9 Christmas EastEnders Spoilers as police swarm Albert Square

This week on EastEnders, Nigel gets a blast from the past at his film screening, Zoe finally gets some answers, Max makes a decision he may regret, and Oscar’s revelation threatens Christmas.

EastEnders airs at 7:30pm as usual on Monday and Tuesday, at 6:55pm on Christmas Eve (7pm in Wales), at 7:45pm and 9:45pm on Christmas Day, and at 9:30pm on Boxing Day.

As Christmas gets underway in Walford next week, things are tense all across Albert Square.

Last week, Peter (Thomas Law) learnt that Lauren (Jacqueline Jossa) stole the charity money in an attempt to ‘fix’ Jimmy, Nigel’s (Paul Bradley) symptoms worsened, Max (Jake Wood) returned and immediately accused Ian (Adam Woodyatt) of scamming his daughter, and Zoe (Michelle Ryan) continued to fear for her life after being caught up in the world’s smallest fire.

In a bumper Christmas week with six trips to Albert Square, plenty of storylines are set to come to a head.

1) Nigel’s film screening gets underway

Thursday’s episode saw Nigel accidentally hit Julie (Karen Henthorn) in the face as he became increasingly flustered over the loss of his beloved green cufflinks.

Julie later made it clear to Phil (Steve McFadden) that they need to start thinking of alternative care arrangements, reminding him that next time Nigel could do something even more dangerous, or even hurting himself.

However, Phil insisted that they wouldn’t be putting him in a home and that he’d be staying with them at No. 55. When Nigel found the leaflet for the care home, he too made it clear that he had no desire to be shipped off to a home.

Yet Julie went against Phil and Nigel’s wishes and submitted an enquiry with Thurston Lodge, the residential care home she’d been recommended by Nigel’s GP.

Next week, with casting done and filming completed in break-neck time, it’s already the day of Nigel’s film screening! However, Phil and Julie are still locked in discussions over Nigel’s future so are too preoccupied to go.

In their absence, an enthusiastic Lexi (Isabella Brown), who’s spent the past few weeks directing the film, takes control of the event.

As things get underway, Sam (Kim Medcalf) arrives, and when Kat (Jessie Wallace) makes it clear that she’s not welcome, she’s stunned when Julie reveals that Sam has been back in the UK for months.

Meanwhile, as Nigel gets up to make a speech, he loses his place, prompting Julie to join him on stage to help him out. With the lights shining on them, Nigel soon notices the bruise on Julie’s face, and quickly realises that he was to blame!

He flees, prompting Phil and Julie to launch a search party, whilst continuing to argue about what’s best for Nigel’s future.

Unfortunately, Nigel just so happens to overhear their conversation, and after confronting them both, he demands that they leave him alone and heads to The Vic on his own.

2) Nigel gets memories from the past

While alone in The Vic, Nigel’s young onset dementia symptoms intensify, and he begins to confuse past memories with his present in next Tuesday’s special episode.

Last week we saw Nigel talking to himself, chatting away to an unknown figure in the kitchen of No. 55. Next week, as he gets increasingly confused, he’s visited by two familiar faces – Pat (Pam St Clement) and Barry Evans (Shaun Williamson) – as he struggles to decipher what’s real and what isn’t.

It was revealed earlier this year that Pat and Barry would both be returning to Albert Square as part of Nigel’s dementia storyline.

As his memories and altered reality take him back to the 1990s following his emotional evening at his festive film screening, Barry and Pat put aside their differences to help Nigel in his time of need.

“It was a complete shock getting the call to go back to Albert Square, but so exciting!” Shaun Williamson explains.

“I have to admit to a few nerves (loads!) when I walked back onto the set of The Queen Victoria, but it was so great to work with old friends and colleagues on such a brilliant episode. Just goes to show, you never know what’s around the corner!”

“I was both surprised and excited to be asked back to tread the streets of Walford once again and to be involved in Nigel’s touching dementia storyline,” Pam St Clement adds.

