Known as the "Mitchell brothers", Grant and Phil have become household names in the United Kingdom – due to their association with the stereotypical black leather jacket-wearing bald and brutal thug.

The character has also become a prime suspect in the murder of Sharon's hated boss Eddie Royle (Michael Melia); sparked a longstanding feud with her best-friend Michelle Fowler (Susan Tully); clashed with Peggy's campaign rival George Palmer (Paul Moriarty); developed a close friendship with local shopkeeper Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley); formed a conflict with Sam's former boyfriend David Wicks (Michael French); harboured romantic feelings with David's former wife Lorraine (Jacqueline Leonard); cheated on Tiffany by having an affair with her mother Louise (Carol Harrison); triggered a rivalry with his archenemy Beppe di Marco (Michael Greco); disputed with Beppe's younger brother Gianni (Marc Bannerman); worked with Palmer's daughter Annie (Nadia Sawalha) on a jointed business venture at the local gym; established an antagonistic business partnership with Phil's would-be sworn nemesis, Steve Owen (Martin Kemp); had a one-night stand with Phil's estranged wife Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth); exonerated Sam for the murder of Sharon's adopted father, Den (Leslie Grantham), by proving to his ex-wife that her stepmother Chrissie (Tracy-Ann Oberman) was responsible for the crime; teamed up with Phil to confront their mother's gangland enemy, Johnny Allen (Billy Murray), and get justice for the death of Sharon's adopted brother-turned-second husband Dennis Rickman (Nigel Harman) in the Get Johnny Week scenario; embarked on a tryst with cafe owner Jane Beale (Laurie Brett) while she is romantically engaged to Phil's hated stepson Ian (Adam Woodyatt); ended his third ill-fated marriage to Carla (Christianne Oliveira) upon learning that she turned him against Courtney; and discovered that he is the father of Michelle's secret son, Mark (Ned Porteous), in light of coping with losing his mother Peggy to cancer.

Despite his tough nature, he is also a womaniser and has been involved in several relationships with an array of women – including Julie Cooper (Louise Plowright), Nina Harris (Troy Titus-Adams), Chelsea Fox (Tiana Benjamin) and Belinda Peacock (Carli Norris).

Ferguson had previously been a producer on ITV's The Bill – a hard-hitting and successful police drama, which seemed to be challenging EastEnders in providing a realistic vision of modern life in London.

[4] He became restless easily and actively sought the thrill of danger in order to regain excitement in his life, which led to his participation in numerous crimes, fights and affairs.

An example of this was that he was one of the few people who offered support to Mark Fowler when he was isolated by the rest of Albert Square (led ironically by Grant's mother, Peggy), because of his HIV illness.

[6] Because of this, he attracted many women, despite the fact that he often treated them as possessions, disregarding their feelings and eliciting exaggerated revenge should they cross him (resulting in spousal abuse and the destruction of all three of his marriages).

"[13] Sharongate has also proven a popular storyline with viewers and it was voted the sixth top soap opera moment of the decade in a poll of 17,000 people for What's On TV magazine.

Their volatile relationship made headlines in July 1997 amid reports that EastEnders bosses were considering airing a highly controversial storyline that saw Tiffany brutally raped by Grant.

The plot, which was slated to be aired on Christmas Day 1997, evoked high criticism from female MPs and children's groups, TV clean-up campaigners and church officials, who were all expressive in unanimous condemnation about the BBC's "cynical ploy to win the seasonal ratings war over arch-rival Coronation Street."

Labour MP Anne Clywd suggested that the BBC should "reconsider" and Michelle Elliott, director of the children's charity Kidscape, said: "This is an appalling, outrageous, utterly nauseous example of rape for ratings."

[34] Grant Mitchell arrives in Albert Square in February 1990 with his older brother Phil (Steve McFadden), and the pair become co-owners of the local garage, The Arches.

After a brief fling with Julie Cooper (Louise Plowright) and getting involved in various dodgy deals, Grant starts wooing the local barmaid, Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean).

He puts Sharon's boss Eddie Royle (Michael Melia), the landlord of The Queen Victoria public house, in hospital after he makes a pass at Sharon; he later becomes prime suspect for Royle's murder, but is proved not guilty when the killer is revealed to be Nick Cotton (John Altman), the well established local villain who eventually owns up to the crime but is found not guilty in court.

Despite his hot-headed tendencies, Sharon sees a different side to Grant, and when he proposes marriage to her, she accepts on the condition that he buys her childhood home, The Queen Vic, which he does.

In response, Grant batters Phil – leaving him with a ruptured spleen – and is vindictive towards Sharon until she flees to the United States, signalling the end of their marriage after just three years.

He begins a relationship with Lorraine Wicks (Jacqueline Leonard), until a paternity test reveals that Grant is the father of her baby, Courtney (Carissa and Josephine O'Meara), who is born in March 1997.

Tiffany attempts to snatch Courtney, but is hit by a car driven by Grant's stepfather Frank Butcher (Mike Reid); she dies seconds later as the clock struck midnight.

By then, Grant and Phil have conducted a plan to cheat some gangsters by intercepting a drug deal and stealing a large amount of cash – in order to take care of their debts.

Grant returns to Walford six years later with Phil to exonerate their younger sister, Sam (Kim Medcalf), for the murder of her ex-boss and Sharon's adopted father, Den Watts (Leslie Grantham).

The brothers eventually beat Johnny at his nightclub office in order to get the tape, which is promptly delivered to the police; as a result, Sam is released from prison and Chrissie is arrested for Den's murder.

Following his arrest, Johnny is sentenced to life imprisonment and later dies of a heart attack – allowing Phil and Grant to finally put their demons to reason for good.

After quitting his job at the newly reopened Scarlet nightclub, currently owed by Jake following Johnny's imprisonment, Grant leaves the country again with Courtney for a new life in Portugal.

Grant subsequently returns with Nigel and walks into Phil's home whilst he is in the midst of contemplating suicide; unaware of this, Grant refuses to believe anything is wrong and attends his cousin Billy Mitchell's (Perry Fenwick) wedding to Honey Mitchell (Emma Barton), where he is dismayed to discover that Phil has relapsed, while Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) confronts him for abusing Tiffany until her death.

Grant disarms him but is unable to cope with the situation and storms off, assisting Bianca in rescuing Sharon and Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) from the Vic after it is destroyed by an explosion.

[21] In a study by the Stirling Media Research Institute called Men Viewing Violence, participants branded Grant "a fascinating character" because of his complexity and likened him and Phil to a soap operatic version of the notorious East End criminals, the Kray Twins.

[35] He has become one of EastEnders biggest sex-symbols – described by the magazine Women Republic as "an ideal bit of rough... the antithesis to the pretty boys who spend longer in front of the mirror than we do.

Ian Hyland of the Sunday Mirror branded the storyline a "farce... hardly a fitting exit for Walford's dodgiest geezer since Dirty Den."

He mocked the episode's stunts, commenting: "There are so many post-watershed dramas on TV that do these kind of scenes properly that Phil and Grant ended up looking like two little kids playing on a building site.

Instead of wasting all their time on this ridiculous ending they could have made it a heart-wrenching farewell..."[49] There were mixed reviews for the highly publicised storyline (dubbed "Get Johnny Week") involving the Mitchell brothers reunion in 2006.