The BBC One soap promises to be a huge year for the Branning clan, especially, but particularly for Max Branning (Jake Wood), after a flash-forward episode on New Year's Day revealed a lot of change would take place for the roguish Walford legend.
So, here are a selection of characters who should have a huge 2026 in EastEnders...
1. Chelsea Fox (Zaraah Abrahams)
Denise's eldest daughter has had a quieter time in Walford in the last couple of years – aside from last year's all too brief club crush storyline – with Chelsea mostly just relegated to serving drinks in Harry's Barn.
Chelsea has a long history in Walford and is an ideal figure to bridge older and newer characters, so we hope the show makes good on the promise of more Chelsea in 2026.
2. Penny Branning (Kitty Castledine)
The wily, confident, and sharp-tongued Branning is the closest thing that her cousin Lauren Beale (Jacqueline Jossa) has to a best friend and age-matched sister these days and also deserves to get her time in the spotlight along with the other Brannings.
Thankfully, it's looking up for Penny's screen time now that she has been paired in a friendship with Gina Knight (Francesca Henry) and also in a potential romance with Vinny Panesar (Shiv Jalota) following their unexpected kiss on New Year's Eve.
Is 2026 the year for a love story with Ms Branning?
3. Denise Fox (Diane Parish)
However, since the 40th anniversary vote, where viewers chose for Denise to reconcile with ex-husband Jack Branning, she has been rather absent from episodes, instead only playing a small and supporting role in proceedings.
Either way, we will be glad when we see Parish getting the material she can shine with when the drama starts up again for her.
She's also getting back her younger daughter, Libby Fox (Belinda Owusu), at some point, so it'll be good to see the Fox family all back together again.
4. Oscar Branning (Pierre Counihan-Moullier)
Oscar has been a real breath of fresh air, with Counihan-Moullier adept at pathos and comedy, particularly in being so physically expressive. performer.
The dynamic between Counihan-Moullier and Jake Wood also works so naturally already, so we anticipate great material for Max and Oscar.
Basically, get Oscar in a community hub and interact with as many people as possible!
5. Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy)
Priya and Ravi remain an electric pairing, with Aaron Thiara and Khan Levy having fantastic chemistry, but we hope for more for Priya than just being Ravi's long-suffering spouse.
The next Queen Vic barmaid, anyone?
6. Linda Carter (Kellie Bright)
Now back in Walford, Linda has already become tied up in the dramas of Max Branning (Jake Wood) and is now running 'boutique hotel' Peacock Palace with her mum, Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe – going from strength to strength despite Elaine leaving the Queen Vic), and is soon to be reunited with an old school peer Bea Pollard (Ronni Anconna).
Linda, especially post-rehab, needs to remain a guiding light on the Square but also to show off the bubbly and tenacious personality she always had since arriving in the soap back in 2013, and that's despite the tragedies and traumas of recent years.
Kellie Bright deserves to be at the heart of the show and remains one of its leading lights, regardless of whether Linda is the landlady or not.
7. Vinny Panesar (Shiv Jalota)
Vinny's biggest stories have included being manipulated by evil dad Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry), almost killing his mother's then-lover, Eve Unwin (Heather Peace), and his on-off romance with Dotty Cotton (Milly Zero).
Actor Shiv Jalota previously teased Digital Spy that he would be getting a "beautiful" storyline soon, so perhaps this could be it...
8. Vicki Fowler (Alice Haig)
A true legacy character who hadn't been used in 20 years, and something of an accent-shifting mischief maker in her last stint as a young woman, how would the daughter of Den Watts (Leslie Grantham) and Michelle Fowler (Susan Tully, Jenna Russell) turn out as an adult?
Vicki is fitted in so well with the community of Walford and the soap has made the most of the character's history with other residents, which has been vital in the absence of Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean).
With Joel's trial and a love triangle with Ross Marshall (Alex Walkinshaw) and Sharon's half-brother Zack Hudson (James Farrar), it seems there's a well of drama for Vicki to front and we hope the soap makes the most of it.
9. Kojo Asare (Dayo Koleosho)
Since he arrived in 2024, we have also borne witness to Kojo's attempts to gain agency, independence and strong friendships outside of the Knight/Asare clan.
Now that the story surrounding Kojo's exploitation by a drug dealer is over, he is back living under the watchful eye of brother George Knight (Colin Salmon), but we hope we continue to see how Kojo navigates the community of Walford with stories in his own right in 2026.
10. Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf)
To risk sounding like a broken record, but Sam is such a strong character and Medcalf such a natural and moving performer who works well with so many co-stars, that every scene we get with her at present just demonstrates what an asset to the show they both are.
Whatever happens, when Sam goes again, we need her back ASAP and, ideally, for good!
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