You cannot be serious! - 24/04/03
Hampstead based actor Steve McFadden has taken on a pantomime role - just weeks after revealing he was taking break from the soap to do some serious acting.

Steve will be playing the villain Captain Hook in a production of Peter Pan in Woking, Surrey, this October.

He will apparently be earning £175,000 for the 45-day panto run - £5,000 more than his annual EastEnders salary.

Love split for Steve McFadden - 02/04/03
Hampstead hard-man Steve McFadden has called time on his 3-year love affair with former co-star Lucy Benjamin.

Steve and Lucy became household names with their electrifying portrayal of on-screen lovers Phil and Lisa in the BBC soap Eastenders.

A spokesperson fro the couple said; "It is a completely amicable split with no other party involved,"

Adding "They are and will always remain good friends and ask you to respect their privacy."

I’m off, but will be back. - 11/02/03
After ten years of watching Phil Mitchell ’sort it out’ on Eastenders, it seems that Hampstead actor Steve is set to take a break.

Steve McFadden has been playing Phil in the Square for over a decade now, and has decided that he would like to try out other roles before he becomes as comparable with Albert Square as Pauline Fowler’s cardigan.

However, Phil will not be killed off, but will be back in Albert Square by 2004. How he leaves for over a year though is said to be a closely kept secret, but what’s the betting that its to do with a girl and that they’ll be a fire in the script somewhere - isn’t that how all the characters exit!?

Hampstead hard-man sulks - 03/12/02
Hampstead hard-man Steve McFadden has apparently fallen out with his co-star Shane Ritchie in a row over their scripts.

Allegedly the pair have barely spoken since Shane arrived in Albert Square last month to play wide-boy Alfie Moon.

Sources have said that Steve is bitter about Shane getting all the best storylines.

An EastEnders source revealed "It’s like a school playground at the moment. Both of them are being very childish and don’t speak to each other off camera." Grow up!!

BIOGRAPHY
Steve McFadden was born on 20th March 1959 and brought up around Harlesden. He now lives in Highgate, where he enjoys eating at a lovely Italian restaurant.. He also quite likes heading for his local for a Sunday lunch!

He studied at R.A.D.A and his early TV roles were on Bergerac and Minder. Steve also had parts in the movie Buster with Phil Collins and The Firm with Gary Oldman, but it was his role as Phil Mitchell in Eastenders that really catapulted him to fame. Steve joined the cast of Eastenders back in 1990 and with him and his fictional brother Grant ’sorting’ everything in sight they soon became popular characters.

He has a son Matthew from his first marriage, and a daughter Teona from another relationship. His current partner is Lucy Benjamin who played Lisa in the hit soap.