Next week in EastEnders, Walford is awash with secrets, suspicion, and soul-shaking revelations as hidden crimes threaten to rise from the grave, friendships fray beyond repair, and one man’s desperate cry for dignity in the face of decline sends shockwaves through the Square.

At the center of the storm is Nigel, whose struggle with young-onset dementia continues to unravel the calm surface of his quiet existence. When he mistakes a pharmacy for the video shop he once worked at, it’s more than a symptom—it’s a harbinger of the battles yet to come. Rescued from his confusion by Jean and shielded from further scrutiny by Phil, Nigel retreats into the protective bubble his old friend tries to create. But Phil’s overbearing care quickly becomes a prison. As the Square prepares for the Easter Monday festivities, Nigel is roped into donning the Easter Bunny suit, hoping to prove his lucidity. Instead, he blunders, mistaking a young girl for his daughter Clare—an all-too-familiar slip that ignites tensions with Harvey and draws the concerned eyes of Jean, Ian, and Harvey himself.

Cornered, Phil finally confesses the truth: Nigel is suffering from dementia. But even as the truth comes out, Nigel carries a deeper, darker secret. He reveals to Phil a haunting intention—he plans to end his life if his memory fades further. Phil is rocked to the core and refuses to accept the possibility, storming out and leaving his friend alone. Nigel, ever the gentleman, leaves behind only a goodbye letter before vanishing from No. 55. It sparks a desperate search led by Phil and Linda, culminating in an emotional reunion—but Nigel remains adamant: he wants control over his fate.

While Phil wrestles with his friend’s heartbreaking plan, another ticking time bomb threatens to explode in the form of Shireen’s buried past. Nicola, desperately guarding a deadly secret, panics when she learns her husband Teddy is reviving a construction project—right in Dartford, the place where Shireen’s body lies hidden. Nicola once pinned the murder on Teddy, but the truth is far more sinister. She paid Benji, a man from the shadows, to take care of Shireen when the young woman became a threat. Teddy, unaware of his wife’s deception, continues with his plans, even recruiting newcomer Ross to join the build.

As the project edges closer to unearthing Shireen’s remains, Nicola finds herself running out of options. With Benji unwilling to assist, she turns to the ever-resourceful Ravi and offers him £10,000 to erase the past once more. She even steals a van to facilitate the cover-up, lying to her son Harry about her intentions on the eve of her own birthday. All the while, her family celebrates around her, oblivious to the frantic scheme she’s orchestrating to keep her dark secret buried—literally.

Amidst these high-stakes dramas, Kojo drops a personal bombshell: he no longer wants to live with the Knight family when The Vic reopens. Eager to carve out his own path, he sets his sights on a trial shift at The Arches. George, ever the protective father, has his doubts, but Kojo surprises everyone. Not only does he thrive under Harry’s mentorship, but he secures a permanent role and even earns an invite to Nicola’s ill-fated birthday celebration.

Meanwhile, Avani’s reckless choices finally catch up with her. After a party spiraled out of control thanks to her shady connections, Lily and Amy have frozen her out completely. Left isolated, she’s pushed by her mother Priya to reconnect with a more positive influence—Barney. Their lunch at McKlunky’s proves healing, but it doesn’t solve everything. Barney is grappling with his own complications, especially after his biological father Zack is humiliated and dismissed when trying to intervene in a situation involving Barney and bullies at the gym. The tension escalates as Avani accepts Barney’s invitation to Nicola’s party, placing herself squarely in the crosshairs of multiple unraveling storylines.

Back at No. 55, Phil, fueled by Yolande’s advice and his own desperate hope, tries once more to pull Nigel from the brink. But even after a heartfelt reconciliation, Nigel remains resolute in wanting a choice over how his story ends. The friendship between the two men begins to fracture again when Phil, unable to relinquish control, tells Kathy that Nigel must stop working at the café—a place that represents normalcy and purpose for the ailing man.

As the week draws to a close, the people of Walford are left teetering on the edge—Nigel clinging to his autonomy, Nicola scrambling to bury her sins, and Phil fighting a losing battle against time and control. Friendships are tested, truths are weaponized, and for some, the past may finally claw its way into the light.

In a community where everyone’s watching everyone, the real question is: can you truly keep anything buried forever?