“It was lovely to be welcomed back by those with whom I had worked for so long. It was just like coming home.”

When Phil and Julie eventually find Nigel in The Vic, Phil finally comes to a realisation that he and Julie need more help with his care.

As the episode comes to a close, Phil takes Nigel aside for a heart-to-heart as he prepares to tell him what they’ve decided.

Meanwhile, the screening of Nigel’s film continues, with Elaine (Harriet Thorpe) and Ian (Adam Woodyatt) in the starring roles, with the viewers unaware of the drama going on nearby. That is, until Phil comes in and orders everyone to leave, putting an abrupt end to the festivities. As he sits alone and watches the film, he has a realisation.

The following day, Phil, Julie and Sam rally around Nigel following the events of the screening, but they soon realise that he doesn’t remember their conversation.

3) Max makes a decision he may regret

At the end of Thursday’s episode, Linda (Kellie Bright) revealed to Max that he has a third child he never knew about!

Next Monday, after learning that four-year-old Annie is in fact his daughter, Max vents his frustration to his family as Lauren and Jack go into damage control, while being forced to pretend they had no idea that Annie was his.

The pair vow to support Max and believe that they’ve talked him out of acting irrationally.

Unfortunately, after Max talks to Zoe (Michelle Ryan), who of course is in the middle of her own search for a child she’s never met, he decides instead to make a huge decision. And it’s one he may come to regret…

4) Zack continues to pine for Vicki

Last month, after Vicki (Alice Haig) found herself in an angry confrontation with Chelsea’s (Zaraah Abrahams) sleezy date Damon (Danny Szam) when she discovered she was married, she and Zack (James Farrar) ended up sharing a kiss.

Kathy (Gillian Taylforth) was the only person to find out, and Vicki seemingly put all thoughts of the brief moment behind her and was soon working on reconciling with Ross (Alex Walkinshaw). However, it seems forgetting the kiss hasn’t been so easy for Zack, and last week he gifted Vicki with an expensive bracelet.

Initially remaining coy as to who the gift was for, Zack hinted that it was for a woman with whom the stars hadn’t aligned yet, “but hopefully one day they will.”

Realising he was talking about her, Vicki didn’t dismiss Zack outright, telling him “maybe one day, when the stars align,” but that for now she’d be happy with chocolates rather than an expensive gift before giving him back the bracelet.

Next week, with Zack’s feelings out in the open, things become awkward when Zac overhears Ross asking Vicki if she’s ready for him to move back into No. 43 now that the pair have decided to give things another go.

Vicki picks up on the tense atmosphere and tries to diffuse it as she gives Zack advice on a gift for son Barney (Lewis Bridgeman). However, on Christmas Eve, Zack’s feelings for Vicki are very much alive and well, and Barney soon picks up on it!

5) Kat questions Sam

Inspired by the emotional ordeal at the film screening with Nigel, the event has a small silver lining as it pushes Phil and Sam to have a heart-to-heart about family. However, Sam’s more positive mood doesn’t last long as she heads to The Vic on Christmas Eve.

There, Kat and Alfie are doing their best to put Zoe’s fears over her stalker to one side for a few days and celebrate their first Christmas together as a family in decades. However, when Kat bumps into Sam, she immediately questions her on whether she’s Zoe’s tormentor.

Sam quickly shuts her down, revealing to her that she’s got cancer and is in Walford to seek support from Zack.

Later, Kat and Alife head to Yolande’s (Angela Wynter) carol concert, but Zoe stays home where she makes a shocking discovery…

6) Anthony struggles away from his family

Last week, Patrick (Rudolph Walker) expressed his concern to Anthony (Nicholas Bailey) over the way he spoke about Zoe, and told him that Sophie had sounded scared when he spoke to her on the phone.

Anthony’s only explanation was that he “loved [Sophie] too much,” and told Patrick that “that new family of yours” simply doesn’t trust him, making it clear that he doesn’t hurt people – “I’m the one who gets hurt!”

