5 EastEnders spoilers for next week: Cindy Beale makes desperate play for George
Plus, the Panesars are divided, Bianca clashes with Reiss, and Harvey's new friend Maya is hiding something.
It's a week of not-so-quiet desperation for the iconic Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) in EastEnders next week.
The BBC One soap has had no shortage of drama for the blonde vixen since she rose from the dead last year, but her continued love for ex-husband George Knight (Colin Salmon) threatens to implode her life with unlucky Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt).
Meanwhile, the Panesar family continues to be torn apart following the return of nasty Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry) the week prior.
Will they manage to survive the difficulties to come?
These spoilers are for the episodes due to air from Monday 3rd June 2024 to Thursday 6th June 2024.
5 EastEnders spoilers for next week
1. Cindy Beale chooses to win back George Knight over life with Ian Beale
Following on from last week, Cindy Beale is upset to hear from partner Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) that her daughter Anna Knight (Molly Rainford) has been mugged.
Cindy feels under further attack from nemesis Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth) who accuses her of being a terrible mother.
An upset Cindy heads to the Queen Vic with detective Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) to get Anna to give a statement, but she refuses despite Cindy and George's pleas.
In a later chat with Cindy, Ian tries to apologise for the harsh words from his mother, but Cindy makes clear that Ian is not her priority.
Later, at the Boxing Den, Cindy and George check the CCTV footage to track down Anna's mugger and then back at Phil's house where George is staying, Cindy attempts to grow ever closer to her ex-husband about the situation with Anna but is interrupted when she turns up and is displeased to see her parents drinking together.
After Anna's exit, Cindy tries once more to grow closer to George but he soon shows her the door – but under the watchful eye of George's son Junior Knight (Micah Balfour).
The next day, Cindy stops at nothing to get back together with George and plots a family dinner and movie night with daughters Anna and Gina Knight (Francesca Henry).
A magnanimous Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe) offers the flat in the Queen Vic to Anna for the big night.
Ahead of the big evening, Cindy has an almighty row with Ian that calls into question their future before she heads to Phil's to see George dressed to the nines.
As Cindy interrupts George's dinner plans, Ian waits at home, having prepared a romantic dinner for them both.
Will Cindy finally succeed in winning back George once and for all, or will she crash and burn?
2. Nish Panesar’s return continues to tear his family apart
The Panesars are in a bad place following the return of Nish Panesar last week, with the news that he is terminally unwell.
Firstly, Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) has been won around by his father and begins to grow suspicious of the intentions of his half-brother Vinny Panesar (Shiv Jalota).
Nish tags Ravi with uncovering Vinny's true motivations, prompting some interrogation that leads to Ravi being convinced by his half-brother.
Ravi's show of loyalty to Nish also touches the manipulative family patriarch after his son pledges to stand by him whatever happens.
Later, it becomes clear that Vinny remains equally loyal to his mother Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal) as they plot to get their hands on the Panesar empire in its entirety.
However, Suki faces problems when her soulmate Eve Unwin (Heather Peace) is disgusted by Vinny spending time with Nish and must shut down her partner's attitude.
In the Vic, Eve goes on to clash with former love rival Nish and Suki is forced to drag Eve away from the scene to avoid trouble.
Suki and Vinny's schemes also provoke the suspicion of Ravi's former partner Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy) but she fails to find anything incriminating.
Vinny decides to bring the Panesar family back together and plans a big family meal that includes Nish, Ravi, Ravi's children, and Suki and Eve.
Feeling shut out after a lack of invite, Priya gatecrashes and demands to know why she was excluded. Ravi appeals to his ex to not ruin his time with his dying father.
When Priya goes on to cosy up to Nish herself, however, Ravi grows angry with her and she fires back that the entire family is attempting to manipulate him.
This is one family that won't be on the same page any time soon...
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3. Broken Bianca Jackson clashes with cash-strapped Reiss Colwell
The week opens with accountant Reiss Colwell (Jonny Freeman) being anxious after he loses one of his major clients, prompting his partner Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) to try and cheer him up.
The bad news also prompts Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth) to try and help find Reiss work, turning to her ex-husband Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) as a potential source of help for Reiss and so Reiss approaches him. Phil then promises to interview him the next day.
As the week continues, Reiss continues to clash with Sonia's sister Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) who is struggling in the wake of daughter Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) departing Walford on bad terms with her.
During his interview with Phil, Reiss is disappointed when it does not go to plan and later rows with Bianca when she returns home having gotten drunk at Peggy's nightclub.
Following some hurtful comments from Bianca, Reiss tells Sonia that she has to kick Bianca out of the house.
As the week concludes, Sonia tries to persuade Reiss to go easy on Bianca but he remains stubborn.
However, things take a worrying turn for the couple and they soon have bigger concerns than Bianca's stay...
4. Harvey Monroe is puzzled by new friend Maya Houssain
Having made a sweet new friendship with newcomer Maya Houssain (Bharti Patel) last week, Harvey Monroe (Ross Boatman) worries when he can't find her phone number.
Luckily for the taxi driver, teen Tommy Moon (Sonny Kendall) manages to track down Maya online to get in touch.
Yet, when Maya turns up in Walford, she is furious with Harvey for tracking her down through her socials, prompting him to apologise and offer to get her a drink.
As they sit and chat, Maya opens up and reveals she is a widow following the loss of her husband the previous year and the two grow closer than ever.
Yet, when Maya parts from Harvey, she leaves her hat behind.
When Harvey messages Maya on social media to remind her about the hat, he is shocked to find that her account has been deleted.
In the aftermath, Harvey is saddened to have lost a new friend, prompting his partner Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) to plan to cheer him up with a football-themed "boy's night out".
Will that prove to life Harvey's spirits? Plus, will we see the mysterious Maya again?
5. Junior Knight faces a major decision about the future
Also this week, Junior Knight is dealt a blow about his latest business deal and soon gets a surprise when dad George offers to become a silent partner with him on his latest project.
Aware of the previous bad blood between them, an uncertain Junior agrees to think about it.
However, the week's events leave Junior coping with an uncertain future, so he agrees to his dad's suggestion.
Is this a bright new future for George and his son?
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Authors
Lewis Knight is the Trends Editor for Radio Times, covering trending titles from TV, Film and more. He previously worked at The Mirror in TV, Film, and Showbiz coverage alongside work on SEO. Alongside his past work in advertising, he possesses a BSc in Psychology and an MA in Film Studies.