EastEnders airs surprise unannounced return in Ravi storyline with early BBC iPlayer release
Warning: Contains spoilers for Monday's episode of EastEnders, which airs at 7.30pm on BBC One or can be streamed now on BBC iPlayer.
This article contains discussion of topics including self-harm that some readers may find upsetting.
A former EastEnders character has staged an unannounced return amid Ravi Gulati's (Aaron Thiara) worsening mental health.
Last week, viewers saw Ravi mocked by Harry Mitchell (Elijah Holloway) for helping to clean out Penny Branning's (Kitty Castledine) new shop unit on Turpin Road. Ordinarily, he would've reacted, but instead he just watched on with a vacant expression.
He then fell asleep in The Queen Vic, preparing to attack landlady Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace) when she attempted to wake him. Step-mum Suki Panesar-Unwin (Balvinder Sopal) was alerted to what was unfolding, and Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy) had to open up about his recent struggles.
That night, while lay in bed, Ravi sprung upwards and tried to lash out at a sleeping Priya.
Unfortunately, matters worsened in today's episode, as the realisation of what had happened weighed heavy on him. In the kitchen, he self-harmed again, and Priya rushed him to hospital. He'd cut deeply into his leg, and was terrified of the consequences.
Both Ravi and Priya got more than they bargained for in a side ward. The agency doctor attending to him was Nina Gupta (Hersha Verity), his ex-girlfriend and former step-mother.
Nina appeared on the BBC soap in 2022. She was married to Ranveer Gulati (Anil Goutam), and was secretly plotting to kill him with Ravi. When Ranveer attempted to sexually assault Suki, Ravi went through with the deed and she was part of the cover up.
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The two attempted to frame Suki, though eventually Ravi stood by his family and chose to disown Nina instead.
Priya wasn't happy with her treating Ravi, and was terrified of what she would do. She promised that she was on their side, but said that it appeared that he'd been stabbed and therefore she had a duty to report this to the police.
While not wanting to speak up about Ravi's recent torment, Priya knew that she had little option.
After receiving treatment, Nina questioned whether he had a proper support network. She knew that Ranveer had raised Davinder "Nugget" Gulati (Juhaim Rasul Choudhury) in Priya's absence, and branded her a liability.
She also wondered what had caused Ravi to be in such a condition, as despite a "wobble" after killing Ranveer, he made a fairly quick recovery. Nina then explained that she was prepared to discharge him on the condition that he continued working with his therapist.
Back in Walford, Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James) raised the alarm when Nugget went missing. He'd been confronted by some peers about his epileptic seizures in McKlunky's, and rushed off in embarrassment.
Ravi was on the warpath to find his son, and was concerned that his phone was turned off. He marched through the streets, and at one point, believed that Harry was responsible for his disappearance.
Priya managed to break up an uncomfortable encounter between the men, just as Nugget appeared. Ravi demanded that he went home, and with Priya sleeping on the sofa, he began to put measures in place to stop them leaving.
Can Ravi get the help he needs, and is this the last we've seen of Nina?
Read more:
- EastEnders first-look pictures reveal Grant's return – and Mitchell family reunion after 10 years
- EastEnders reveals Vicki and Zack's blackmailer in early BBC iPlayer release - and it's not who you'd expect
- EastEnders blackmail intensifies as Vicki Fowler accuses innocent locals in early BBC iPlayer release
- EastEnders airs shock passion for Zack Hudson in early BBC iPlayer release - and it's not Vicki Fowler
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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.
