EastEnders spoilers follow.

EastEnders has confirmed that the war between Elaine Peacock and Ian Beale heats up next week, as the fierce opponents start a physical fight on the Square! When Elaine secures a free venue thanks to George, her campaign appears to be on the up – and she relishes the chance to rub it in Ian’s smug face…

“Elaine wastes no time in lording it over Ian,” says our EastEnders insider. “She wants to show Walford that they’d be better off with a Peacock in power, but Ian’s thwarting her plan. She’s completely lost patience for his games – but she doesn’t expect a fight!”

ian beale, elaine knight, eastenders

BBC

elaine knight, ian beale, eastenders

BBC

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The next step of Elaine’s campaign faces a disappointing setback when she realises the venue she’d secured to speak to the residents of Walford has been double booked! When the venue cancels on her, Elaine is devastated that her moment to shine has been ruined…

But the wannabe councillor finds a surprising shoulder to cry on when ex-hubby George offers her support during her setback.

As Elaine expresses that this was her chance to prove she can still be a landlady to the people of Walford, even though she’s no longer behind the bar of the Vic, her words strike a chord.

“Elaine’s vulnerability really moves George,” explains our source. “There’s a part of him that still feels responsible for Elaine losing the pub, and along with that her spotlight. So he makes a gesture of goodwill, proving he still cares…”

Feeling bad for his former love, George tells Elaine she can have his new restaurant, Knight Fusion, as her venue – and she can have it completely free! Elaine is delighted by the news, giving her a surge of determination to make her campaign a success.

ian beale, elaine knight, eastenders

BBC

elaine knight, ian beale, eastenders

BBC

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However, the news doesn’t go down well with Ian, who believes she now has an unfair advantage. Elaine jumps at the chance to prove to Ian that her campaign is thriving and rubs the news in his face. But her smug attitude soon backfires…

Frothing with anger, Ian insults Elaine and the pair end up in a tussle. The situation spirals out of hand, and although we can’t reveal the outcome of their spat, pictures from later in the week show Ian arriving with a rather lazy peace offering – fish and chips!

Will Elaine be swayed by a free fish supper? Or will their rivalry continue to simmer until the votes are counted?

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.

Read more EastEnders spoilers on our dedicated homepage

For exclusive soap star interviews, gossip, spoilers and theories every week, don’t miss the Soap Scoop podcast from Inside Soap magazine. The latest episode delves into next week’s soap spoilers for EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale – as Gary Windass battles Theo Silverton, and Kim Tate is rocked by a poisoning mystery!