EastEnders to air one-of-a-kind spiking storyline for Anna Knight

This summer, the young girl will find herself in trouble when she has her drink spiked at Peggy's.

Her friends initially think her unusual behaviour is caused by alcohol, but it soon becomes clear she hasn't had that much to drink for her to be acting out.

Furthermore, in a first for EastEnders, a five-part mini-series will be made accessible to viewers via a QR code that will feature within the main episode.

It will allow viewers to see things from Anna's own perspective, and from the perspective of her friends, showing the warning signs to look out for if you or your friends are spiked.

EastEnders is working with Stamp Out Spiking and WithYou to ensure the storyline is portrayed accurately.

The episode will air on Tuesday 16th July, and the mini-series will be available to view on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook via the QR code.

Speaking of the storyline, executive producer Chris Clenshaw said: "With incidents of spiking rising at alarming rates across the UK in recent years, we chose to explore this issue with Anna Knight, who represents the demographic most affected by spiking.

"It was imperative for us to work alongside organisations to accurately present, and sensitively portray this storyline, and Molly’s [Rainford] performance has thoughtfully demonstrated the dangerous realities of spiking as we look to raise awareness of the warning signs and symptoms to look out for after an individual has been spiked."

Dawn Dines, CEO and Founder at Stamp Out Spiking added: "EastEnders is a wonderful vehicle to drive the safeguarding message and with its huge popularity amongst a wide range of the public, it will help inspire conversations to help protect men and women being targeted. Education is key to preventing these incidents.

"Stamp Out Spiking are delighted to have taken part in bringing the essential storyline to the screen."

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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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