{"id":379833,"date":"2026-01-20T07:11:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T07:11:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/379833\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T07:11:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T07:11:12","slug":"5-eastenders-spoilers-mark-jr-returns-and-joel-trial-twist-rocks-vicki","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/379833\/","title":{"rendered":"5 EastEnders spoilers: Mark Jr returns and Joel trial twist rocks Vicki"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There could finally be some closure for Vicki Fowler (Alice Haig) in <a href=\"http:\/\/radiotimes.com\/tv\/soaps\/eastenders\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">EastEnders<\/a> next week, as her vile step-son Joel Marshall (Max Murray) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/soaps\/eastenders\/eastenders-boss-love-triangle-vicki-fowler-disturbed-joel-marshall-trial-newsupdate\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">heads to court.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>She&#8217;s terrified of the outcome and falls on Zack Hudson (James Farrar) for support. But will the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/soaps\/eastenders\/eastenders-mark-fowler-jr-stephen-aaron-sipple-recast-flash-forward-newsupdate\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">return of her brother<\/a> Mark Jr (Stephen Aaron-Sipple) be another cause for concern?<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Max Branning (Jake Wood) makes it his mission to shut down Jasmine Fisher&#8217;s (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/soaps\/eastenders\/eastenders-kat-moon-zoe-slater-reunite-jasmine-fisher-killer-iplayer-newsupdate\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">plan to leave<\/a> Albert Square, and some news from George Knight (Colin Salmon) enrages Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe).<\/p>\n<p>Elsewhere, Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) continues to fight his inner turmoil, and Bea Pollard (Ronni Ancona) impresses Vinny Panesar (Shiv Jalota).<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s a look at everything happening in EastEnders between Monday 26th and Thursday 29th January 2026.<\/p>\n<p>5 EastEnders spoilers for next week1. Mark Fowler Jr hides the reason for his return<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image__img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/545873-cfdf8d3.jpg\" alt=\"An angry looking Phil watches Vicki and Mark hugging in his living room in EastEnders\" data-item-name=\"An angry looking Phil watches Vicki and Mark hugging in his living room in EastEnders\" title=\"545873,TITLE:Eastenders\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1 \/ 0.6667444574095682;object-fit:contain\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"700\" height=\"466.72112018669776\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Mark Jr (Stephen Aaron-Sipple) reunites with sister Vicki (Alice Haig).\u00a0BBC\/Jack Barns\/Kieron McCarron<\/p>\n<p>Mark Fowler Jr, the son of Michelle Fowler and Grant Mitchell, returns to Walford after years of living in Florida.<\/p>\n<p>Vicki, Phil and Sam are stunned to see him and demand answers, and he quickly covers, explaining that he&#8217;s there to support his big sister ahead of Joel&#8217;s trial.<\/p>\n<p>In her absence, he explains the true story to his uncle Phil and pleads for help. However, Phil is too preoccupied with his plan to take Nigel to Portugal that night.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image__img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/545890-5d2302b.jpg\" alt=\"Phil stands looking at Julie, who is looking at her phone, in a scene from EastEnders\" data-item-name=\"Phil stands looking at Julie, who is looking at her phone, in a scene from EastEnders\" title=\"545890,TITLE:Eastenders\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1 \/ 0.6730769230769231;object-fit:contain\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"700\" height=\"471.1538461538462\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Phil (Steve McFadden) has some explaining to do with Julie (Karen Henthorn).\u00a0BBC\/Jack Barns\/Kieron McCarron<\/p>\n<p>In a bid to make him stick around, Mark divulges Phil&#8217;s secret plan to an oblivious Julie.<\/p>\n<p>Wiill this help Mark or make his problems worse?<\/p>\n<p>2. Max Branning exposes Jasmine Fisher&#8217;s intention to flee<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image__img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/545885-dc6b662.jpg\" alt=\"Oscar smiles, pointing at a piece of paper and looking at Jasmine in the market in a scene from EastEnders\" data-item-name=\"Oscar smiles, pointing at a piece of paper and looking at Jasmine in the market in a scene from EastEnders\" title=\"545885,TITLE:Eastenders\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1 \/ 0.6667445119103222;object-fit:contain\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"700\" height=\"466.7211583372256\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Jasmine (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness) is still eager to leave with Oscar (Pierre Counihan-Moullier).