EastEnders' Nish Panesar plays devious new game in early BBC iPlayer release

After learning that Suki and their son Vinny (Shiv Jalota) are plotting to take all his assets, Nish kept his cards close to his chest, while ominously making "big plans" for naïve Vinny.

After granddaughter Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James) tracked down Ayesha Siddhu (Laila Rouass), Nish asked the latter for a meeting.

Ayesha is the widow of Hardeep, the man Nish murdered in a jealous rage over 20 years ago. Knowing that Suki and Vinny were meeting at Walford East for lunch, Nish arranged to meet Ayesha there – and Suki was shocked to the core by the woman's presence.

Nish made a show of wanting to atone for his crime in his dying days, but Ayesha was disgusted as she accused both him and Suki of playing games. Suki ran after Ayesha, revealing that she and Nish were divorced, bringing her back to her house for a heart-to-heart.

Suki was full of shame as she admitted that she knew Nish suspected her of an affair with innocent Hardeep, but hadn't corrected him with the truth – that she was actually in love with Ayesha.

Although initially horrified at the cause of Hardeep's fate, Ayesha acknowledged how tough it was to live a lie in the shadow of controlling men like Nish, and insisted that only he was responsible for what happened.

Ayesha went on to confide that she had also had feelings for Suki at the time, happily adding that she came out as a lesbian after her loss. She now worked within the LGBTQ+ community. Suki was glad to hear such a positive tale, and she and Ayesha returned to speak to Nish.

Ayesha took a powerful stand, throwing Hardeep's photo in Nish's face and declaring that he should go to his grave seeing the final moments of his victim. If Nish thought he could bring her to Walford to get to Suki, Ayesha announced, he was mistaken.

Suki invited Ayesha to stick around a little longer and meet Eve, and the trio headed to the Queen Vic for a drink. But when Nish arrived, he let slip Suki's past feelings for Ayesha, planting a seed of doubt in Eve's mind. Will Nish's devious game play out exactly as he intended?

Read more:

• EastEnders spoilers as killer Reiss Colwell conceals shock engagement to Sonia
• 5 EastEnders spoilers next week: Linda Carter faces blackmail and Suki Panesar has a visitor
• EastEnders casts Footballers' Wives and Holby City star as mystery character from Suki's past
• EastEnders confirms major Kat Slater and Tommy Moon child-to-parent abuse story

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

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