There are some sizzling storylines coming to EastEnders this summer, and with Keanu's death and The Six set to dominate the storylines once again, you can't afford to miss the next few months in Walford.
Shock exits, family secrets and an iconic couple heading for a reunion... here are seven of the biggest EastEnders twists headed for our screens.
1. The events of Christmas Day come back to haunt Sharon and Linda
That memorable Christmas Day in The Vic – when Linda sent Keanu to Walford heaven courtesy of a meat thermometer to stop him strangling Sharon – was the basis of some beefy drama in early 2024 as the two best pals, along with witnesses Denise, Suki, Kathy and Stacey, battled to cover up the deadly crime.
It hasn’t been easy – poor Denise was so traumatised she suffered a mental breakdown, while innocent Sharon was wrongly arrested – but ‘The Six’ are now home and dry thanks to Stacey’s canny plot to frame Linda’s unpunished rapist, Dean. Or are they?
As summer approaches and Dean remains on remand, a new update leads to Linda and Sharon facing renewed pressure…
"More questions emerge about what happened on that fateful day," reveals our Walford mole. "Sharon and Linda are left reeling as they suddenly find themselves back in the spotlight."
Dean is guilty of many things, but Keanu’s murder isn’t one of them. When he was charged by police with killing Karen’s beloved son, he protested his innocence. Determined to avoid a life sentence, it’s likely he’ll have been beavering away behind bars, trying to get a case together to win his freedom.
Linda, meanwhile, was all set to turn herself in when Sharon became the police’s prime suspect. With the truth about her deadly crime threatening to rear its ugly head once again, will the frazzled landlady call last orders on her lies and finally admit she was responsible for Keanu’s demise? And if so, can she manage to protect her five co-conspirators, or could HMP Walford end up with a flurry of new inmates?
2. Bianca uncovers a big secret, but will she speak up?
Keeping a secret in Albert Square is a monumental task at the best of times, and with Bianca back on home soil, it’s more difficult than ever. Nothing gets past the shell-suit-wearing matriarch, as love cheat Zack recently learnt. And just a few weeks after she discovered Whit’s fiancé slept with Lauren, Queen B discovers he’s not the only one in her faarmily who’s done something a bit naughty.
Bianca’s discovery rocks her to her core but, having learnt the hard way after fracturing her once water-tight relationship with step-daughter Whitney, she’s not about to make the same mistake twice.
We’re told that some explosive scenes are on the horizon but, according to our spy, "An unlikely peacemaker attempts to diffuse the situation after Bianca senses there is more to the situation than meets the eye…"
3. Is Billy’s estranged dad Stevie about to earn his Mitchell stripes?
When Stevie Mitchell tipped up in The Vic in April, son Billy was hardly rushing to the bar to buy him a pint. The market trader had kept a wide berth from his dad for years; bitter that when he was a little lad and his mum Val upped sticks, Stevie put him into care yet took full custody of his brother Charlie.
Stevie has since spent recent weeks trying to build bridges, and has gone some way to make amends by protecting Jay from ‘pregnant’ Nadine’s lies. With Father’s Day approaching, he spies another opportunity to prove that he’s not the bad penny Billy believes, and goes above and beyond to bring the Walford dads and their sons closer together.
Billy is given food for thought, but it’s Stevie’s relationship with grandson Will that really flourishes when he steps up for the teenager in his hour of need. Is that rarest of things in the offing – a happy faaamily?
4. Time to say goodbye to Bobby
Bobby may be settled in the Square and loved-up with Anna right now, but Ian’s lad will be walking away from Walford in the coming months, following actor Clay Milner Russell’s decision to leave the BBC1 soap. It hasn’t been revealed what will cause Bobby to up sticks, but our guess is that feelings could be reignited between Anna and Bobby’s best pal, Freddie, prompting the heartbroken chippy worker to start afresh elsewhere…
5. Justice for Yolande?
Traumatised Yolande has taken a break from Walford with Patrick after finding the courage to tell her partner about the sexual assault she endured at the hands of Pastor Clayton and also reporting the incident to trainee pastor, Levi. The pair will soon return home, keen to find out how Levi’s investigation is progressing. But will Yolande get the justice she’s hoping for, or is more turmoil to come as slippery Pastor Clayton manipulates the truth?
6. Kat and Alfie together again?
Alfie has made many unsuccessful attempts to reunite with the love of his life, Kat (remember when he abseiled down the Mitchell house dressed as Father Christmas?). Now that he has taken a step back, is he about to finally get his wish? Young Freddie ups his efforts to play matchmaker; adamant that the pair belong together. We’re right behind you, Fredster, and to put the icing on the cake, can we politely suggest a Christmas wedding?
7. A man, a plan and a ruthless clan
With Nish’s health prognosis out in the open and his sinister inheritance plan revealed, the Panesar clan are vying to get their hands on his money before he meets his maker. Nothing or no-one is going to stand in their way – including each other. Who can box cleverest and rake in dastardly Nish’s dough? Or can there only be one winner in this game – Nasty Nish, himself?
EastEnders airs Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 7.30 pm on BBC One — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on episodes on BBC iPlayer now.
