The drama has well and truly kicked off.
BBC soap EastEnders aired a special episode set in France tonight (22nd June 2023) as viewers were brought up to date with what Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) has been doing for the past 25 years.
The iconic Walford resident was killed off-screen in prison in the nineties, but in an unprecedented move, she’s back, and has been living under witness protection.
However, the criminal she was hiding from is now dead, meaning her need to adopt a new persona, Rose Knight, is over.
While the Beales were playing happy families, the witness protection bombshell was not the end of the drama.
Ian (Adam Woodyatt) was desperate to get back to Walford, considering that’s where his son and mother are, but Cindy, who’s spent recent years in hiding, wasn’t so sure.
An argument broke out between the pair and it wasn’t long before it took its toll on Ian – who writhed around in agony clutching his chest.
Read More
- EastEnders confirms Thomas Law to return as Peter Beale full-time
- EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw on “different” Cindy and Ian reunion
- EastEnders’ explosive Cindy Beale comeback is a campy soap triumph
- EastEnders’ Michelle Collins talks Cindy Beale witness protection story
- Will Jacqueline Jossa return full-time to EastEnders as Lauren Branning?
- When are Cindy and Ian Beale returning to EastEnders full-time?
- 15 EastEnders questions we still have after Cindy and Ian Beale’s return
It transpired that Ian had had a heart attack, and was rushed to hospital.
While there, Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) discovered Cindy was still alive, and realised Peter had been lying to her about who Rose was.
!["Cindy]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2023/06/cindy-beale-4896f30.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Cindy")
While the drama was happening outside the hospital room, inside it, Ian watched a video of Bobby and Freddie at the Father’s Day karaoke, only to make a shocking discovery.
Staring intently at the screen, he realised the new landlord of the Vic was actually his love rival, George, with Cindy’s daughters Anna and Gina in tow!
Cindy and Ian later caught up and the former admitted she might fancy a trip back to Walford after all.
“Maybe you’re right,” Cindy revealed. “It’s the only place I ever felt safe, settled. The only place that ever felt like home.”
Scared of losing Cindy to George, Ian quickly changed his tactics.
He said: “I was thinking maybe you’re right – I’ve been looking at it from rose-coloured [glasses]. Start thinking about it and then I end up in here. Seeing all the old haunts, I just started wondering is it the right place for us after all?”
It’s been confirmed they will return to Walford, but what will take them back there? When will they rock up? And what on earth will George make of it all?
Read more:
- EastEnders cast: Who is joining, leaving and returning to the soap?
- EastEnders’ Heather Peace on whether Eve could kill Nish: ‘Anyone does anything if pushed’
- EastEnders’ Heather Peace hints that Eve and Suki’s big break-up isn’t the end
- EastEnders boss wants to keep Linda Carter as “heart of the Square”
- EastEnders’ Danny Walters worried for Keanu in Christmas flash-forward
- EastEnders’ Jamie Borthwick promises Lola “gets the send off she deserves”
- EastEnders’ George Knight proposes to Elaine and reveals mystery son
- EastEnders’ Colin Salmon on personal reason he took George Knight role
- EastEnders’ Kellie Bright fears “everlasting” Linda and Sharon feud
- EastEnders star Kellie Bright: “The show needed a Harriet Thorpe”
- EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw explains the “Knight in Shining Armour”
- Sam Mitchell to return to EastEnders ‘before the autumn’ after surprise exit
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer. Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.
Take part in the Screen Test, a project from Radio Times and the Universities of Sussex and Brighton, to explore the role of television and audio in our lives.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.