7 EastEnders Spoilers for Next Week – 17th to 20th March

Next week on EastEnders, Phil prepares to return to Walford, the mystery of Harry’s missing ex-girlfriend deepens, Nigel slips up, and Kathy faces an awkward situation after her kiss with Harvey.

Here’s everything in store in Walford from Monday 17th to Thursday 20th March.

1) The mystery of Harry’s ex deepens

Soon after the new Mitchells arrived in Walford, it became clear that Teddy (Roland Manookian), Harry (Elijah Holloway) and Barney (Lewis Bridgeman) were hiding from something in their past. Before long, we learnt that Harry’s ex-girlfriend Shireen had disappeared some four years ago, and Harry was a prime suspect in her disappearance.

Harry had never been charged with anything, despite the cops’ best efforts, and even Jack’s (Scott Maslen) attempts to get answers – after Jack began to get close to Penny (Kitty Castledine) – proved fruitless.

This week, we picked the storyline back up, as Nicola (Laura Doddington) tried to warn Sharon (Letitia Dean) and Zack (James Farrar) off revealing to Teddy that Zack is actually Barney’s biological dad.

Nicola made it clear that Teddy was the one responsible for Shireen’s death, and that her killer ex-husband would get rid of all three of them without losing a wink of sleep.

Conveniently, Nicola’s threats came just before the 4th anniversary of Shireen’s disappearance, which rolls around next week. Tension builds at No. 1, before Harry gets an unexpected visit from Asad, Shireen’s brother.

Despite Harry being a prime suspect, Asad tells him that he no longer believes he was involved in his sister’s disappearance. However, he’s not in Walford to make amends, and as Nicola hosts a vigil at Harry’s Barn for Harry to remember Shireen, chaos erupts when Asad arrives.

Asad publicly accuses Teddy of being the one who killed Shireen. Harry steps in and protects his dad, who denies having anything to do with her disappearance, but it’s clear that Asad’s words have put doubt in Harry’s mind, as he later begs his dad for the truth.

Did Teddy really kill Shireen?

Later, Nicola heads out and meets with a mysterious character named Benji, and asks him where Shireen is – revealing that Nicola had something to do with her disappearance!

2) Kathy is torn

This week, Kathy (Gillian Taylforth) and Harvey (Ross Boatman) shared a kiss, after Harvey prepared a picnic which they shared at the allotment.

While the pair have kissed before, this time it’s clear that they’re developing real feelings for one another, and the week ended with Harvey telling Kathy that he was prepared to end his relationship with Jean (Gillian Wright).

Next Monday, Jean offers to help Ruby (Louisa Lytton) plan Martin’s funeral, but Ruby continues to refuse help, believing she’s got everything under control.

Despite having just kissed Jean’s fiancé, Kathy gives her love rival some advice on how to handle Ruby. Her words of wisdom work, and Jean and Ruby manage to agree to work together on the plans, prompting Jean to head to No. 45 to thank Kathy for her help.

The following day, a reluctant Kathy finds herself caught in the middle of the pair, when it becomes apparent that Jean and Ruby have very different ideas of how the day should go.

3) Nigel slips up

Also next week, Nigel (Paul Bradley) continues to struggle with memory issues. After a difficult day, he breaks down in front of Linda (Kellie Bright), one of the few people who knows that he’s been diagnosed with young-onset dementia.

The following day, Honey (Emma Barton) encourages Billy (Perry Fenwick) to explain to Lexi (Isabella Brown) where Phil (Steve McFadden) has been for the past few weeks, but Billy is adamant that she doesn’t need to know.

However, soon after, Nigel nearly slips up as he mentions Phil in front of Lexi. With Billy having no idea about Nigel’s medical woes, Nigel’s slip-up leaves him angry.

Later, Nigel stumbles upon Lexi reading one of the letters Phil wrote before he attempted to end his own life. However, when Nigel confuses Lexi for his adopted daughter Clare, Lexi ends up convinced that Phil is dead, and flees to find Billy.

In Wednesday’s episode, Lexi asks Honey and Billy if Phil is dead, before breaking down. Billy then heads to No. 55 to confront Nigel – will Nigel tell him the truth about his diagnosis?

Later, Honey and Sharon track Billy down to the Boxing Den, where they tell him that Callum (Tony Clay) is planning to tell Lexi the truth about her granddad.

Billy later apologises to Callum and Lexi in the café, and with Lexi now knowing the truth, the trio join Linda and Nigel, as they all had to Phil’s mental health unit to pay him a visit.

4) Junior and Teddy team up

On Tuesday, Harry arrives back at No. 1 more than a little worse for wear after the anniversary of Shireen’s disappearence.

Meanwhile, Teddy meets with Junior (Micah Balfour), as the pair have decided to go into business together. Nicola still has her own dodgy business dealings, and Ravi (Aaron Thiara) summons her to Walford East where he reveals that there’s currently a dangerous batch of drugs doing the rounds.

When Teddy catches Nicola on the phone to a drug supplier back at No. 1, she’s forced to come clean about her dark new side hustle.

However, she’s more concerned about Teddy’s new venture, as she begs him to withdraw his support for Junior’s business plans – but why doesn’t she want him involved in Junior’s project?

5) Harry makes a fool of himself

Harry, still worse for wear and spiralling, makes a show of himself as he picks a fight with Felix (Matthew James Morrison) at The Albert.

Nicola and Teddy are forced to drag their drunk son back home.

The following day, Teddy tells Sharon that he still cares for her, despite now knowing that she slept with Grant (Ross Kemp). However, now that Sharon believes that Teddy had something to do with Shireen’s disappearance, will she want anything more to do with him?

Later, Teddy calls Junior to confirm that their business deal is still on, something which he decides to keep secret from Nicola.

6) Phil’s weeks away are explored

On Thursday, a special episode will focus on Phil’s time in the mental health unit. The episode will take place over four weeks, beginning from 20th February (the day of the show’s live episode, when Phil agreed to receive help) to the present day.

The episode focusses focus on Phil’s journey in the unit from the moment he starts treatment, as he prepares to face his inner trauma and understand what may have contributed to his depression diagnosis and his symptoms of psychosis.

As we see Phil’s early days in the unit, he struggles to settle in, and is initially reluctant to open up during group activities and his therapy sessions. However, as the days go by, he meets a fellow patient named Gaz (Keith Allen), and the pair soon bond over their shared life experiences.

Phil enjoys having Gaz for support, but is left disheartened when he learns that Gaz will soon be leaving the unit.

Over the four weeks he’s been away, Phil continues to face his trauma, and support worker Yasmin eventually helps Phil see that he’s ready to leave the unit and return home.

Phil listens to voicemails from Sharon and Nigel, before making the decision to discharge himself. Is Phil ready to return to life on Albert Square?

7) Elsewhere…

Also next week, Amy (Ellie Dadd) and Avani (Aaliyah James) try to help Lily (Lillia Turner) cope with her ongoing grief after Martin’s (James Bye) death.

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Here are the EastEnders spoilers for next week:

Monday 17th March (Episode 7085)

Harry receives an unexpected visitor, Kathy gives Jean some words of wisdom, and Nigel opens up to Linda.

Tuesday 18th March (Episode 7086)

Nicola attempts to take control of a situation, Jean and Ruby continue to clash, and Billy remains firm on a decision.

Wednesday 19th March (Episode 7087)

The pressure continues to mount for Billy, Amy and Avani help a friend in need, and Teddy embarks on a new business venture.

Thursday 20th March (Episode 7088)

Phil attempts to face his inner trauma at the mental health unit.