EastEnders spoilers for next week reveal the arrival of Nicola Mitchell's estranged family, Ravi Gulati's growing suspicions about Priya Nandra-Hart and Max Branning, and Linda Carter torn between two suitors.
Nicola's family arrive in Walford
On Monday, August 31, Nicola is stunned by the arrival of her sisters, Gemma and Jodie Hawkins, alongside Gemma's son Ryder. They convince her to let them stay, but Nicola has one condition – her mum Rose isn't invited. However, Gemma's husband Ned turns up next with Rose in tow.
With Nicola unwilling to budge, Harry Mitchell offers Ryder and Jodie a place to crash, while urging his mum to sort things out with Rose. Ned tries to make amends with Kat Moon after their dramatic arrival, before realising that she's married to his old friend Alfie.
Heading to the Vic later, Nicola is infuriated to see her entire family gathered there, and further rages to learn that Alfie is housing Gemma and Ned. Meanwhile, Ravi tries to push Priya into telling the kids about their engagement, though she's later forced to tell Penny Branning about her pregnancy after being hit with a bout of nausea.
Ravi's suspicions grow
On Tuesday, September 1, while Kat wants Gemma and Ned out, Linda and Elaine Peacock are suffering with Rose at Peacock Palace. When Gemma tries to soften things with Nicola, the appearance of Rose does nothing but ignite further trouble. The Hawkins plan to reunite Rose and Nicola goes terribly wrong, and rather than fixing anything, the remnants of their relationship are further tarnished.
Elsewhere, Priya rages at Nugget when she finds him dealing weed, with support from Max. Ravi is elated when she decides to tell the kids about the baby, but continues to question her over the man she was seeing, his suspicions raising when he sees a moment between her and Max.
Linda's dilemma and the stag night
On Wednesday, September 2, a power cut threatens to derail Linda and Elaine's bingo night, forcing Clive to come to the rescue and save the day before asking a flustered Linda on a second date, to which she agrees.
Without a home, Gemma and Ned are heartened when Nicola says they can stay with her temporarily, but she's floored when she learns the real reason they've come to seek her out. Also, Ravi watches Max closely, Kim pushes Howie Danes to be more social while tasking Denzel with planning his stag do, Max and Linda have a moment when he encourages an anxious Ollie before his first day at high school, and Oscar unveils his plan for his dad's stag night.
On Thursday, September 3, Linda's convinced she's ready to move on from Max with Clive, but when she learns that Max was integral to saving the community centre, she's torn all over again. As Clive confirms that the centre's future is secure, she's left with a big decision to make. Elsewhere, the stags eagerly anticipate Max's arrival in Harry's Barn.