Next week, Anthony’s frosty demeanour continues to cause concern. On Christmas Eve, as Yolande’s carol service gets underway, Patrick and Chelsea try to keep Anthony’s spirits up as he faces his first Christmas away from his ex-wife and kids, but it’s clear he’s not in the mood for celebrating.

7) Oscar’s revelation threatens Christmas

After Max’s big decision, which producers are keeping under wraps until the dramatic episode, he soon manages to make an enemy of himself amongst the square, but he focusses on putting things right with Oscar.

As he does so, he’s cornered by Linda, and attempts to resolve another one of his feuds. Meanwhile, Oscar drowns his sorrows alone, before he joins the rest of the Brannings at Yolande’s concert.

Fed up with having been let down by his dad once again, and lubricated by his afternoon’s drinking, Oscar makes a revelation to Max which threatens to derail the Branning’s Christmas festivities…

8) Christmas Day brings revelations and catastrophic consequences!

In Thursday’s double trip to Walford, at 7:45pm and 9:45pm, Kat is looking forward to having her family back together for Christmas, but with Zoe more nervous than ever after her latest discovery,.

Meanwhile, with truths being revealed left, right and centre, Kat’s community dinner in the pub gets off to a shaky start as the Slaters find themselves locked in an argument with another family. However, as that issue comes to a quick resolution, there’s another Zoe-shaped one just around the corner.

Is Jasmine (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness) finally about to confront her mum?

With Kat fearing for her daughter’s safety once again, she empties The Vic of punters to protect her – but neither she nor Zoe can predict what happens next, as a worrying situation escalates and has catastrophic consequences for everyone involved!

With the community having been kicked out of the pub, Zack takes the Christmas food and hungry punters back to No. 31 in a last-ditch attempt to save Christmas.

Meanwhile, the rapidly expanding Branning/Beale clan prepare for their own family Christmas dinner over at No. 45, with Kathy and Harvey (Ross Boatman) celebrating their first festive period as a couple.

However, Cindy’s (Michelle Collins) return throws a spanner in the works as Ian and Peter are forced to jump into action and keep her away from Max – but having to quickly find an excuse to keep her away from No. 45 doesn’t go well, and they manage to offend her by making it seem that she’s not welcome to spend the day with them.

As the rest of the family settle in for dinner, Max is still in shock over Oscar’s Christmas Eve revelation. As more and more truths are laid bare, another dinner descends into chaos!

9) The fallout from Christmas Day begins

As we return to Albert Square on Boxing Day – aka Friday – for the sixth episode of the week, police officers swarm the Square after the dramatic events which unfolded in The Vic.

The residents of Walford react to the fallout of an explosive day, and with more questions than answered after a series of shocking secrets were exposed, it’s hard to see a way forward for a number of families.

However, there’s at least a little Christmas joy for one family, as the Mitchells sit down together for their dinner, and Nigel puts preparations in place to make this Christmas an extra special one.

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Here are the EastEnders spoilers for this week:

Monday 22nd December (Episode 7245)

The residents of Walford prepare to celebrate the screening of Nigel’s film, one resident makes a decision they may come to regret, and Zack sparks speculation.

Tuesday 23rd December (Episode 7246)

Nigel takes a trip down memory lane.

Christmas Eve – Wednesday 24th December (Episode 7247)

Walford is abuzz with Christmas spirit for Yolande’s carol concert, the Slaters attempt to buoy up Zoe, and Oscar accidentally reveals a truth.

Christmas Day Part 1 – Thursday 25th December (Episode 7248)

A situation escalates at The Vic for the Slaters, and the Beales and the Brannings prepare to sit down to a joint family Christmas dinner.

Christmas Day Part 2 – Thursday 25th December (Episode 7249)

The Mitchells help make Nigel’s Christmas extra special.

Boxing Day – Friday 26th December (Episode 7250)

Police officers swarm the Square following an incident.