6 EastEnders spoilers for next week: Ben Mitchell's exit story begins with shock arrest

Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo) uses Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) to deflect from his own guilt, while Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James) hopes to bring her parents back together.

Finally, Yolande Trueman (Angela Wynter) doesn't know how to help Denzel Danes (Jaden Ladega) as his inner torment reaches new heights.

Read on for all your EastEnders spoilers from 25th – 28th March 2024.

6 EastEnders spoilers next week

1. Ben Mitchell arrested at husband Callum Highway's birthday party

Callum attempts to save face when it's clear that Ben hasn't made any plans to celebrate his birthday; but Ben receives pressure from daughter Lexi Pearce (Isabella Brown) and Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick) to step up.

After Mitchell romance advice from dad Phil (Steve McFadden), Ben throws a surprise birthday party for Callum. Callum is touched by the gesture, but things take a disastrous turn when the police arrive to arrest Ben!

He protests his innocence as he's held at the station, where details of a previous crime come to light. But what exactly has Ben done? Unfortunately, viewers know there's a rather long list of crimes Ben has previously got away with...

2. Callum takes action over Ben's situation

Tensions rise between Jay, Phil and Ben's mum Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth), and while Phil calls in family solicitor Ritchie Scott (Sîan Webber) to help Ben, an argument soon erupts.

Lexi arrives home in the middle of the row, and demands to know the truth. Ritchie arrives to speak to Phil, but Lexi is adamant that she deserves to know what's going on too.

Later, Phil takes a call from Ben, who shares a request. As the week continues, Jay and Lexi visit Ben at the police station, but things don't go smoothly and Lexi decides to leave.

Meanwhile, Phil and Callum have a heart-to-heart after Callum refuses to see Ben, and Phil encourages him to give Ben a second chance.

Kathy grows suspicious by Phil's behaviour and confronts him, and as the Mitchells continue to cope with Ben's situation, detective Callum uses his job to his advantage. But what will Callum do, and how will Ben's exit scenes play out?

3. Whitney Dean returns with Britney Wainwright – and a secret

Zack decides to throw Whitney a welcome home baby shower in The Vic. He reluctantly invites Lauren (Jacqueline Jossa) and Penny Branning (Kitty Castledine) along, but Lauren senses his awkwardness and heads over to smooth things over with Zack, promising to keep quiet about the pass he made at her.

Whit arrives home with Britney, who reveals that she is her new foster mum, and when Whitney confirms the news, Zack storms out in fury over being kept out of the loop. Whitney tries to clear the air with Zack, while Lauren looks after Britney as she senses the tension between the couple.

Zack and Whit continue to clash when they arrive home to the built cot for their baby, and Zack leaves as Lauren and Britney arrive. Whit and Lauren have a heart-to-heart, before Zack returns home to build bridges, but things remain tense between them as Whit reveals she's taking Britney shopping.

Whitney catches Britney secretly discarding her bedsheets, having wet the bed. Zack later reveals he found food hidden under Britney's bed, and points out that they need to tell social services.

Britney overhears and explains why, causing Zack to open up about his own experience as a foster child before taking the teen for a cooking lesson at Walford East. Whit takes a phone call from social services, but Lauren hears the conversation and presses Whitney, who soon reveals all.

Lauren insists that Whit must tell Zack the truth, but their conversation is interrupted by Peter Beale (Thomas Law) and his date, who are heading to Lauren's 30th birthday do at The Albert.

At the party, Lauren reasons that she's been too hard on Whitney after a chat with Chelsea Fox (Zaraah Abrahams). Whit promises to tell Zack the truth, but what exactly is she hiding?

Describing how Whitney's decision affects their relationship, actor Farrar said of Zack's mindset: "There’s a lot of resentment. Zack feels like things could have been communicated better by Whitney. He can’t understand why she’s hiding things and worries there is a lack of trust between them.

"They’ve never hidden stuff like this from each other, and that’s why Zack and Whitney’s bond has been so strong. With everything they’ve been through, this doesn’t sit right with him."

It looks like the pair's bond could be severed ahead of Whit's exit, but will the pair confess their secrets?

4. Dean Wicks frames Jean Slater

Jean is shocked to see Jade Masood (Elizabeth Green) back in the Square so soon after her hospital stay, and Dean leaves her in charge of the teen after a reporter from the Walford Gazette requests an interview.

Johnny Carter (Charlie Suff) interrupts the interview, offering to give a character reference on Dean. Alone with Jade, Jean presses her, discovering that Dean has been administering her medication.

Jean then finds the empty pill cases, but Dean returns home just as Jean is trying to take Jade back to the Slaters. Dean thinks on his feet and puts the blame for the empty tablets on Jean, but will he get away with it?

5. Avani Nandra-Hart plays matchmaker for Priya Nandra-Hart and Ravi Gulati

Avani skips school and conjures up a plan to explain her absence, while mum Priya Nandra-Hart's (Sophie Khan Levy) flirty banter with Martin Fowler (James Bye) is interrupted by a message about Avani's truancy.

Priya and Martin find the teen in the playground, and Avani is amused by dad Ravi Gulati's (Aaron Thiara) jealousy over Martin. Avani tells brother Davinder 'Nugget' Gulati (Juhaim Rasul Choudhury) that she plans to get Priya and Ravi back together.

Priya asks Martin on a date, but Avani tries to play matchmaker by fibbing to Ravi that Priya is ill. Both men arrive at the house at the same time, but Martin gets the wrong idea and leaves, with Priya furious over her daughter's antics.

Priya and Ravi chastise Avani, and Ravi encourages Priya to go on a date with Martin at Walford East, where Priya and Martin get on well. But Avani wreaks havoc by pouring wine onto Martin's lap during the date! Will her plans work?

6. Yolande Trueman despairs over troubled Denzel Danes

Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd) is upset when Denzel once again chooses the gym over her, and he snaps when she lectures him on her fitness obsession.

He feels guilty, then gets a text informing him that his steroids are being delivered today. But he clashes with Yolande in the café when she questions him on his diet. Priya advises Yolande to remain firm, but Denzel remains closed-down at home and Yolande hides the mysterious package that arrives for him.

She's determined to get to the bottom of Denzel's struggles, and after some advice from Kat Mitchell (Jessie Wallace), Yolande again tries to help the lad, but he refuses to open up. Yolande tells him that if he wants his parcel back, he must start talking.

Nugget and Denzel make amends after he lies about his confrontation with Yolande, and Nugget speaks to Yolande at the laundrette. But when Kat catches Denzel stealing his parcel from Yolande's bag, will his purchase of the steroids be exposed?

EastEnders has confirmed that Denzel will succumb to steroid use as his struggle with body image spirals, with the BBC soap working with charity WithYou to accurately portray the topic.

Anyone identifying with Denzel's story can find help via WithYou, which offers support on mental health and the dependency on alcohol and drugs.

Read more:

• EastEnders confirms steroid story for struggling teen Denzel Danes
• EastEnders' Martin Fowler uncovers secret affair in early iPlayer release
• EastEnders spoilers confirm Ben Mitchell in "hot water" ahead of dramatic exit
• EastEnders cast: Who is joining, leaving and returning to the soap?
• EastEnders airs major confrontations for Denise Fox in early BBC iPlayer release

EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.

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