EastEnders newcomer Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) sets her sights on a surprising Walford male next week amid her heartache over ex Teddy Mitchell (Roland Manookian).
The club owner is currently seething about her ex-husband’s new relationship with Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) after they went public just before Christmas.
But in scenes to air next week, Nicola takes a break from trying to break Teddy and Sharon up to enjoy some romance of her own.
It all starts when Nicola witnesses an exchange between exes Denise Fox (Diane Parish) and Jack Branning (Scott Maslen).
Nicola is amused when Denise knocks back an invitation from Jack to join him for lunch, claiming they shouldn’t blur the lines of their friendship, unaware she is having a secret relationship with Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara).
Later, Jack is drowning his sorrows at Harry’s Barn when some men are inappropriate with Denise’s daughter and club manager Chelsea Fox (Zaraah Abrahams).
A violent tussle ensues and Jack is caught in the crossfire as he gets punched.
After Nicola sends the men on their way, she invites Jack to step into her office and get cleaned up, but it’s soon clear Nicola may have more in mind…
Any developments between the pair would certain be a curveball, as Jack previously tried to bring down Nicola’s son Harry Mitchell (Elijah Holloway) – much to her ire.
Could this be the start of a surprising new relationship? Or could Nicola be seeking revenge?
EastEnders airs these scenes from Monday 13 January at 7.30pm on BBC One or stream first from 6am on iPlayer.
