10 EastEnders spoilers for January: Killer Linda struggles, Lauren uncovers secret
Plus, Denise can't cope, Penny is on a mission, the Mitchells get sad news, Sam turns detective, Jay trains for a marathon, and Alfie is let down by a friend.
The Six will face further trials and tribulations in EastEnders in the second week of January.
The second week of January is set to bring huge drama for The Six after Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) killed a violent Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) on Christmas Day to save the life of her best friend Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean).
Meanwhile, what will become of Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry) after he was hit over the head with a champagne bottle by Denise Fox (Diane Parish) remains to be seen.
Additionally, in the first week of January, fans will have seen the return of Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) to our screens opposite her troublesome cousin Penny Branning (Kitty Castledine), the daughter of Jack Branning (Scott Maslen).
However, smooth sailing for the Branning ladies returning to Walford is looking very unlikely...
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The following EastEnders spoilers are for the week airing Monday 8th January 2024 to Thursday 11th January 2024.
10 EastEnders spoilers for January
1. The Six struggle as they make a new plan for Keanu Taylor's body
In the wake of the death of Keanu Taylor and faking his disappearance and grievous assault of Nish Panesar, the Six find themselves continuing to struggle in the New Year.
Builders arrive to begin the restoration work on the cafe where they have hidden Keanu's body, prompting panic amongst Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth), Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal), Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), and Linda.
As Suki tries to stall the builders, Linda returns to the Square and then begins to break down in public. Stacey tries to comfort Linda but reminds her of how important it is that she stays sober and holds it together.
While Suki is successful in delaying the building work, the ladies then debate how they are going to dispose of Keanu's body.
Then, Suki gets a call that could turn their worlds upside down.
Meanwhile, Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd) questions how devoted her stepmother Denise Fox (Diane Parish) is to their family following the dramatic Christmas period.
As the week goes on, Denise attempts to join the rest of the Six to discuss the body but estranged husband Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) stops her in her tracks by introducing his eldest daughter, Penny.
Denise is then unimpressed when she heads to the Vic barrel store where a drunken Linda has been taken by Kathy from The Albert.
Kathy is forced to intervene to stop an argument between Linda and Denise, prompting them to decide to meet as a group at the cafe later.
With a clear plan, the ladies later make their excuses to head out and put it into action.
2. Denise Fox struggles under the weight of The Six's actions
Despite the Six's actions, by the end of the week, Denise is shaken by her fears and calls the other women back to the Vic's barrel store but finds little comfort from the other ladies.
As her behaviour grows more troubling, Jack and Denise's daughter Chelsea Fox (Zaraah Abrahams) each begin to ask questions.
Will Denise be the one who could blow the group's secrets wide open?
3. Suki Panesar moves in with Eve Unwin
Whatever Suki is currently going through with the Six and the fate of her estranged husband Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry), she is now out and proud with her family and there is a positive development this week.
By the end of the week, Eve Unwin (Heather Peace) makes plans for her future with Suki and begins moving the Panesar matriarch's belongings over to the Slater house.
How will Suki fit in with the rest of the Slater clan? Somehow, we predict Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) will need some winning round given Suki once faked having cancer during Jean's cancer battle...
4. Lauren Branning learns the truth about Linda Carter's daughter Annie
Lauren Branning finally returns to Walford and is reunited with her son Louie Beale (Freddie Harrington).
Once back, Louie’s dad Peter Beale (Thomas Law) does his best to try and get Lauren to stay in Walford longer, but she is annoyed that he had been aware of the truth behind her legal troubles, prompting her to plan to head to Exeter to stay with her mother, Tanya Cross (Jo Joyner).
Meanwhile, an already struggling Linda is panicked about Lauren's return and that she will learn the truth about Linda's daughter Annie Carter - she is Lauren's half-sister through their shared father, Max Branning (Jake Wood).
Linda's former daughter-in-law Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) promises to keep Annie's paternity a secret from Lauren, but before Lauren leaves, her cousin Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) tells Lauren the truth about her sister.
Lauren then marches over to the Vic to confront Linda about the revelations. Where will this leave Lauren and will she pass on the truth to her father, Max?
As the week goes on, Lauren's deliberations about her future prompt Bobby Beale (Clay Milner Russell) to make a case in defence of his brother Peter in proceedings, giving her food for thought.
Eventually, Lauren tells Peter she plans to stay for a while and give him a chance to spend time with Louie.
