EastEnders has dropped a major new mystery surrounding Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington), as tonight's episode reveals that she and Ned have been keeping a secret for 20 years.
The bombshell comes amid Nicola's desperate attempts to save Harry's Barn, with the family's financial troubles ultimately forcing her to accept help from someone who clearly knows more about her past than she would like.
Bailiffs arrive at Harry's Barn
Earlier this week, Nicola was left worried after discovering Harry's Barn could be forced to close unless the family found £25,000 by Friday. Gemma attempted to drum up some much-needed custom by offering the venue for Nugget's birthday party, but the Mitchells' money problems are far from over.
Tonight, things go from bad to worse when bailiffs arrive at Harry's Barn, leaving Nicola devastated. With the family still owing a substantial amount of money, they desperately scramble to come up with a way of raising the cash before it's too late.
Fundraiser struggles and a secret revealed
A fundraiser is launched in the hope of saving the business, while Harry heads off with Ned to visit the latter's former business partner. Ned has his own plan for getting hold of the money and pressures his old associate to give him what he wants.
Back in Walford, the fundraiser isn't exactly plain sailing either. Residents begin questioning the conflicting causes being supported, threatening to derail the family's efforts before Nicola manages to get things back on track. There is another glimmer of hope when Ryder turns up with a wave of new customers, giving the family a much-needed boost. However, their optimism quickly disappears when the bar runs out of stock, and they discover they're still short of their £25,000 target.
Just when it looks like Nicola could be out of options, Harry and Ned return with some major news. Ned's tactics have worked, and they have managed to secure the money needed to save Harry's Barn. While that should be cause for celebration, Nicola is far from comfortable when she discovers where the cash has come from.
Once she and Ned are alone, Nicola makes it clear that she is reluctant to accept his help. It's then that their conversation takes a very unexpected turn. Ned reminds Nicola that she has needed his help before and suggests she should already know that she can turn to him. More importantly, he makes reference to a secret the pair have been keeping for the past 20 years, and Nicola is visibly horrified.
Ned's offer comes at a price
Exactly what happened between them two decades ago isn't revealed, leaving viewers with a major new mystery surrounding Nicola's past. The drama will continue in tomorrow's episode, as Nicola is determined that Harry keeps quiet about Ned's offer while the family reels from their unsuccessful fundraising efforts.
But Ned isn't going anywhere just yet. He offers to step in and provide the money Nicola desperately needs to save Harry's Barn, but his help comes at a considerable price. In return for the cash, Ned wants a significant share of the business, raising questions over exactly what he's hoping to gain by becoming so closely involved with Nicola and her family.
With Nicola backed into a corner, could Ned be using her financial troubles, and their mysterious shared past, to his advantage? Tensions between the pair are also set to bring their complicated history bubbling back to the surface, suggesting there is much more to discover about what happened between them 20 years ago. Whatever Nicola and Ned have been hiding all this time, her horrified reaction makes it clear it's one secret she desperately wants to stay buried.
But with Ned now looking to secure a stake in Harry's Barn, Nicola may find it increasingly difficult to keep him or their past at a distance.
