Way back, when Phil and Kathy were married, Phil was an alchoholic and a nasty piece with it.
Kathy fled to South Africa to stay with her brother Ted.
Ben had meningitis which left him with hearing impairment.
Kathy re-married (can't remember if her new hubby adopted Ben) but they both died in a car crash, and Ben came to Walford.
Ian felt he should take Ben, but Phil ,egged on by Peggy wanted his faaaaaaaaamley -more to spite Ian than any love for Ben.
Then later, he tried to get Ben into boxing, football, all 'boy' stuff.Ben wanted musicals.Peggy took him behind Phils back.Ben then started dance lessons.
With Stella, there was alot of mental and physical abuse.She attacked him with her nails before the wedding, Phil only realised when he saw the blood through Ben's shirt.
There was the Billy/Jamie relationship. Billy was physically abusive to Jamie. Phil gave Jamie a pasting when Lisa left with Phil's daughter, Loise. His physically perfect daughter (Ben wears a hearing aid).
Then when Jay came on scene, no mum, dad shot dead (because Billy was a coward). Phil 'took him on' because he's more of a Mitchell.
It seems poor Ben is tolerated by Phil rather than wanted, because he wants to be seen as this great dad, but Ben doesn't live up to the Mitchell name.
I haven't watched EE since Feb last year. I watched the Christmas Day episode and realised I hadn't missed much.
I know Ben is a scrote, the new actor is a creepy looking kid and Phil's in prison, but I don't know why.