New Year might now be in the rearview mirror, but EastEnders is keeping its foot on the gas as we get further into 2025, 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…
Who shovelled Cindy?
Christmas Day saw Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) brutally attacked with a snow shovel and left for d.e.a.d, with the culprit so far remaining a mystery.
Though Cindy is set to wake up from her coma next week, viewers will have to wait until the 40th anniversary week in February to finally find out whodunnit.
Discussing the storyline, EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw said: ‘Our 40th anniversary storylines have been in the works for some time, but even at the very start of planning, we knew that we wanted to reveal the identity of Cindy’s attacker as part of this.
‘Many characters currently find themselves in the line of question, but over the coming weeks, the audience can look out for clues themselves to who may be the culprit.
‘Cindy’s attacker reveal is just one of many stories we have planned for the anniversary as it is set to be a week of explosive drama for the audience to remember.’
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.
In upcoming scenes, Sonia’s trial gets underway, with Natalie Cassidy returning to her role after a break from the soap.
Ahead of her appearance in court, she makes it clear to Reiss how important it is to her to have Bianca’s support – but as Sonia arrives at the courthouse neither she nor Reiss are there…
Is Reiss set to get rid of Bianca for good, or will she make it out of the lock up?
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.
It was recently revealed that fans will get to vote on whether Denise Fox (Diane Parish) chooses to be with Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) or Jack Branning (Scott Maslen).
‘Their votes will determine whether Denise picks Jack or Ravi, with the outcome being revealed as part of our live episode,’ Chris explained.
‘There is a lot to come over the next few weeks for all three involved, so it’ll be extremely exciting to see which way the audience choose to take the story!’
Save our market!
Walford locals have faced fears of losing their livelihoods over the past few weeks after the council’s decision to shut down the market.
In upcoming scenes, the residents will continue to fight to keep their beloved market open, but will they succeed?
More huge returns
Last 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.
It has been confirmed that Ross Kemp is set to head back to Albert Square as iconic hardman Grant Mitchell, following the recent return of Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley).
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 m.u.r.d.e.r plot, Lola Pearce’s (Danielle Harold) death and the return of Cindy.
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!
This article was first published on December 28, 2024.
