Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) is facing mounting pressure in upcoming EastEnders episodes, with her estranged family set to arrive in Walford. The character, who arrived in 2024, has already dealt with blackmail from George Knight's adoptive father Eddie (Christopher Fairbank) and recently gave birth to daughter Ivy, shared with George (Colin Salmon).
Bonding with Eve and planning a party
Next week, Nicola bonds with Eve Panesar-Unwin (Heather Peace) over their fractured relationships with their parents, but quickly shuts down the conversation when her son Harry (Elijah Holloway) arrives. To distract herself on the anniversary of her father's death, Nicola offers to throw Kojo (Dayo Koleosho) a birthday party, though her family worries she is taking on too much.
The Hawkins family arrives
EastEnders has confirmed that Nicola's sister Gemma, her husband Ned, and their son Ryder will arrive on the Square, along with Nicola's mother Rose and younger sister Jodie. The Hawkins family are described as a "fantastic addition" by executive producer Ben Wadey, who teased that "decades of complicated history and Nicola's estrangement from them has left fractures within the family that are far from healed."
