5 EastEnders spoilers next week: Mark Fowler Jr returns as Joel Marshall trial twist rocks Vicki
Elaine receives some big news, Bea vies for a new job and Ravi spirals.
There could finally be some closure for Vicki Fowler (Alice Haig) in EastEnders next week, as her vile step-son Joel Marshall (Max Murray) heads to court.
She's terrified of the outcome and falls on Zack Hudson (James Farrar) for support. But will the return of her brother Mark Jr (Stephen Aaron-Sipple) be another cause for concern?
Meanwhile, Max Branning (Jake Wood) makes it his mission to shut down Jasmine Fisher's (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness) plan to leave Albert Square, and some news from George Knight (Colin Salmon) enrages Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe).
Elsewhere, Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) continues to fight his inner turmoil, and Bea Pollard (Ronni Ancona) impresses Vinny Panesar (Shiv Jalota).
Here's a look at everything happening in EastEnders between Monday 26th and Thursday 29th January 2026.
5 EastEnders spoilers for next week
1. Mark Fowler Jr hides the reason for his return
Mark Fowler Jr, the son of Michelle Fowler and Grant Mitchell, returns to Walford after years of living in Florida.
Vicki, Phil and Sam are stunned to see him and demand answers, and he quickly covers, explaining that he's there to support his big sister ahead of Joel's trial.
In her absence, he explains the true story to his uncle Phil and pleads for help. However, Phil is too preoccupied with his plan to take Nigel to Portugal that night.
In a bid to make him stick around, Mark divulges Phil's secret plan to an oblivious Julie.
Wiill this help Mark or make his problems worse?
2. Max Branning exposes Jasmine Fisher's intention to flee
Jasmine is more desperate than ever before to leave Albert Square, having dropped a bombshell about Max and lying to Kat about giving a statement to the police regarding Chrissie's involvement in Anthony's murder.
As we know, Jasmine is the real killer and has allowed mum Zoe to take the rap since Christmas.
When Max discovers that she has no intentions of saving Zoe, he decides to use this intel to force her to stay away from Oscar.
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Later in the week, Oscar lets his mouth run and spills to Kat about his and Jasmine's plan to run away. She's in disbelief, and even more so when Patrick pins the blame on Kat, saying she's put too much pressure on Jasmine to help free Zoe.
Meanwhile, Max explains to his son that he confronted Jasmine, and he's furious. Kat decides to get to the bottom of Jasmine's deceit.
3. George Knight breaks some big news to Elaine Peacock
George reckons it's high time he tells ex-wife Elaine that he's expecting a child with Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington). The two meet for a drink, but she's there under the belief he might want to reunite - with thanks to some advice from Bea.
The two meet up, and George is put in an uncomfortable position. She's devastated and deeply embarrassed, and lashes out towards Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) - and he's not best pleased...
4. Elaine Peacock fights fire with fire in her war with Ian Beale
The week goes from bad to worse when Elaine sees she's all over the Walford Gazette following Ian's tip-off.
She makes a revenge plan, but things get out of hand, and Kathy is caught between the two when he plots his own scheme. When Elaine offers an apology, the Beales make it clear that they have no intention of forgiving her.
A row ensues at the cafe, and Ian heads to Peacock Palace, where he explains to Elaine that he intends to run for Councillor Barker's seat on the council. If he's successful, he'll shut down her boutique hotel.
Enraged, Elaine decides to play him at his own game and run for Barker's position too.
5. Ravi Gulati is left guilt-ridden after failing to support Avani Nandra-Hart
Ravi Gulati is still in turmoil after attacking Davinder "Nugget" Gulati (Juhaim Rasul Choudhury) during a spiking incident, and next week attempts to help his son regain his confidence. The teen hasn't left the flat, and Ravi hands over some cash to him and his best pal, Denzel Danes (Jaden Ladega), so they can enjoy a day out.
The plan seems to work, with Ravi and Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy) relieved to hear their son has decided to go back to Sixth Form.
Later, Ravi has a new worry when Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James) asks him to support her in court during Joel's trial. He promises her he'll be there, but is sidetracked by Jack asking him to play informant on London's drug dealers.
Priya is furious that he failed to be there for their daughter, and he's immediately consumed by guilt and self-loathing.
4. Joel Marshall goes to trial - and there's an interesting development
Ahead of Joel's trial, Vicki opens up to Zack about how much she's dreading facing him in court. He thinks up a way to cheer her up and invites her to his flat so she can sample some new recipes that he's crafted for The Vic's kitchen.
She's grateful for the distraction and his kind gesture, but her head is still all over the place when she makes her way to the courthouse with partner Ross Marshall (Alex Walkinshaw) and Mark. Zack notices this and makes a last-minute dash to join them.
As Tommy Moon (Sonny Kendall) takes the stand, Joel puts on a front as he gives evidence against him. Vicki is appalled by the defence's tactics and rushes out.
The court resumes, but emotions continue to run high for Vicki and Avani. Ross can't bring himself to face his son and turns down a visit request, so he asks to see another Walford resident instead.
When the visit doesn't go to plan, the court resumes, and the trial takes an intriguing turn.
5. Bea Pollard eyes up a new job with Honey Mitchell
Wanting to settle down, Bea starts a job hunt. She has no luck - until she spots someone trying to shoplift from the Minute Mart and ambushes them.
The quick-thinking leads her to apply for a position at the shop, and she proves her worth when she helps Honey Mitchell (Emma Barton) clean up after two teenage girls trash it.
Vinny is seriously impressed by her hard work and diligence, but will he offer her a job?
Read more:
- EastEnders airs dark Ravi Gulati scenes amid revenge story in early BBC iPlayer release
- EastEnders airs dilemma for Priya Nandra-Hart following Nugget Gulati's assault in BBC iPlayer release
- EastEnders 2026 preview: 10 spoilers for the year ahead from Max Branning twists to Sukeve adoption
- 10 EastEnders characters who need to have a huge 2026 – from Chelsea Fox to Oscar Branning
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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.
