WITH only weeks before Christmas and a shocking whodunnit left, soap bosses are lining every potential victim ahead of time.
This week, three of EastEnders' most famous men are set for major trouble. Here's what could be expected from all the drama.
1. Revenge plot
Rocky Cotton (played by Brian Conley) turned to loan shark Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry) and had a whopping amount of debt to clear as a result.
In a desperate attempt to finally resolve his financial woes, Rocky set Kathy's (Gillian Taylforth) on fire in recent scenes aired on BBC One, putting his, Bobby and Peter Beale's lives in danger.
This week, Rocky is on tenterhooks as Nish continues to pressure on him for the sale of the café.
Rocky confides in his pal Harvey Monroe (Ross Boatman) who encourages him to come clean to Kathy.
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But just as he is about to despair, Kathy is given food for thought by her sons and decides she’s open to hearing Nish’s deal.
Kathy sells the café to Nish at No.45, but he can’t help but stir the pot as he implies Rocky was responsible for the fire.
Intrigued by Nish's claims, she seeks the truth from Harvey who all but confirms her suspicions before confronting Rocky.
Rocky and Kathy's short-lived marriage is headed straight for the rocks – but is it really the end?
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While this remains to be seen, in later scenes, Kathy rejects her son Ian’s (Adam Woodyatt) idea of shopping Rocky to the police.
She later scolds Nish in The Vic for piling debt on Rocky.
Kathy demands an apology but Nish refutes her claims before unleashing a vile attack on Bernadette Taylor (Clair Norris) who has got caught in the crossfire.
Seeing his sister in a tough situation, Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) lashes out at Nish but the fight is quickly defused.
Some viewers of the London-based program may theorise that this may be enough for Kathy to hatch a plan to get revenge on Nish.
To top it all off, she may even turn to Nish's wife Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal) for help, which could even lead to Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) getting involved.
Both Suki and Stacey were left in the dark about what has really happened to Eve Unwin (Heather Peace).
Eve was dragged out of Albert Square by Nish himself after he found out she was having an affair with his wife Suki.
At the time she agreed to leave Walford for good, Eve was getting ready to meet with Suki to plan their fresh start.
Could Kathy's quarrel with Nish be the perfect opportunity for Stacey and Suki to team up with the café owner and finally teach the villain a lesson before Christmas?
2. Shock betrayal
Elsewhere in Walford, Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) is keen to tie the knot with Keanu Taylor.
However, the businesswoman is keeping a huge secret from her husband-to-be about their son Albie Watts.
Coming up, Sharon and Keanu put the events of the day behind them, after Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) revealed the truth about Albie's kidnapping ordeal.
The loved-up pair excitedly prepare for their upcoming hen and stag do’s as Sharon is determined to protect her family's happiness at all cost.
The day of Sharon and Keanu's hen and stag dos eventually arrives as the couple prepare to celebrate their last moments of freedom.
In later scenes, a guilt-ridden Sharon burns a letter from the hospital detailing Albie’s paternity.
As viewers of the London-based program will remember, Sharon discovered that Keanu was never Albie's father, after three years of believing he was.
To make matters even more complicated, Sharon found out that Albie's father was none other than her former husband Phil Mitchell.
And while she's adamant on keeping the secret under wraps, she later tells her friend Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) all about it.
Later on, Sharon worries that Linda will expose the truth as she tries to put on a brave face at the hen party.
However, Linda promises to keep Sharon’s secret – will she stay true to her word?
Fans of the long-running show have predicted an explosive showdown between Keanu and Phil as the Walford tough man was revealed to be Albie's biological father.
This could mean that Linda may be the one to tell Phil the truth about Albie's paternity, which could then prompt Keanu to lash out once his rival tells him everything.
Could this lead both men to be involved in a violent confrontation, leading up to the horrific death teased on Christmas?
3. Surprise organ transplant
Viewers got the fright of their lives when actor Matt Di Angelo reprised the role of Dean Wicks ahead of Halloween.
It was then revealed that Dean, despite being accused of rape by Linda less than a decade ago, was able to get into business with soap legend Cindy Beale.
But there remained an emptiness in his life as Dean was keen to mend his broken relationship with his long-lost daughter Jade Green.
In upcoming scenes of the London-based program, Dean finally gets the chance to bond with the young girl, who suffers from cystic fibrosis.
Jade returns to Albert Square this week and heads to The Vic alone where she is befriended by Gina Knight (Francesca Henry).
Dean arrives and Jade heads to Shabnam’s son, her half-brother Zaair’s grave.
Jade laments her own prognosis and rejects her father’s attempts to comfort her.
However, a chat with Gina about absent parents, with which she has had experience due to her own mother coming back into her life after years of radio silence, makes Jade give Dean another chance.
Unfortunately, Dean's past catches up with him once again and, this time, Jade is adamant on cutting ties with him.
Linda is saddened to learn that her children Nancy and Lee will not be coming home to visit her, despite her need to be with her family.
Dean decides to make matters worse by rattling her even further.
Linda receives a photo from the villain, who is dressed as Santa Claus, with her son Ollie at the Beale's Eels new grotto.
Incensed, Linda heads there to confront Dean and she lets rip.
Meanwhile, Keanu tells Jade, who recently returned to the Square unexpectedly, that her father Dean is a sexual predator.
The young girl is disgusted by Keanu's revelation and she leaves Walford before Dean heads to the Vic.
One fan took to X, previously known as Twitter, after spoilers confirmed Jade would be returning to Walford.
According to them, Dean could be killed off on Christmas.
As viewers will remember, Jade's uncle Jimbo Wicks suffered from the illness and succumbed to it – but what if her father's upcoming murder on Christmas was to finally give her a fighting chance?
"I hope that when Dean dies at Christmas, his lungs are still intact so his daughter gets (his) lungs", the soap viewer wrote.
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EastEnders airs from Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One.
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