6 EastEnders spoilers: Linda Carter gets ultimatum and Phil Mitchell's secret exposed
Nicola manipulates the situation, Martin messes up, Lauren takes action and Cindy gives in to temptation.
Linda Carter's (Kellie Bright) drinking leads to a big turning point next week, but what does this mean for her future?
Elsewhere, Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) uses Phil Mitchell's (Steve McFadden) struggles to her advantage, while Martin Fowler (James Bye) makes a mistake.
Meanwhile, pregnant Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) receives a sign.
Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) takes up an offer from lover Junior Knight (Micah Balfour), and Kim Fox (Tameka Empson) is busy making the most of the season.
Read on for all your EastEnders spoilers on another dramatic week on Albert Square.
6 EastEnders spoilers for 9th - 12th December 2024
1. Linda Carter receives a big ultimatum as she hits new lows
Johnny Carter (Charlie Suff) is devastated when little brother Ollie (Harry Farr) tells him some disturbing details of their mum, Linda's, drunken behaviour.
Linda soon gets drunk again and slings some punters out of The Queen Vic in front of Ollie. Johnny confronts Linda about the impact of her drinking, but she turns on him, packs a bag and heads off to stay with Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean).
Sharon promises to help Johnny and sort Linda out, and gives Linda a serious dressing down. Linda reacts by going home but has a nasty encounter with Bernie Taylor (Clair Norris).
Linda then tries to buy booze at the Minute Mart but is turned away by Alfie Moon (Shane Richie). She steals some instead, and Alfie informs Johnny.
Meanwhile, Sharon's house is robbed after Linda leaves the door open!
Linda continues to bring disgrace to herself and turmoil to her loved ones, and after painful confrontations with Alfie and Johnny, Linda knocks back the vodka.
Recovering alcoholics Phil and Lauren offer to attend a meeting with Linda, and when she agrees, Johnny is thrilled.
Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe) returns from her honeymoon and discovers the depths Linda has sunk to, and she vows to get her daughter back on track.
After a shocking and heartbreaking day, Elaine realises she can no longer enable Linda, and issues her with an ultimatum.
What does Elaine say, and how will Linda respond?
2. Manipulative Nicola Mitchell uncovers a secret about Phil Mitchell
Nicola prepares for the opening of the new bar, which she's named 'Harry's Barn'. At the same time, Teddy Mitchell (Roland Manookian) is besotted with Sharon after spending the night together.
The pair decide to tell exes Phil and Nicola they are giving things a go, but Nicola plots to wind Phil up so he'll ruin the new relationship.
The Mitchells gather at the bar launch, where Teddy warns Nicola against pulling any more stunts.
After failing to make Phil a co-conspirator in breaking up Teddy and Sharon, Nicola heads over to see Phil for another attempt, but is surprised by what she finds.
Phil orders Nicola out, but she promises his secret is safe with her, only to tell Sharon everything anyway!
Nicola tries to manipulate Sharon with what she has seen, wanting to drive a wedge between her and Teddy, and Sharon pays Phil a visit.
Phil brushes off Nicola's story, but Sharon knows something is wrong. At Harry's Barn, Nicola stirs between Teddy and Sharon, and later tells Teddy she's changed and wants to put their marriage back together.
Determined to keep up the pressure, Nicola calls in on Phil again, and Sharon is incensed by her behaviour, as she and Phil arrive at Teddy's to expose what Nicola has been up to.
After the confrontation, Phil feels further isolated from the Mitchells, and Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick) picks up on this, reaching out and trying to get to the bottom of Phil's situation.
Phil is not impressed by this, and can't bring himself to confide in a concerned Jay. Teddy seeks Billy Mitchell's (Perry Fenwick) advice on making amends with Phil and extends an invite for Christmas Day.
Will Phil open up to his relatives? And with Nicola thwarted, will she continue to cause trouble? We'd expect nothing less!
3. Martin Fowler makes an error with Ruby Allen
Martin goes to visit son Roman in hospital, but the nurse turns him away, having promised Ruby Allen (Louisa Lytton) to keep him away.
But when the doctor reveals a change in Roman's condition, Ruby heads back to Walford to find Martin.
An angry Martin soon blows his chance to make peace with her, and he later returns to the hospital to apologise to Ruby.
Will Ruby hear Martin out, and will Roman be okay?
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
4. Lauren Branning gets a reality check
Peter Beale (Thomas Law) heads to the car lot to check on Lauren, and she blames her symptoms on being pregnant.
But as Lauren continues to be snappy, this time with Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth), her family worry about her.
However, when Lauren feels the baby kick for the first time, she takes this as a sign.
Has Lauren had a reality check over her painkiller addiction?
5. Cindy Beale ditches family festivities for Junior Knight
Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) is excited as he presents his family with their outfits for the Beales' Eels Santa float.
But after an enticing offer from lover Junior, Cindy misses the event partner Ian has been so enthusiastic about. What excuses will scheming Cindy make this time around?
EastEnders has confirmed that Cindy's cheating will be exposed on Christmas Day, as there's a tape recording of her admitting to using Junior as a consolation prize for his father George Knight (Colin Salmon), who Cindy is still in love with!
Now she's on borrowed time, we're expecting an explosive festive season for insatiable Cindy...
6. Kim Fox is on a Christmas mission
Kim and Mo Harris (Laila Morse) help the men of Walford get camera-ready for a charity calendar photoshoot with a cheeky twist!
We think we can guess where this one is going, but this isn't the only naughty task in Kim's hands.
The bubbly character resorts to bribery to pull a choir together for the Christmas Eve concert.
Will Kim's plotting work?
Read more:
- EastEnders 2024 Christmas preview: Cindy Beale and Junior Knight affair exposed on Christmas Day
- EastEnders airs Cindy's darkest deed as Kojo's life hangs in the balance
- 7 EastEnders spoilers next week: Eve Unwin and Suki Panesar reunite as Cindy covers her tracks
- EastEnders' Colin Salmon and Harriet Thorpe on the future for George and Elaine: 'Cindy's always looming'
- EastEnders' Himesh Patel stopped Tamwar Masood heartbreak with exit
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on 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.
Authors
Laura Denby is a Freelance Soaps writer covering all the latest news in the Dales, Cobbles and East End for Radio Times. She's a soaps nerd with a love for comedy drama, and has also written for Digital Spy, Metro UK and Yahoo UK.