FREDDIE Slater is close to getting to the bottom things after arriving in Walford to look for his biological father.
But with evil Graham Foster set to reappear this week, could EastEnders fans also expect Freddie’s mother Little Mo to return?
The truth about Freddie’s parentage comes out this week
Kat Slater will try to hide the truth from Freddie
But could Freddie’s mother Little Mo come back?
1. Dramatic return
The truth of Freddie Slater’s conception was carefully swept under the rug when he first returned to Walford last year.
Freddie (played by Bobby Brazier) came back to the Square ahead of Kat Slater’s wedding to Phil Mitchell and was hellbent on finding out who his father really was.
He was initially convinced that Billy Mitchell was his father due to his mother, Little Mo, being married to him at the time he was conceived.
However, the market trader made it clear to him – he was looking at the wrong man.
Since then, Freddie has left the issue on a backburner as he was most notably diagnosed with ADHD for the first time.
Coming up on BBC One, Freddie helps Alfie Moon (Shane Richie) arrange a surprise pirate-themed birthday party for Bert and Ernie after his original plans are scuppered when Kat reveals Phil are planning to take the twins away.
The party is a roaring success and after watching Alfie’s amazing fatherly bond with his children, Freddie decides it’s time for him to search for his father.
He turns to Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace), demanding to know about his dad’s identity, but she quickly dismisses him in an attempt to protect him from the truth.
An undeterred Freddie continues to search for answers, and asks Alfie and Billy (Perry Fenwick) to share what they know.
Kat intercepts the conversation and agrees to tell Freddie the truth later that evening but not wanting to betray Little Mo’s trust, she lies.
Unfortunately for Kat, her own son Tommy Moon betrays her when he overhears a conversation between her, Jean (Gillian Wright) and Harvey Monroe (Ross Boatman).
The little boy heads to Freddie to share his dad’s real name – Graham Foster.
Freddie later beams as he discovers ‘Graham Foster’ on a car dealership website with a contact number, completely unaware of what really happened between him and Little Mo.
Bobby Beale (Clay Milner Russell) helps Freddie set up a clandestine meeting with his dad, Graham, as he pretends to test drive one of his cars.
Overwhelmed at being face to face with his dad, Freddie soon reveals his true identity – how will Graham react?
Fans of the London-based drama have been keen to see Kacey Ainsworth reprise her role as Little Mo as Graham Foster comes back to haunt Walford.
Little Mo left the Square in 2006 with a young Freddie in tow but could she come back as the show revisits her rape storyline?
Martin has been suspicious of Theo from day one
2. Martin exposes Theo
Stacey Slater’s secret sex work took a nightmarish turn when she realised one of her clients was lurking in the shadows and watching her every move.
In recent scenes, the bap van owner played by Lacey Turner was horrified to receive flowers from the persistent admirer.
But this week she refuses to be intimidated and comes up with a plan alongside best pal Eve Unwin (Heather Peace).
The pair try to lure Stacey’s stalker to No.31 after she receives lingerie from him at the bap van, but their plan is interrupted when Martin Fowler (James Bye) finds Stacey hiding outside the house.
After their conversation turns sour, Stacey bumps into Theo Hawthorne (William Ellis) who covers and explains he’s arrived to talk to Stacey about Lily’s tutoring.
Stacey invites Theo in for a tea, unaware of the potential danger she may be in.
Viewers of the London-based drama learned that Stacey’s stalker and online client is none other than Theo himself.
The newcomer has developed an unhealthy obsession with Stacey and decided to keep her close most notably by tutoring her pregnant daughter Lily for free.
Theo has been welcomed into the Slater household with open arms as he continues to help the family – but his kindness clearly has a price.
Stacey is on high alert around the men of Walford as she searches for the identity of her stalker, and decides to take the afternoon off to watch the Women’s World Cup in The Albert.
As she starts to enjoy herself, an awkward Martin and Zack Hudson (James Farrar) arrive and deflate Stacey’s mood.
Later, Stacey finds herself in an uncomfortable situation when she is propositioned by a drunk reveller, but Theo steps in to save the day.
Martin hasn’t been Theo’s biggest fans and was firmly convinced the teacher was up to no good.
And due to his own experience, he could be the one to help Stacey through her stalking ordeal, as one viewer theorised.
