BBC/Composite: EastEnders Insider Share By Joel Harley Aug 19 2025 By Joel Harley Aug 19 2025 Phil Mitchell takes the crown as Britain's most popular soap character revealed The nation('s search results) has spoken Phil Mitchell Steve McFadden Share By Joel Harley Aug 19 2025 By Joel Harley Aug 19 2025 EastEnders hardman Phil Mitchell has taken the crown as Britain’s most loved soap character, facing off against contenders from Coronation Street and Emmerdale in a battle for supremacy of the icons. Phil has been a soap institution since arriving in Walford in 1990, coming out from beneath brother Grant’s shadow to emerge as the last original Mitchell standing. Recent storylines have won critical acclaim for actor Steve McFadden, as Phil battled his own mental health. More recently, he’s been a rock for pal Nigel following his dementia diagnosis… even if he could stand to be a bit nicer to Nige’s wife, Julie. And all that hard work has paid off, with a new poll revealing Phil to be the most popular character in all of soapdom. Phil’s officially the viewers’ favourite (Credit: BBC) EastEnders’ Phil Mitchell tops the list as Britain’s most popular soap character In a new list by Betway, the bookmakers analysed search engine data to determine which characters were soap fans’ favourite. And, with a total score of 88.41 out of 100, Phil Mitchell stormed ahead into the lead. Article continues below Read all the latest spoilers Phil also coasted through with the highest search volume (60,500) and a strong positive sentiment of 51%. He wasn’t the only EastEnders character in prime position either, with fellow Walford residents Stacey Slater, Kat Slater and Billy Mitchell in second, third and fourth position, respectively. The soap’s longest-running character, Ian Beale, was edged out of the top five by Coronation Street’s Gail Platt. Stacey and Kat scored second place (Credit: BBC) EastEnders dominates as the most popular soap characters revealed Of the 20 names listed, eight of those were EastEnders characters. Coronation Street came in close second with six characters. Meanwhile, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks took joint third position on the list, with three apiece. The other EastEnders characters which made the list were Lauren Branning (7th place), Ben Mitchell (8th) and Sharon Watts (9th). Characters who scored highly from other soaps included Corrie’s Steve McDonald and Leanne Battersby, and Emmerdale’s Cain Dingle, Kim Tate and Charity Dingle. But do you agree with the list? Is Phil your favourite soap character? Read more: Who’s leaving, joining and returning to EastEnders? Complete list of cast exits, arrivals and returns. Share Good to Know Share By Joel Harley Aug 19 2025 By Joel Harley Aug 19 2025
