Lesson plan

Phil Mitchell

Phil Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Steve McFadden. He was introduced on 20 February 1990 and was followed by his brother, Grant (Ross Kemp), sister, Sam (Danniella Westbrook/Kim Medcalf) and mother, Peggy Mitchell (Jo Warne/Barbara Windsor). Phil was one of the major characters introduced by executive producer Michael Ferguson, who wanted to bring in some macho male leads. Phil and his brother Grant became popularly known as the Mitchell brothers in the British media, with Phil initially portrayed as the more level-headed of the two thugs. Storylines featuring the Mitchell family dominated the soap opera throughout the 1990s, with Phil serving as one of the show's central characters and protagonists since the 1990s. McFadden temporarily left the series in late 2003, then returned in April 2005 for a brief appearance before making a permanent return in October 2005, and has now overtaken Dot Cotton (June Brown) as the second-longest-serving character in EastEnders – surpassed only by original character Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt).…

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Article summary

Phil Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Steve McFadden. He was introduced on 20 February 1990 and was followed by his brother, Grant (Ross Kemp), sister, Sam (Danniella Westbrook/Kim Medcalf) and mother, Peggy Mitchell (Jo Warne/Barbara Windsor). Phil was one of the major characters introduced by executive producer Michael Ferguson, who wanted to bring in some macho male leads. Phil and his brother Grant became popularly known as the Mitchell brothers in the British media, with Phil initially portrayed as the more level-headed of the two thugs. Storylines featuring the Mitchell family dominated the soap opera throughout the 1990s, with Phil serving as one of the show's central characters and protagonists since the 1990s. McFadden temporarily left the series in late 2003, then returned in April 2005 for a brief appearance before making a permanent return in October 2005, and has now overtaken Dot Cotton (June Brown) as the second-longest-serving character in EastEnders – surpassed only by original character Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt).…

Key claims

  1. date of death: 1989 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  2. date of death: 2005 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the date of death is "1989". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. The record states that the date of death is "2005". What evidence would count against this claim?
  4. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  5. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1376471666

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.