“Martin’s talking from experience – remember he had a stalker (a woman who he drunkenly slept with) in 2004 who almost killed him, Sonia and mum Pauline”, they wrote.
Will Martin be able to expose Theo?
Could Sonia be pregnant?
3. Baby drama
Reiss Colwell was introduced to viewers for the first time ahead of Dot Cotton’s funeral and immediately hit it off with Sonia.
The beloved nurse portrayed by Natalie Cassidy gave romance a chance after many viewers begged soap bosses to give her love life a boost although they were suspicious of Reiss.
Viewers were proven right when it was revealed that Reiss (Jonny Freeman) was still married to his wife Debbie but there was a twist.
In May, 2023, Reiss’s secret was thrown into the spotlight for a shocked Sonia to see and, to explain himself, he brought her to his wife Debbie.
Devastated viewers of the London-based program learned that Reiss’ wife Debbie had suffered a stroke during their marriage and was left bed-ridden as a result, unable to speak or move.
Reiss has been taking care of Debbie alone at a hospice but he asks Sonia to take over after he’s called into a client crisis.
Sonia is upset and her pal Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) encourages her to tell Reiss the truth about her feelings towards Debbie.
But there’s an even bigger ordeal Sonia may have to take care of first.
Sonia is late on her period and worries to Whitney that she might be pregnant.
Soap fans are already speculating that Sonia will find out she is pregnant as it could be a spanner in the works for Reiss who is torn between his love for her and his love for his wife Debbie.
One viewer theorised: “Sonia is 38, women have had children later on in life like Sharon when she had Albie, so it’s possible unless there’s a much more serious story about to happen.”
Could they be right?
Will Honey help Ben through his eating disorder ordeal?
4. Honey reaches out to Ben
Elsewhere in Albert Square, Ben Mitchell (portrayed by Max Bowden) was left a shell of himself amid Lola Pearce’s brain tumour battle.
As her condition worsened, he turned to the only thing in his life he could control – his food intake.
The hard-hitting storyline took a turn as Lola was left at death’s door.
Crumbling under the pressure of looking after Lexi and coping while Lola’s health rapidly deteriorated, Ben secretly developed an eating disorder.
Eating and purging have become a part of Ben’s routine since Lola’s tear-jerking death, unbeknownst to anybody in the Square.
Coming up, Callum Highway (Tony Clay) and Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick) are both in the Vic as they make flippant remarks about Ben’s loss of appetite.
Although both characters remain unaware of his battle with bulimia, it becomes clear that Honey Mitchell (Emma Barton) is picking up on Ben’s discomfort around food.
And it’s very unlikely she’ll sit back and let him suffer in silence.
What will she do to help him?
What will Anna find out about her mother?
5. Cindy tracked down
Meanwhile, Anna Knight (Molly Rainford) continues her search for her mother Rose Knight, unaware that her real name is Cindy Beale.
However, her plans are under threat when the Knights are quick to question a disgruntled Gina (Francesca Henry) as Linda (Kellie Bright) reveals that there is £200 missing from The Vic takings.
Driven by her suspicions, Gina later discovers that Anna stole the cash to hire a private investigator to track down their mum.
A horrified Gina goes to reveal all to George (Colin Salmon), but she falters before Anna lies that she left the cash on the side whilst cashing up the night before and someone must have taken it.
Once alone, Gina gives Anna an ultimatum that it’s her or her mum.
But after a heart-to-heart with Bobby Beale (Clay Milner Russell) and Freddie Slater, Anna decides to go through with her decision to look for her mum.
Tensions rise between Anna and Gina in later scenes as she secretly meets with a private investigator to share information about their mum’s disappearance.
Sensing friction between his daughters, George traps Anna in her lie about the stolen money which forces Anna to reveal the true reason behind the missing £200.
George implores Anna to call off the search for fear she will get hurt before heading to the Boxing Den to find Gina letting off steam on the punching bag.
A guilty Anna later decides to call off the search for her mum, but her private detective calls and reveals he’s had a positive lead in his search.
What will he tell Anna?
Fans have been warned that Cindy will be making her way back to Walford in upcoming scenes of the long-running program.
Could Anna be the one to bring her back?
EastEnders airs from Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One.
