'EastEnders' bosses have forked out £1 million on a stunt which will see Phil Mitchell end up in a coma.
The BBC One soap's bad boy - who is played by Steve McFadden - will be thrown through a car windscreen and left fighting for his life after new character Carl White (Daniel Coonan) crashes their motor en route to do a dodgy deal.
A show source said: "This is going to be the most dramatic and the most expensive stunt in EastEnders' history.
"No expense has been spared and show bosses are determined to make sure it is the most talked about TV moment of the year.
"Carl gets distracted from the road and swerves into the path of a lorry, resulting in a huge smash.
"Phil flies through the windscreen on to the road, leaving him with terrible injuries.
"A rescue helicopter airlifts him to hospital, filming all the while.
"He ends up in a coma, on life support, fighting for his life."
Viewers will be able to take in the dramatic scenes from various angles, including a bird's eye view of the shocking situation, as 'EastEnders' bosses have paid for a helicopter to fly in and airlift Phil to hospital.
The incident will also lead to Phil's mother Peggy Mitchell - who is played by Barbara Windsor - returning to the programme to be at her son's bedside in hospital for a one-off appearance after she swapped Albert Square for Portugal in 2010.
Speaking to The Sun newspaper, the show source added: "Peggy then comes back to see Phil in hospital for a one-off special appearance."
The sensational stunt is believed to be a bid to win back viewers after some quit the programme since the start of the year.
The source explained: "'EastEnders' has been going through a bad time as far as ratings go. These days it's regularly the third most watched soap, way off 'Corrie' and even behind 'Emmerdale'."
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