EastEnders viewers believe they have uncovered a new mystery involving Nicola Mitchell and her brother-in-law Ned Hawkins, as the pair appear to be hiding a two-decade-long secret. Fans are now predicting that Ned is secretly the biological father of Nicola's eldest son, Harry.
Over the past year on the BBC soap, financial pressure has mounted on Nicola (Laura Doddington) after her eldest son Harry (Elijah Holloway) fought a drug habit and she gave birth to daughter Ivy prematurely. Ex-husband Teddy (Roland Manookian) was sent to prison for the murder that Harry committed, while Barney (Lewis Bridgeman) struggled to accept Zack Hudson (James Farrar) as his biological father. As Nicola started to enjoy her new family life with George Knight (Colin Salmon), her own relations turned up at the door, needing a place to stay, including Ned (Jamie Bamber).
Ned secures funds to save Harry's Barn
On Wednesday's visit to Walford (September 30), Nicola needed to raise a large sum of money to save her nightclub, Harry's Barn, from being possessed by bailiffs due to mounting debts. Ned heard from Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) that his old associate, who had stolen money from his therapist company, was still in the country. With Harry by his side, Ned headed to Walford High Street to meet a man called Adam and demanded the cash back.
He said that he had recordings of their previous therapy sessions that he was prepared to share with Adam's wife, Malandra, should he not comply. Meanwhile, Rose Hawkins (Marian McLoughlin) and her daughter, Gemma (Patricia Potter), tried to organise a fundraiser at Harry's Barn to save the venue from going under. When the event got underway, word soon spread that it wasn't a charity fundraiser, but was to save the venue from closure. Just as everyone was about to leave, Nicola announced that she'd rather the locals drink the house dry than the bailiffs take the profits.
Fans predict Harry's paternity twist
Before long, the bar was swarming with punters who were up for paying for drinks, but the problem was that Nicola didn't have any alcohol left. With Nicola set to lose her business the very next day, she returned home, where Ned was waiting for her. In a surprise twist, he confirmed that he'd secured the funds to help save Harry's Barn, leaving her ecstatic but looking uneasy.
Ned added: "I'm always happy to help, you should know that better than anyone, after all, we have been keeping our little secret for what is it now, 20 years?" Nicola smiled at Ned and gave a delightful wink before walking to her bedroom, where fear washed over her face. EastEnders fans are now predicting that Ned is secretly the biological father of Harry.
Taking to Reddit, one person wrote: "I've seen people say that they believe Ned will turn out to be Harry's biological father. This is one I can believe. (Poor Teddy)." A second simply wrote: "Ned as Harry's father", while a third urged: "I hope they don't make Harry Ned's son. It's the same as the Barney and Zack storyline and would be horrifically boring to watch again, especially since the Barney/Zack storyline was c***."
"If Ned turns out to be Harry's dad or something I'm gonna combust #EastEnders", added another on X. EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One and iPlayer.
