grant mitchell, played by ross kemp, first appears in 1990, introduced by producer michael ferguson to revamp the show. kemp remained until 1999 when he opted to leave. in 2005 and 2006, kemp was persuaded to return to the role for brief stints during a period of heavy media criticism aimed at "eastenders". the return proved to be a ratings success, though kemp has since been sceptical about the possibility of another return. a popular character, prominent in the series, grant is portrayed as a tough persona, known for his fiery temper and his tendency to resort to violence. family is important to him, particularly his relationship with his brother, phil (steve mcfadden). grant and phil known as the "mitchell brothers" have become household names in the united kingdom. they have been parodied even in adverts where their gruff, tough talking, cockney accents have been impersonated. one of "eastenders" most popular and highly rated storylines was "sharongate", where grant discovers that his wife sharon (letitia dean) has been having an affair with his brother. in the latter part of 1989 "eastenders" acquired a new executive producer named michael ferguson, who took over from mike gibbon. ferguson had previously been a producer on itv's "the bill" – a hard-hitting, gritty and successful police drama, which seemed to be challenging "eastenders" in providing a realistic vision of modern life in london. due to his success on "the bill", peter cregeen, the head of series at the bbc, poached ferguson to become executive producer of "eastenders".