EastEnders airs Nicola Mitchell twist after Penny Branning blackmail in early BBC iPlayer release
Warning: Contains spoilers for Wednesday's episode of EastEnders, which airs at 7.30pm on BBC One or can be streamed now on BBC iPlayer.
Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) has been dealt an almighty shock amid her scheming in EastEnders.
Earlier this week, the matriarch clocked that Penny Branning (Kitty Castledine) was feeling somewhat uneasy about her pregnancy, with her revealing that a recent scan "wasn't what she expected".
As we viewers know, the sonographer noted that she was further on than initially thought, which solidified to Penny that boyfriend Vinny Panesar (Shiv Jalota) wasn't the baby daddy.
She was forced to confront the fact that her best mate Gina Knight's (Francesca Henry) boyfriend Harry Mitchell (Elijah Holloway) was the actual father. They'd slept together in the days prior to his rehab admittance, and now she faced the dilemma of telling them both the truth.
Cousin Oscar (Pierre Counihan-Moullier) reckoned that she should stay quiet - perhaps not the best advice - as Vinny was committed to providing the child with the best upbringing and had even paid the deposit on a shop unit in Turpin Road for her.
When Nicola twigged an uncomfortable altercation between a conflicted Penny and Vinny's mum Suki Panesar-Unwin (Balvinder Sopal), she pulled her into Harry's Barn and hoped she'd open up. While Penny didn't explicitly tell her what was going on, a later conversation with Harry confirmed Nicola's worst fears.
He told his mum about their brief night of passion, seemingly oblivious to the fact he could have fathered the baby.
Facing the prospect of being both a new mother and a grandmother simultaneously, Nicola ordered Penny to undergo DNA testing.
Keep up to date on what’s worth watching with your favourite entertainment news from Radio Times – see more of our exclusive news and interviews featured prominently in Top Stories when using Google.
In today's episode, George Knight (Colin Salmon) was preparing for the launch of his new restaurant venture, unaware of what was otherwise troubling Nicola. She was far too preoccupied with her thoughts surrounding Harry and Penny to help him prepare for the opening, and decided to ramp up the pressure.
Dealing another menacing threat, Nicola warned her that if she didn't complete the paternity test by the end of the day, she'd tell everyone.
A war of words ensued between the women, following Oscar and sister Lauren Beale's (Jacqueline Jossa) advice that she should stand firm and refuse to take the test. Just as Penny made to leave, Nicola was hit by a sudden wave of pain.
Despite an earlier scare on Monday - where she was unable to feel her baby move - she declined to go to hospital and told Harry that she was heading home to rest.
However, when alone, and with the rest of her family attending the Knight Fusion launch party, she began to suffer contractions.
Will Nicola's early labour go smoothly, and will this delay be a saving grace for Penny?
Read more:
- EastEnders airs major paternity reveal for pregnant Penny Branning in early BBC iPlayer release
- 6 EastEnders spoilers next week: Penny Branning pregnancy twist as Nicola Mitchell goes into premature labour
- EastEnders confirms Holby City legend cast in pivotal role alongside Zoe Slater's long-lost son for trial storyline
- EastEnders' Max Branning makes reckless move to show commitment to Linda Carter in early BBC iPlayer release
Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers.
Add EastEnders to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.
Check out more of our Soaps coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Michael Adams is the Soaps Editor at Radio Times, covering all of the hot gossip and spoilers from Weatherfield to Walford, Emmerdale to Hollyoaks and everywhere in-between. He joined the team from Metro, where he spent two years as a Soaps Reporter and previously worked on the sets of both Coronation Street and Emmerdale.