\u00a0BBC\/Jack Barns\/Kieron McCarron<\/p>\n<p>Jasmine is more desperate than ever before to leave Albert Square, having dropped a bombshell about Max and lying to Kat about giving a statement to the police regarding Chrissie&#8217;s involvement in Anthony&#8217;s murder.<\/p>\n<p>As we know, Jasmine is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/soaps\/eastenders\/eastenders-anthony-trueman-killer-jasmine-fisher-reveal-iplayer-newsupdate\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the real killer<\/a> and has allowed mum Zoe to take the rap since Christmas.<\/p>\n<p>When Max discovers that she has no intentions of saving Zoe, he decides to use this intel to force her to stay away from Oscar.<\/p>\n<p>Want to see this content?<\/p>\n<p class=\"consent-placeholder__text mb-0 mt-0\">We&#8217;re not able to show you this content from Google reCAPTCHA. Please sign out of Contentpass to view this content.<\/p>\n<p>Sign out of ContentPass<\/p>\n<p>Later in the week, Oscar lets his mouth run and spills to Kat about his and Jasmine&#8217;s plan to run away. She&#8217;s in disbelief, and even more so when Patrick pins the blame on Kat, saying she&#8217;s put too much pressure on Jasmine to help free Zoe.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Max explains to his son that he confronted Jasmine, and he&#8217;s furious. Kat decides to get to the bottom of Jasmine&#8217;s deceit.<\/p>\n<p>3. George Knight breaks some big news to Elaine Peacock<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image__img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/545880-b3f972e.jpg\" alt=\"Elaine looks upwards to George in The Queen Vic, as Nicola sits behind in a scene from EastEnders\" data-item-name=\"Elaine looks upwards to George in The Queen Vic, as Nicola sits behind in a scene from EastEnders\" title=\"545880,TITLE:Eastenders\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1 \/ 0.6553960166743863;object-fit:contain\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"700\" height=\"458.7772116720704\"\/><\/p>\n<p>George (Colin Salmon) breaks the news about his baby to Elaine (Harriet Thorpe).\u00a0BBC\/Jack Barns\/Kieron McCarron<\/p>\n<p>George reckons it&#8217;s high time he tells ex-wife Elaine that he&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/soaps\/eastenders\/eastenders-pregnancy-nicola-mitchell-newsupdate\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">expecting a child<\/a> with Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington). The two meet for a drink, but she&#8217;s there under the belief he might want to reunite &#8211; with thanks to some advice from Bea.<\/p>\n<p>The two meet up, and George is put in an uncomfortable position. She&#8217;s devastated and deeply embarrassed, and lashes out towards Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) &#8211; and he&#8217;s not best pleased&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>4. Elaine Peacock fights fire with fire in her war with Ian Beale<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image__img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/545903-3342850.jpg\" alt=\"Linda and Elaine - who is holding up a front page of the Walford Gazette, headline reading &quot;Councillor's Sleazy Sessions at the Palace&quot; - look furious in the launderette in a scene from EastEnders\" data-item-name=\"Linda and Elaine - who is holding up a front page of the Walford Gazette, headline reading &quot;Councillor's Sleazy Sessions at the Palace&quot; - look furious in the launderette in a scene from EastEnders\" title=\"545903,TITLE:Eastenders\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1 \/ 0.6803394625176803;object-fit:contain\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"700\" height=\"476.2376237623762\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Elaine is front-page news, and Ian (Adam Woodyatt) is responsible.\u00a0BBC\/Jack Barns\/Kieron McCarron<\/p>\n<p>The week goes from bad to worse when Elaine sees she&#8217;s all over the Walford Gazette following Ian&#8217;s tip-off.<\/p>\n<p>She makes a revenge plan, but things get out of hand, and Kathy is caught between the two when he plots his own scheme. When Elaine offers an apology, the Beales make it clear that they have no intention of forgiving her.