now, I am his Dad and I want to be there for him.
“And if you ain’t gonna give me that then, well, I reckon a judge will.”
“You wouldn’t dare take this to the courts,” said a scared Denise, “we could both lose him!”
However, after Denise previously threatened that Phil would not see Raymond again, he concluded that he had nothing to lose.
Phi boldly stated: “Now, Raymond is my flesh and blood, and you’re not - NOT - keeping me out of his life!”
As battle lines are drawn between Phil and Denise over Raymond, fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the cliffhanger.
One EastEnders viewer commented: “ His intentions are genuine and Phil needs to prove to Denise that this is the case and that he can provide Raymond with the safety and security he needs to life a secure life with both Denise and Phill having joint responsibility as well as Jack.”
A different fan of the soap noted: “Denise should be careful pushing Phil, he's still Raymond's Father after all whether she likes it or not.
“What's to stop him for going for full custody right? At least Raymond has a Dad who actually gives a f***, not every kid does after all #Eastenders ”.
Meanwhile, another viewer seemed on Denise’s side, penning: “ Phil can’t put anyone first but himself. #EastEnders ”.
Elsewhere, a different Enders fan commented: “go on denise get him #eastenders ”.
Finally, one viewer of the soap concluded after the confrontation: “well said Phil … #eastenders "
*EastEnders continues on BBC One at 7.35pm on Thursday, while all of the week’s episodes are currently available on BBC iPlayer.
Are you Team Phil or Team Denise in the fight for Raymond? Let us know in the comments below.
