EastEnders 2024 Christmas preview: Cindy Beale and Junior Knight affair exposed on Christmas Day

The explosive Christmas episode sparked months of further drama for The Six and has impacted Walford ever since.

This year, the yuletide storylines look to be no different with a fresh new revelation due to the long-running affair between schemer Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) and former stepson Junior Knight (Micah Balfour) being exposed.

Here's everything you need to know about Christmas in Albert Square this year...

EastEnders 2024 Christmas preview

1. Cindy Beale and Junior Knight's affair is exposed on Christmas Day

Of course, there was only ever going to be one headline this Christmas - the shocking affair between Cindy Beale and her former stepson Junior Knight. The pair's illicit affair will be spectacularly exposed on Christmas Day.

Fans will remember that bird recorder Freddie Slater (Bobby Brazier) inadvertently caught Cindy on tape confessing to former lover and Ian's half-brother David Wicks (Michael French) that she had been sleeping with Junior but was also still in love with his dad George Knight (Colin Salmon) - despite being engaged to Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt)!

The tape will be played on Christmas Day and all hell will break loose among the Beale and Knight families and soon fury and accusations will be dispensed in every direction.

Will any relationship survive the turbulence to come? And could events spiral even more dangerously out of control?

2. Denise Fox gets a very different Christmas to last year

One person who looks set to have a much happier Christmas this year is the long-suffering Denise Fox (Diane Parish).

Following on from filing for divorce from husband Jack Branning (Scott Malsen), the upcoming weeks will see it explored whether a spark still exists between her and bad boy Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) - despite the fact he tormented and blackmailed her (don't go there, D).

Yet, our beloved D will find herself receiving a very unexpected Christmas present from an unlikely gift-bearer - just who will it be?

As a result, Denise will find herself enjoying a very different Yuletide season compared to the previous one - you know, where her marriage was falling apart and she almost killed Nish Panesar and then became a member of The Six, covering up the murder of Keanu Taylor.

Could Denise be set for renewed passion with Ravi or will she find her way back to Jack Branning? Or could we be about to get a whole other surprise?

3. Ghosts from the past re-emerge

A much more ominous tease from the BBC soap for the Christmas season is that ghosts from the past will come back to haunt the residents of Walford.

Do we take this literally to mean characters who have shuffled off this mortal coil, such as the murdered Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) or Linda being haunted by the continued grief of losing Mick Carter (Danny Dyer)?

Or, could this refer to the return of old faces, such as the still-imprisoned Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) or villainous Nish Panesar (Navin Chowhdry)?

Either way, it spells trouble...

4. Phil Mitchell faces loneliness and suicidal ideation

Meanwhile, it has already been reported that Phil Mitchell will suffer from loneliness this coming festive season as previously hinted in past episodes.

While the Walford icon has many family members on the Square, he currently has no romantic relationship and most of his children are no longer on Albert Square.

As the winter nights continue, Phil will continue to feel depressed and lonely, experiencing feelings of suicidal ideation.

Will Phil's loved ones on the Square such as Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick) and Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick) be able to help him?

The Samaritans are available 24/7 if you need to talk. You can contact them for free by calling 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or head to the website to find your nearest branch.

There is also help for teens struggling with their mental health at Mind.

5. Linda Carter's downward spiral

It wouldn't be Christmas if Linda Carter weren't facing new life-altering drama and it looks like this year will be no different.

Fresh from the tormenting return of Bernadette Taylor (Clair Norris) and the discovery that her father had been secretly gay and having an affair throughout her childhood, Linda has once again succumbed to alcoholism.

In the coming weeks, Linda looks set to spiral as she sparks further concern among her loved ones including mum Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe) and close friends Alfie Moon (Shane Richie) and Sharon, and faces further humiliation.

Can Linda be pulled back from the brink? Or could those much-reported filming photos of a funeral featuring returning Carter family members be shown to depict the end of the Walford icon truly?

Linda fans, we're worried...

For support with issues around alcoholism and other forms of addiction, please see Mind's website.

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EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer.

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