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image__img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/545895-f93a9da.jpg\" alt=\"An angry Elaine points at Ian in a scene from EastEnders\" data-item-name=\"An angry Elaine points at Ian in a scene from EastEnders\" title=\"545895,TITLE:Eastenders\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1 \/ 0.6666666666666666;object-fit:contain\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"700\" height=\"466.66666666666663\"\/><\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s war!\u00a0BBC\/Jack Barns\/Kieron McCarron<\/p>\n<p>A row ensues at the cafe, and Ian heads to Peacock Palace, where he explains to Elaine that he intends to run for Councillor Barker&#8217;s seat on the council. If he&#8217;s successful, he&#8217;ll shut down her boutique hotel.<\/p>\n<p>Enraged, Elaine decides to play him at his own game and run for Barker&#8217;s position too.<\/p>\n<p>5. Ravi Gulati is left guilt-ridden after failing to support Avani Nandra-Hart<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image__img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/543576-2d12098.jpg\" alt=\"Ravi Gulati, with his hair down and wearing a black hoody, stands at the bottom of a staircase in EastEnders\" data-item-name=\"Ravi Gulati, with his hair down and wearing a black hoody, stands at the bottom of a staircase in EastEnders\" title=\"543576,TITLE:Eastenders\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1 \/ 0.6665888395984123;object-fit:contain\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"700\" height=\"466.6121877188886\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Ravi (Aaron Thiara) is left guilt-ridden again.\u00a0BBC\/Jack Barns\/Kieron McCarron<\/p>\n<p>Ravi Gulati is still in turmoil after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/soaps\/eastenders\/eastenders-dilemma-priya-nandra-hart-nugget-gulatis-assault-bbc-iplayer-newsupdate\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">attacking Davinder &#8220;Nugget&#8221; Gulati<\/a> (Juhaim Rasul Choudhury) during a spiking incident, and next week attempts to help his son regain his confidence. The teen hasn&#8217;t left the flat, and Ravi hands over some cash to him and his best pal, Denzel Danes (Jaden Ladega), so they can enjoy a day out.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight:400\">The plan seems to work, with Ravi and Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy) relieved to hear their son has decided to go back to Sixth Form.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight:400\">Later, Ravi has a new worry when Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James) asks him to support her in court during Joel&#8217;s trial. He promises her he&#8217;ll be there, but is sidetracked by Jack asking him to play informant on London&#8217;s drug dealers.<\/p>\n<p>Priya is furious that he failed to be there for their daughter, and he&#8217;s immediately consumed by guilt and self-loathing.<\/p>\n<p>4. Joel Marshall goes to trial &#8211; and there&#8217;s an interesting development<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image__img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/545918-6f32379.jpg\" alt=\"Joel, wearing a blue suit and burgundy tie, looks upset in front of a white cup on a table in a scene from EastEnders\" data-item-name=\"Joel, wearing a blue suit and burgundy tie, looks upset in front of a white cup on a table in a scene from EastEnders\" title=\"545918,TITLE:Eastenders\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1 \/ 0.7022041207474844;object-fit:contain\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"700\" height=\"491.5428845232391\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Joel (Max Murray) has so far protested his innocence.\u00a0BBC\/Jack Barns\/Kieron McCarron<\/p>\n<p>Ahead of Joel&#8217;s trial, Vicki <a href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/soaps\/eastenders\/eastenders-boss-love-triangle-vicki-fowler-disturbed-joel-marshall-trial-newsupdate\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">opens up to Zack<\/a> about how much she&#8217;s dreading facing him in court. He thinks up a way to cheer her up and invites her to his flat so she can sample some new recipes that he&#8217;s crafted for The Vic&#8217;s kitchen.<\/p>\n<p>She&#8217;s grateful for the distraction and his kind gesture, but her head is still all over the place when she makes her way to the courthouse with partner Ross Marshall (Alex Walkinshaw) and Mark. Zack notices this and makes a last-minute dash to join them.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight:400\">As Tommy Moon (Sonny Kendall) takes the stand, Joel puts on a front as he gives evidence against him. Vicki is appalled by the defence&#8217;s tactics and rushes out.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image__img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/545897-edc03a3.jpg\" alt=\"Vicki and Zack smile at a dining table surrounded by plates and a glass of wine in a scene from EastEnders\" data-item-name=\"Vicki and Zack smile at a dining table surrounded by plates and a glass of wine in a scene from EastEnders\" title=\"545897,TITLE:Eastenders\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1 \/ 0.6582366589327147;object-fit:contain\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"700\" height=\"460.76566125290026\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Vicki is grateful for Zack&#8217;s (James Farrar) support.