Christmas might now be in the rearview mirror, but EastEnders is keeping its foot on the gas going into the New Year, lining up some apocalyptic scenes to kick-start its 40th anniversary celebrations.
The BBC soap is celebrating a huge milestone in 2025, and while bosses are keeping their cards very close to their chest regarding what they have in store to mark it, we already know some exciting details about how the next few months will unfold.
With death, destruction and devastation awaiting the residents of Walford, here’s the lowdown of what to expect…
The ‘Ender Nish
While we all thought we’d seen the back of Nish Panesar when he was jailed for Keanu Taylor’s (Danny Walters) murder back in October, claims it was Navin Chowdhry’s final appearance as the Walford villain turned out to be false when Nish later staged an armed escape from custody.
After hearing ex-wife Suki Panesar’s (Balvinder Sopal) wedding to Eve Unwin (Heather Peace) was back on, he’s been in hiding, biding his time to derail their relationship once and for all.
With Suki and Eve set to tie the knot on New Year’s Day, the stage is set for Nish’s cataclysmic last chapter as his wicked revenge plan unfolds.
And thanks to an actor mistakenly leaving a key script on a train earlier this year, we already know that at least one character is set to be killed off amid the high-stakes drama – will it be Nish, or will his final act claim someone else’s life?
The Vic explodes into flames
The 40th anniversary looks set to go off with one heck of a bang, with an explosion ripping through the Queen Vic.
Over 14 years on from the last devastating pub fire – which led to the exit of then-landlady Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor) – bosses are planning to torch the iconic boozer once again.
Many major characters are likely to be caught up in the blast, with a source telling The Sun that ‘lives are expected to be left hanging in the balance’ as a result.
Could the first few months of 2025 see the death of another Walford favourite?
Reiss’ reckoning
Poor Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) has been held hostage in Reiss Colwell’s (Jonny Freeman) storage unit for weeks now after she uncovered that he’d killed his comatose wife Debbie in her care home bed and let fiancée Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) take the fall.
While (we assume) Bianca has been continuing to live off meal deals and doing her business in a bucket while locked up, there has been little mention of the storyline since Reiss’ true colours were revealed back in November.
However, that is set to change next month when Reiss summons the residents of Walford to discuss his new plan for Sonia’s trial.
While nothing has been officially confirmed, actress Patsy Palmer is expected to reprise her role as Bianca for the next chapter of the story, while Natalie Cassidy will also return from an extended break from the soap.
Walford goes live
Now, it wouldn’t be a true EastEnders milestone anniversary without a live episode, would it?
Yes, a whole 10 years on from the ‘How’s Adam?’ debacle basically dominating the 30th, EastEnders will be going live to the nation once again for a special interactive episode as part of the 40th celebrations.
In a week that promises to be full of shocks and surprises, things will culminate in the special episode that will also mark a huge EastEnders first.
Bosses are giving the audience the power to have their say and vote on the outcome of one storyline, with the actors then having to react to the result live on air.
Martin makes a choice?
When confirming the 40th anniversary live episode, the BBC also teased the plot in question would be the outcome of a love story.
Fans went on to predict that Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), Martin Fowler (James Bye) and Ruby Allen (Louisa Lytton) would be at the centre of the action, with one noting at the time: ‘Seeing as it’s the Ruby anniversary, why do I have a feeling this will be to decide who Martin (the first child born on the show) chooses out of Stacey & Ruby?’
It’s a highly plausible theory, as since then, we’ve seen how Martin has become torn between his two ex wives – and as yet, it looks unclear as to whether his heart ultimately lies with Stacey or Ruby.
However, there is also another love triangle forming on the other side of the Square as Denise Fox (Diane Parish) is currently feeling increasingly conflicted about her feelings for both bad boy Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) and ex-husband Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) – could they take centre stage in the viewer vote?
But whoever the subjects and whatever the outcome, we do know that actress Lacey Turner will soon be taking a break from her role as Stacey, as she goes on maternity leave and prepares to welcome her third child.
More huge returns
This year saw big returns from some of the soap’s most iconic characters, including Bianca Jackson, David Wicks (Michael French), Jane Beale (Laurie Brett) and Chrissie Watts (Tracy-Ann Oberman), as well as some previously unannounced cameos from the likes of Jake Moon (Joel Beckett) and Mickey Miller (Joe Swash).
This trend looks set to continue into 2025 as momentum builds towards the soap’s big Four-Oh.
Reports have claimed Paul Bradley is set to make a guest appearance as 90s favourite Nigel Bates.
There has also been mounting speculation that Ross Kemp will be back as Grant Mitchell after the actor was pictured at the soap’s studios in Elstree in Hertfordshire last month.
Bosses have undoubtedly got a few more surprises for fans up their sleeves as the clock ticks down to the 19 February milestone.
Behind-the-scenes changes
There are some big changes happening behind the scenes as EastEnders enters its 41st year on air with the arrival of a new executive producer.
After three years at the helm, current boss Chris Clenshaw is stepping down from the role in February 2025, shortly after the anniversary.
During his time on the Square, Chris has been credited with introducing many critically acclaimed storylines, including The Six murder plot, Lola Pearce’s (Danielle Harold) death and the return of Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins).
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He will be succeeded by Ben Wadey, Commissioning Editor at Channel 4, where he has overseen Hollyoaks and a number of original dramas, including Generation Z and the upcoming James Graham drama Brian and Margaret.
Previously, he worked on EastEnders as Story Editor, overseeing the 35th anniversary celebrations, as well as a special New Year episode focused on Linda Carter’s alcoholism.
We can’t wait to see what he has in store for the Square!
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