EastEnders' Nicola Mitchell issues shock ultimatum to Penny Branning in BBC iPlayer release
Warning: Contains spoilers for Tuesday's episode of EastEnders, which airs at 7.30pm on BBC One or can be streamed now on BBC iPlayer.
**Warning: Contains major spoilers for the episode airing on Tuesday 31st March which is currently available on BBC iPlayer**
Penny Branning (Kitty Castledine) was left with a big decision to make as another character learned of her pregnancy bombshell in Tuesday's (31st March 2026) EastEnders.
The young mum-to-be was shocked when told that she may have conceived weeks before getting together with boyfriend Vinny Panesar (Shiv Jalota), who currently believes he's the father.
When Penny told cousins Lauren Beale (Jacqueline Jossa) and Oscar Branning (Pierre Counihan-Moullier) that she slept with Harry Mitchell (Elijah Holloway) on the day he set off for rehab late last year, and so the baby could be his, Lauren urged her not to bury her head in the sand.
But rather than taking a paternity test, Oscar thought it was best to leave things as they were, much to Lauren's disapproval.
At her market stall, Penny was flustered when Vinny's mum Suki (Balvinder Sopal) approached with her wife Eve Panesar-Unwin (Heather Peace), making a sincere effort to apologise for her recent behaviour.
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Feeling guilty about what she was keeping from Vinny, Penny insisted that hers and Vinny's plans to buy a shop were over, and told Suki to forget the whole thing before rushing away.
Suki was baffled, and suspicious enough to confront Penny just as Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) was checking in on her.
Coming to Penny's rescue, Nicola took her for mocktails and sensed her unease since her first scan at the hospital, although Penny claimed all was well.
Meanwhile, Vinny assumed Suki was to blame for Penny's distress, and when he doubled down on his commitment to her, she opted to keep quiet.
As for Harry, he was reflecting on girlfriend Gina Knight's (Francesca Henry) admission that she didn't want children, and ended up telling Nicola about his fling with Penny.
Putting two and two together, Nicola realised that Penny could well be carrying Harry's child - and she dealt Penny an ultimatum.
Either Penny did a DNA test, or Nicola would spill the beans to Vinny and his family.
Will she bow to Nicola's demands?
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
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Authors
Laura Denby is a Freelance Soaps writer covering all the latest news in the Dales, Cobbles and East End for Radio Times. She's a soaps nerd with a love for comedy drama, and has also written for Digital Spy, Metro UK and Yahoo UK.