\u00a0BBC\/Jack Barns\/Kieron McCarron<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight:400\">The court resumes, but emotions continue to run high for Vicki and Avani. Ross can&#8217;t bring himself to face his son and turns down a visit request, so he asks to see another Walford resident instead.<\/p>\n<p>When the visit doesn&#8217;t go to plan, the court resumes, and the trial takes an intriguing turn.<\/p>\n<p>5. Bea Pollard eyes up a new job with Honey Mitchell<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image__img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/545913-0c24a53.jpg\" alt=\"Honey watches on as Bea tackles a shoplifter to the ground in a scene from EastEnders\" data-item-name=\"Honey watches on as Bea tackles a shoplifter to the ground in a scene from EastEnders\" title=\"545913,TITLE:Eastenders\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1 \/ 0.7135265700483092;object-fit:contain\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"700\" height=\"499.4685990338165\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Bea (Ronni Ancona) proves her worth at the Minute Mart.\u00a0BBC\/Jack Barns\/Kieron McCarron<\/p>\n<p>Wanting to settle down, Bea starts a job hunt. She has no luck &#8211; until she spots someone trying to shoplift from the Minute Mart and ambushes them.<\/p>\n<p>The quick-thinking leads her to apply for a position at the shop, and she proves her worth when she helps Honey Mitchell (Emma Barton) clean up after two teenage girls trash it.<\/p>\n<p>Vinny is seriously impressed by her hard work and diligence, but will he offer her a job?<\/p>\n<p>Read more:<\/p>\n<p>Visit our dedicated <a title=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/soaps\/eastenders\/\" href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/soaps\/eastenders\/\" data-outlook-id=\"407a7332-d02c-42a9-a1ac-e105b2f5e691\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">EastEnders<\/a> page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers.<\/p>\n<p>Add EastEnders to your watchlist on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/download-the-app\/?af_xp=custom&amp;pid=website&amp;c=editorial_content&amp;is_retargeting=true&amp;af_reengagement_window=30d\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Radio Times: What to Watch app<\/a> \u2013 download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.<\/p>\n<p>Check out more of our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/soaps\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/soaps\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1753171828766000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0CQWGoiSAYvZvTD1dZ4eAs\">Soaps<\/a> coverage or visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/tv-listings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/tv-listings\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1753171828766000&amp;usg=AOvVaw32C9VRDQ0MNT5CInEGyMAm\">TV Guide<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/streaming-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/streaming-guide\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1753171828766000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2_j9koCLWjp1srEzK9td3T\">Streaming Guide <\/a>to find out what&#8217;s on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to <a title=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/audio\/podcasts\/\" href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/audio\/podcasts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/audio\/podcasts\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1753171828766000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3wbAcSTIv74D2RLzOpEtYE\">The Radio Times Podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There could finally be some closure for Vicki Fowler (Alice Haig) in EastEnders next week, as her vile&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":379834,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[96,391,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-379833","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-tv","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379833","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=379833"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379833\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/379834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=379833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=379833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=379833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}