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EastEnders boss teases "tragedy comedy" 2026 story with newcomer Bea – and it involves a beloved Walford couple

Comedy legend Ronni Ancona joins the soap as Bea in the New Year.

Ronni Anconna poses as Bea outside Walford East tube station for EastEnders.

BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron

Published: Sunday, 28 December 2025 at 12:00 am

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Executive producer Ben Wadey has teased the impact of Ronni Ancona's arrival in EastEnders.

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The comedy star is joining the BBC One soap in the New Year for a storyline that concerns long-running show favourite Linda Carter (Kellie Bright).

Speaking at a press event for the soap's festive episodes, Wadey also teased storylines for 2026, including the arrival of Ancona as newcomer Bea.

Wadey commented: "You may have seen we've just announced Ronni Ancona joining the show, which I am very, very excited about. I'm a huge fan of her work, and she brings such a unique tone to it."

He continued: "I was really interested in this having a story that has a bit more of tragedy comedy coming through it. It's a story in which she's an old school friend of Linda's, and she's called Bea.

"The character, Bea, arrives, and her memory of Linda is very different to Linda's memory of Linda."

However, it's not just Linda for whom Bea is set to create stories, as she drags Billy (Perry Fenwick) and Honey Mitchell (Emma Barton) into her chaos.

Emma Barton as Honey Mitchell and Perry Fenwick as Billy Mitchell sat together in the Queen Vic in EastEnders.

Will Bea create problems for Honey (Emma Barton, left) and Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick)? BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron

Wadey added: "And Bea is the sort of character who might attach herself to people. So she kind of comes in and gets to reacquaint herself with Linda, but it's also going to be a big story for some other characters. Billy and Honey are going to be big in the new year and will be involved in that story as well.

"So it's a story which, as a team, every time we watch it and read it, we love it, we laugh, and we cry, and it's really, really fun."

Will there be trouble in the only stable Mitchell marriage in Walford?

Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers.

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Authors

Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of Lewis Knight, smiling against a lime green background.

Lewis KnightNews and Trends Editor

Lewis is the news and trends editor at Radio Times and leads our approach to news, reactive content, and serving audience demands and interests. An obsessive fan of television and film, Lewis is a Nicole Kidman fanatic with a side of passion for science-fiction, art-house cinema and the latest HBO drama. Lewis has a degree in Psychology and a Masters in Film Studies. After working in advertising, Lewis worked at The Mirror for three years in community management and SEO, showbiz, film and television reporting.

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