Steve Owen (EastEnders) in feuds with dangerous adversaries Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) and his brother Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) and Dan Sullivan (Craig Fairbrass), with both feuds stemming from their connections to Steve's girlfriend and future wife Mel Healy (Tamzin Outhwaite). During 2001, Steve was involved in one of the most memorable storylines ever to air on "EastEnders", when he became a prime suspect in the "Who Shot Phil?" whodunit storyline. Martin Kemp quit the series after his contract to the show expired. His final scenes, which aired on 1 March 2002, saw Steve killed during a fierce car chase with archenemy Phil
Ross Kemp Watts (Letitia Dean) and Tiffany Mitchell (Martine McCutcheon), as well as the "Sharongate" storyline, which saw brother Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) having an affair with Grant's wife. Kemp announced in April 1999 that he would be leaving the soap later that year after nearly a decade. His exit was aired in October 1999 when his character moved to Brazil after surviving a car crash. Kemp refused to rule out an eventual return to "EastEnders", and various media reports over the next few years speculated that he would return to the series at some stage. In early 2005, the BBC confirmed