With EastEnders under new management, the soap is tipped to have a great year with lots of returnees, new characters, and some epic storylines.
As Kate Oates' episodes are now hitting our screens, here are some of the big storylines to look out for in the coming weeks/months.
Chantelle Arrives
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| BBC |
Karen's eldest daughter will be arriving in Walford this year, completing the Taylor family unit. Chantelle is said to be a chip off the old block, sharing her mother's attitude and bad temper.
Auditions for the character were held in December and Chantelle is due to appear on our screens in the spring.
Hunter's Exit
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| BBC |
Hunter Owen killed his stepfather over the festive period, and the teenager will start to spiral out of control in upcoming scenes.
It was revealed earlier this month that Hunter's exit will come when the murder plot reaches a natural conclusion.
Stuart Highway Redeemed?
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| BBC |
If you're not a fan of Stuart Highway, then you will be in for a long wait to see the back of him as Kate Oates has plans for this character.
There's no doubt that Ricky Champ's character is meant to be despised, but many characters over the years have managed to redeem themselves, including Keegan Baker, and Max Branning.
Speaking to Digital Spy, Ricky revealed that 2019 could see a massive turning point in Stuart's life: "I have spoken to Kate and we’ve spoken a lot about Stuart Highway," he said.
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| BBC |
"A few days ago I was in a hotel and I was reading the next two filming blocks, so I had eight episodes of EastEnders in my bag. "I was reading on and I noticed a gear change, a real distinct one, and I called her straight away. That's the great thing about Kate.
She said: 'Here's my number, call me whenever, about whatever you want.' We had a really great chat about the direction Stuart is going in and what's going to happen for him."
Keegan Baker's Drugs Battle
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| BBC |
Keegan's ongoing grief battle is about to take the teenager to a very dark place, and the character is about to become even more dependent on drugs to keep functioning in the only way he knows how.
Thankfully Keegan will have the support of his family (including his dad Mitch and his big sister Chantelle) to support him, but how dark will this storyline get?
Lola & Ben Return to Walford
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| Danielle Harold / Ori Jones Photography |
Lola Pearce's long awaited return to Walford was confirmed earlier this month, and she will be returning to the square with her young daughter, Lexi.
Lola is the granddaughter of Billy Mitchell, and her return is said to be involved in the return of Ben Mitchell, this time being played by Waterloo Road actor, Max Bowden.
Could Lola's return cause problems for the upcoming romance between Jay Brown and Ruby Allen?
Jean's Cancer Battle
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| Walford East |
It was revealed this week that Jean Slater will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer, a storyline that will pave the way for Sean Slater to make his long awaited return to the square.
Soap bosses are working closely with Macmillan Cancer Support to make sure the storyline is handled correctly and sensitively.
Kate Oates revealed: "Jean's diagnosis will impact every aspect of her life, including her family, her friendship groups and her mental health, and I know an actor of Gillian's calibre will approach the story with great truth and depth.
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| Gillian Wright |
"The Slaters are an amazing ensemble family, full of complex and well-drawn characters, and this story is a completely fresh subject for them to tackle. I know they'll do it justice and in turn raise awareness of such an important issue that affects so many people."
Sean Slater Returns
Hollywood star Robert Kazinsky has revealed that he will be briefly returning to EastEnders after 10 years away, leaving fans very happy indeed!
Reprising the role of Sean Slater, Robert revealed that a return was possible as there was a small window between filming movies.
EastEnders were spotted filming on location this week, with a bruised and battered Sean Slater found sleeping in a car by his mum, Jean.
Sharon Mitchell Returns
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| BBC |
Sharon Mitchell will be making her return to Walford next week after some time away in Australia. EastEnders soap bosses have hinted that the drama with Keanu and Sharon will run throughout the year: "We've got a very long saga with the Mitchell family – it all comes from the Sheanu story," she said in a recently.
"But it's really exciting, because everybody involved in that story, all the characters have really strong agency, there's loads of twists and turns."
There you have it, some upcoming storylines to look out for in the first part of 2019. What are you looking forward to?
EastEnders airs weeknights on BBC One.
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