EastEnders fans predict legendary villain's return as part of George's SHOCK storyline

EastEnders fans are convinced that iconic villain Babe Smith aka Aunt Babe (Annette Badland) will return to the Square as part of a shocking child farming storyline for George Knight (Colin Salmon).

In last night's episode (Monday, January 1), the Vic was bustling as the residents celebrated New Year with a game of beer pong.

Later on, George's ex Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) turned up to cause more trouble as she approached him in the barrel store asking if he was happy with his fiancée Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe) — but their conversation was soon interrupted when  the landlady walked in.

Back in the pub, Cindy told George that he had visitors and came face-to-face with his adoptive parents Gloria (Elizabeth Counsell) and Eddie (Christopher Fairbank).

Their arrival kicks off a major new storyline for George, who will be told he was adopted by a process known as farming, where children were advertised for money for prospective parents wanting to look after them.

This life-changing news will force George to question everything he knew about his heritage and upbringing.

Now, fans have made a connection to former character Aunt Babe who was involved in a twisted baby farming plot and believe that it's possible she may have been involved with George's case.

Wicked Aunt Babe arrived in Walford in 2014 and was introduced as the aunt of Shirley Carter (Linda Henry) and Tina Carter (Luisa Bradshaw-White).

Aunt Babe caused destruction throughout Walford as she encouraged Abi Branning (Lorna Fitzgerald) to fake that she was pregnant, blackmailed Les Coker (Roger Sloman) after discovering that he was a crossdresser and poisoned Kathy Beale's (Gillian Taylforth) coffee machine.

Her constant vile actions left her at loggerheads with the Carter clan, but she was eventually disowned by the family when they discovered that she had left her sister Sylvie Carter (Linda Marlowe) to die and stole from the pub.

She left the Square in 2017, after being thrown out of the Vic by Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) and her final words saw her cursing the Carter family, hoping they lose everything.

Fans think it would be a clever way to bring Aunt Babe back to the Square to revisit an unsettling storyline...

EastEnders continues tonight at 7:30pm on BBC One.