{"id":460642,"date":"2026-05-21T20:50:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T20:50:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/460642\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T20:50:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T20:50:14","slug":"eastenders-ian-and-elaine-to-make-a-big-decision-after-their-kiss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/460642\/","title":{"rendered":"EastEnders’ Ian and Elaine to make a big decision after their kiss"},"content":{"rendered":"

EastEnders spoilers<\/a> follow.<\/p>\n

EastEnders’ Ian Beale and Elaine Peacock make a serious decision about the future of their relationship next week, following their impulsive kiss<\/a> after the local election.<\/p>\n

After months of heated rivalry, Ian and Elaine’s political campaigns came to a fiery head when the businessman pipped Elaine to the post<\/a> thanks to his girlfriend Bea Pollard’s meddling.<\/p>\n

\"elaine<\/p>\n

BBC<\/p>\n

Related: EastEnders airs surprise exit for much-loved character in early iPlayer release<\/a><\/p>\n

Despite Elaine’s initial upset, Ian’s soft side came to the surface and he apologised \u2013 leading them to snog!<\/p>\n

“Ever since Ian and Elaine locked lips, they haven’t known how to act around each other,” explains our EastEnders source.<\/p>\n

“Ian’s a single man now that he’s dumped his crazy ex-girlfriend Bea<\/a>, and he and Elaine have developed a genuine bond \u2013 which is rare for him.<\/p>\n

“If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll realise what he has and ask Elaine out on a proper date before someone else does. Perhaps sparks could fly over a plate of jellied eels\u2026”<\/p>\n

In the Vic, Ian and Elaine decide to dispel any awkwardness between them and clear the air. The former rivals agree to just be friends \u2013 but can they keep that promise?<\/p>\n

\"ian<\/p>\n

BBC<\/p>\n

Related: EastEnders confirms life-changing new Ian Beale story in advanced spoilers<\/a><\/p>\n

“Ian and Elaine weren’t even friends before they kissed, so the idea that they can be all civil now that they fancy each other seems pretty unlikely,” continues our spy.<\/p>\n

“They’re no longer in competition with each other, so there’s no need for them to return to the barbed digs.<\/p>\n

“Plus, both of their exes are newly loved up too, so they may as well just give in to their desires. After all, Peacock Palace has plenty of bedrooms.”<\/p>\n

Despite their mutual understanding, Ian kisses Elaine’s hand at the bar and the two exchange furtive glances while they await their drinks.<\/p>\n

\"ian<\/p>\n

BBC<\/p>\n

Related: EastEnders reveals new details of Will Mitchell storyline in special BBC week<\/a><\/p>\n

After such a tumultuous dynamic, is this really the end of Ian and Elaine’s budding romance?<\/p>\n

Or could there be more passion on the horizon for the new councillor and his favourite hotelier? <\/p>\n

Speaking earlier this year<\/a> about their chances, Harriet Thorpe \u2013 who plays Elaine \u2013 told Inside Soap<\/a>: “I love the beef they have. There are serious stories going on with other characters that are often life and death, but with Ian and Elaine, it’s the pettiness and hilarity of the neighbourhood WhatsApp group, and it’s a joy to play.”<\/p>\n

Asked whether they’d ever get together, she replied: “I couldn’t possibly say! Ian is another one [as well as Max Branning] who’s worked his way around the Square, I don’t think Elaine has time for all that, but who knows?”<\/p>\n

EastEnders airs on Mondays-Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast. <\/p>\n

Read more EastEnders spoilers on our dedicated homepage<\/a><\/p>\n

Visit our Streaming Guide<\/a> now to see at a glance where you can view ALL your favourite shows and movies.<\/p>\n

The new edition of Living Legends, a collector’s edition exploring the royal family, is here! Buy The Royals in newsagents or online<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"EastEnders spoilers follow. EastEnders’ Ian Beale and Elaine Peacock make a serious decision about the future of their…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":460643,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[131172,131124,1105,199522,1107,93,61,60,184510,1135,199521,131322,282],"class_list":["post-460642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-collection-inside-soap","tag-collection-latest-news","tag-content-type-news","tag-contentid-ca25ca49-3738-4f6b-8219-11245b020c91","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-issyndicated-false","tag-locale-gb","tag-shorttitle-eastenders-ian-and-elaine-make-big-choice-after-kiss","tag-subsection-eastenders","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/460642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=460642"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/460642\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/460643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=460642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=460642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=460642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}