9 EastEnders stories to come in 2024
EastEnders spoilers follow.
EastEnders is in the middle of an exciting year; with powerful stories surrounding Yolande Trueman’s sexual assault and George Knight’s past set against surprise returns, prison stints, secret families and torrid affairs.
There is plenty more drama in store for viewers throughout the autumn as the soap approaches a big milestone, with more faces from the past as well as thrilling exits and continuations of gripping plots.
But what's next for Walford? Here, we're recapping the biggest stories to come, all in one place.
1. Tommy and Kat's abuse story
This summer, Tommy Moon’s behaviour has become an increasing issue for despairing parents Kat and Alfie. Things escalated in July when Tommy punched Kat in the stomach, and then called the police on her after she pushed him back.
The story has gone quiet for a few weeks, but in recent scenes, Kat and Alfie believe they might have turned a corner with their son. However, this autumn the situation will get even worse, as the show continues to explore child to parent abuse.
Next week, Tommy’s behaviour will spiral further out of control, when he is caught stealing from the café and is also rude towards his mum in front of Phil.
When Kat tries to talk to Tommy about his actions, he physically intimidates her, and later another confrontation makes matters worse. Will Kat be able to get the help she needs?
2. David Wicks' return
Earlier this year, it was announced that Michael French would be reprising his role as David Wicks for a short stint – and his big return will air next week.
After ten years away from Walford, David will reunite with his daughter Bianca, who is currently trying to prove that Reiss killed his wife Debbie and get her half-sister Sonia released from prison.
He will also reunite with his ex, Cindy – which won’t be good news for Ian, as Cindy had an affair with David while she and Ian were together the first time. What will his dramatic return mean for some of the show’s most popular characters?
When the news was first announced, French said: "I feel honoured to be asked to reprise the role of David Wicks once again. It may only be a brief visit, but we know from his past that David never fails to create a lot of drama in a very short time."
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3. Cindy and Junior's affair
Speaking of Cindy, she has been having another affair recently, this time with her ex-husband George’s son Junior. The pair have been meeting up in secret behind Ian’s back for months now.
The affair shows no sign of stopping any time soon, as this week sees Junior come up with a sneaky plan that means they will be able to spend more time together. But it appears that Junior would like things to become more public, while Cindy is happy to continue sneaking around.
Next week, Junior will talk to his dad about his mystery woman, while not disclosing Cindy’s identity, and will tell him that their relationship is growing more serious – leaving George intrigued.
The couple have had a number of close shaves but are yet to be caught and Ian remains in the dark. But how long will it be before their affair is exposed? And will David’s shock return put a spanner in the works?
4. Reiss' murder deception
One of the most shocking plot twists of the year was when Reiss Colwell killed his wife Debbie in her care home, taking drastic action to tackle his increasing money issues and the debt he owed.
He managed to cover his tracks, but there was evidence to suggest that his fiancée Sonia was responsible for the crime. After the couple were both arrested, it was Sonia who was charged with murder, despite remaining completely clueless about what Reiss has done.
Reiss currently has the hard task of trying to get Sonia out of prison, without implicating himself in the process. He also has some enemies – most notably Bianca, who is doing all she can to get him to confess. Debbie’s mother Brenda also believes Reiss to be deceptive, both in his marriage to Debbie and after her death.
Sonia is stuck in prison for the foreseeable, with her trial not set to take place until next year. Will new evidence come to light, or will Reiss get away with murder?
5. Club crush aftermath
Over the summer, jealous Chelsea decided to try and sabotage Penny’s club night and sold extra tickets for the event online which led to the venue becoming increasingly overcrowded.
What followed was a dramatic crush at Peggy’s, where people were unable to leave the venue and became trapped. Amy was most seriously hurt, suffering a cardiac arrest before being left with life-changing injuries.
Penny is being blamed for the tragic incident, including by her dad Jack, and Chelsea has only told Denise about what really happened that night. It remains to be seen if Chelsea will tell the truth, but actor Zaraah Abrahams has teased that there is drama to come.
Speaking to Digital Spy, she said: "We see whether she decides to come clean or not. There’s a lot of pressure all round once the investigation begins. Chelsea’s in deep water at the moment."
6. Nish's exit
In May, Nish Panesar returned to Walford after a short time away and brought his family the news that he was dying, as his heart was failing. But in typical Nish style, he also revealed that he wouldn’t be leaving anything to his children.
Vinny and Suki were secretly working together to reclaim the Panesar empire, but Nish found out about their betrayal. He attempted to kill Vinny in the aftermath, but when Nish himself later collapsed, Suki was more than happy to watch him die.
While he survived, he was told in the hospital that his condition had deteriorated quicker than expected and encouraged the family to spend as much time as possible with him in his final weeks.
It has been reported that Navin Chowdhry will soon leave the show, so it is likely that we are in fact into the final weeks of Nish Panesar. But there is bound to be more drama before the end, plus there have also been reports of an upcoming fire that will devastate Albert Square. Could these two stories be linked?
7. Suki and Eve wedding plans
Okay, this one isn’t confirmed, but fan favourite couple Suki and Eve (aka Sukeve) are now engaged so it is only natural to assume that the pair might be at least planning their upcoming nuptials.
At the moment, Suki may be more concerned about Nish and what he might do next, but there could be more obstacles for the couple ahead. For starters, Eve still doesn’t know about the events of last Christmas Day, even though it seems like most of the Square are in on the secret by this point.
In August, actor Heather Peace told Digital Spy that there could be a rocky journey ahead, and said: "They’re together, but there’s Nish plotting away and obviously Eve doesn’t know about The Six… I feel like they should work on their communication skills a little bit more!
"So I don’t think it’s quite the end yet, do you know what I mean? It’s not the end of the book."
8. Ruby Allen's return
Another return that has been confirmed for later this year is Ruby Allen, with Louisa Lytton reprising the role for a third time, for a prolonged stint.
Ruby was last seen in 2021, when she was framed by Jean for being behind her cannabis farm and was arrested. Shortly before her exit, she told Martin that she was pregnant, but because she was known for telling lies, he didn’t believe her.
But there might have been some truth to it. In September, Sharon reunited with her former stepmother Chrissie Watts during her week in prison. Chrissie told her that she used to share a cell with Ruby… before she left to have her baby.
Once released, Sharon wanted to tell Martin that he may have a child he has never met. But she realised he was already stressed about Sonia’s imprisonment, so she decided to keep it to herself for now.
It hasn’t yet been revealed how and when Ruby will return to Walford, but will she have a child in tow?
9. Christmas and beyond
Festive season is fast approaching, and EastEnderswill already be deep into preparations for the show’s Christmas storylines – and how they can possibly top last year’s must-see Christmas Day episode.
On what they have planned, executive producer Chris Clenshaw said: "Christmas is well underway. In the story office there is a board and it all connects. I compare it to a tapestry board, everything has to fit together."
But there are even bigger plans for next year, to mark the show’s 40th anniversary in February. During the special anniversary week, the soap will air a fully live episode for the first time since 2015 – but with a big twist this time.
There will be an interactive element of the episode, with viewers able to choose their desired outcome of a love story. The chosen result will then play out in the live episode, with the cast and crew prepared to adapt the scene accordingly.
Chris Clenshaw, who will leave his role as executive producer after the anniversary, said: "While we’re still keeping the finite details of the 40th close to our chest, I can promise that it will be an unmissable week full of shocking twists that will change Albert Square, and the lives of those who live in it, forever."
EastEnders airs on Mondays - Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
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