Does the hope of a romantic reconciliation exist for the pair?
5. Penny Branning tries to make amends
While Lauren may be staying in Walford, so is her troublesome cousin Penny Branning, but the latter has some making up to do to get back in Lauren's good books.
Thankfully, the pair’s mutual cousin Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) is on hand to bring the girls back together and by the end of the week, the pair are flat-hunting.
However, Penny also has a job proving she’s a good person to have around to the father of Lauren’s son Louie, Peter, as he doesn't want his son around a person caught up in the drug world.
Will Penny manage to get Peter to warm to her too?
6. Killer Linda Carter spirals and lets down Alfie Moon
Christmas was a quiet time for Alfie Moon (Shane Richie) but he is still amidst treatment for his prostate cancer.
In January, Alfie will continue to head to the hospital to battle his illness but is let down by Linda when she fails to show up for a movie night while he recuperates.
Can Linda make it up to her friend in his time of need? Amidst her drinking and instability amid her murderous secret and Lauren's return, we're struggling to find much hope...
Of course, Linda's troubling behaviour causes her mother Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe) to worry and overstep the mark in protecting her, prompting Elaine's partner George Knight (Colin Salmon) to remind Elaine that there is only so much they can do to help a struggling Linda.
Will anyone be able to get through to Linda?
7. Sad news arrives about Aunt Sal Martin
The Mitchells are saddened to learn about the death of Peggy Mitchell's sister, Aunt Sal Martin (who had been played by the late Anna Karen).
The news hits Sal's nephew Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) very hard and serves as another reminder of the importance of family to him.
Following the Christmas revelation that Phil is the father of Sharon’s son Albie Watts, Phil decides to reach out to Sharon once again about access to Albie, but he is stopped in his tracks by her half-brother Zack Hudson (James Farrar).
8. Sam Mitchell turns detective
As Phil is hopeful of growing closer to Albie, the tot's aunt Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf) decides to impress her brother and plays hardball over the situation and warns her friend Zack that her family will destroy his own in court to see Albie, prompting Zack to warn her to back off in turn.
When hearing of her meddling, Phil gives his little sister a telling-off, humiliating her.
As the day continues, Sam is horrified when she learns that Phil’s wife Kat Mitchell (Jessie Wallace) had been aware of Albie’s paternity before Phil learned the truth.
In response, Sam decides to do some further digging, convinced that Sharon has some kind of hold over Phil.
What will Sam stumble across?
9. Lily Slater struggles away from baby Charli
Having lost out on a large amount of schooling due to her teen pregnancy and later being home-tutored by the evil Theo Hawthorne (William Ellis), young mother Lily Slater (Lillia Turner) finally returns to school this week.
However, Lily is full of anxiety to be leaving baby Charli for such long periods again.
Can Lily's mum Stacey support her daughter amidst the other stresses in her own life?
10. Jay Brown prepares for the London Marathon
As Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick) prepares to train for the London Marathon after his late wife Lola Pearce-Brown (Danielle Harold) revealed via a video message at Christmas that she had signed him up before she passed away.
Later in the week, Jay's pal Gina Knight (Francesca Henry) persuades her half-brother Peter to be a personal trainer for Jay. Viewers will be aware that Peter was once a love rival of Jay's for Lola, so will Jay take up an offer anyway?
As the week continues, Jay gets into the swing of things with fellow competitors Ben (Max Bowden) and Honey Mitchell (Emma Barton).
Will Jay have what it takes?
Read more:
- EastEnders star Danny Walters breaks silence on Keanu Taylor death
- Every EastEnders Christmas episode ever, ranked
- EastEnders spoilers: Whitney Dean heartache in tragic fostering story
- EastEnders must give tragic heroine Whitney the happy ever after she deserves
- EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw previews Christmas 2023 and The Six aftermath
- EastEnders' Gillian Taylforth on Kathy and Rocky: "She can’t live with the constant lies"
- EastEnders' Diane Parish teases "heartbreak" in Christmas episode
- EastEnders' Lacey Turner on whether Stacey will kill again: "She will do whatever it takes to protect Eve"
- EastEnders' Balvinder Sopal: "People will be on the edge of their seats"
- EastEnders' Kellie Bright: "The body wasn't who I thought it would be"
EastEnders airs Monday to Friday on BBC One and BBC iPlayer this week.
Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you're looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.
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