EastEnders spoilers follow.
EastEnders business owners Ian Beale and Elaine Peacock are set to face off again next week, when Elaine reveals a new advertising sign for Peacock Palace! Ever since Elaine opened her boutique hotel, her fierce rival Ian has found an issue with everything she does.
In an attempt to attract new customers in the New Year, Elaine handed out leaflets declaring that the Peacock Palace breakfasts are way better than those at Kathy’s café.
Needless to say, Kathy and Ian were unhappy about these spiteful claims, and next week the situation escalates when Elaine unveils another contentious sign that gets people talking once again.
Grumpy Ian is quick to objects to the new sign – and after the pair have another bust-up at The Vic, Ian calls Councillor Barker to make an official complaint!
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BBC
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“Ian sees himself and his family as the entrepreneurial moguls of Walford, and he doesn’t like having competition,” says our EastEnders insider. “He dobs in Elaine with an official complaint to the council, but just as his plan to get the sign removed seems to be working, Elaine comes across some valuable information…”
When Honey shares some secret intel about Councillor Barker with Elaine, the savvy B&B owner decides to make it work to her advantage and uses the information as leverage to strike a deal with the Councillor.
Hearing of the arrangement, Ian is furious, so decides to fight fire with fire and get his own back on Elaine…
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BBC
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However, when the fiery feud steps up yet another gear, Harvey is forced to intervene and proposes that Ian and Elaine reach a truce. Will Harvey be able to get Ian and Elaine on the same page, or is this just the beginning of their heated rivalry?
Also coming up next week, Kat returns to Walford and takes Jasmine along to visit Zoe, who is currently in prison, having been charged with the murder of Anthony.
Viewers now know that it was actually Jasmine who killed Anthony on Christmas Day, after she admitted to the crime while visiting her biological day’s body this week.
When Zoe announces that she is going to plead guilty, Kat wants Jasmine to help clear her mum’s name – but Jasmine is secretly planning on fleeing Albert Square…
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. This week’s episode features a chat with Coronation Street star Jacob Roberts, who plays Kit Green.