Well, we have certainly started 2026 in earnest on EastEnders – including with a look at 2027.
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.
However, Max isn't the only character we'll be needing to see more of in 2026, whether it's those who are underseen on the show or people we just straight up need to see more of or solidify their place in the show.
So, here are a selection of characters who should have a huge 2026 in EastEnders...
1. Chelsea Fox (Zaraah Abrahams)
Thankfully, it seems like Chelsea Fox (Zaraah Abrahams) is in for a big year as one of the potential brides for Max Branning, but it's been a long time coming.
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.
Abrahams has already proven herself a worthy leading heroine for the soap, having fronted strong scenes in the divisive Gray Atkins (Toby-Alexander Smith) storyline, and showing Chelsea's strength and emotion during the breakdown of her romance with Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara), along with her feuding with step-sister Penny Branning (Kitty Castledine).
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)
Speaking of Chelsea's former step-sister, despite her previous vendetta against dad Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) and a short-lived romance with Harry Mitchell (Elijah Holloway), it has been very quiet for Penny Branning in recent months.
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.
In fact, we know Penny has a whole chequered history with crime that remains untapped, along with her relationship with her absent mother, Selina Branning (Daisy Beaumont).
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)
Denise Fox (Diane Parish) is an EastEnders legend and rightfully was one of the leading ladies of the Chris Clenshaw era.
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.
Again, Denise looks set to have a big year if the flash-forward episode is anything to go by, including some marital drama with Jack – but would (and should) the show really undo the audience's decision so quickly?
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)
Yes, we're aware we are seeing a lot of Oscar Branning (Pierre Counihan-Moullier) already, and 2026 promises to be big for him, but given the strength of Oscar's time in Walford so far, too much can't be enough!
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 flash-forward teased further romance for Max Branning's son and also the continued friendship with Patrick Trueman (Rudolph Walker) – which can only be a good thing.
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)
We included Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy) in our round-up of characters we were keen to have a big 2025 – and while Priya finally got together with Ravi, with Khan Levy particularly shining in the scenes after Ravi's recent criminality was exposed to her, we still think there's much more to do with Priya.
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.
So far, Priya has primarily served as a supporting character in the orbit of her family members' stories, never the true protagonist of them. Khan Levy has proven her mettle, and Priya needs to be a series focal point with the talent at her fingertips – either in her own powerful story or in a strong community hub as we need for Oscar.
The next Queen Vic barmaid, anyone?
6. Linda Carter (Kellie Bright)
After being arguably the leading lady of The Six storyline and featuring so heavily in 2024, former Queen Vic landlady Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) featured much less in 2025, with Linda even being on a lengthy world cruise for six months of it!
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).
However, despite this new start for the character, one can't help but be concerned that Linda will either be overshadowed by the larger-than-life Elaine in Peacock Palace or be forced to be the straight-edge to the likes of Elaine or the new addition of Bea.
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)
The last one standing of the original Panesar siblings, Vinny Panesar, has never quite had his time in the spotlight, often a supporting player in the machinations of his parents or siblings.
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).
Following Nish's death, Vinny has felt especially low on screen time, but given the tease of a romance with Penny Branning, could this finally be Vinny's time to shine?
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)
One of the best soap recasts in recent years has to be Alice Haig as Vicki Fowler.
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?
Well, drafting in Haig and channelling the brittle and resilient spirit of Tully's Michelle was a fantastic start, and Haig's performance has only gone from strength to strength – being one of the high points of the misogyny storyline surrounding her partner's son, Joel Marshall (Max Murray).
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)
Aside from the vital representation of neurodivergence that he brings to the soap, Kojo Asare is also a warm, amusing, and loyal character in his own right, with a touching performance from 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.
One of the brightest lights of the Ben Wadey era has to be the friendship between Kojo and his best friend, Harry Mitchell (the rather brilliant Elijah Holloway), making the most of a real-life friendship and chemistry and delivering a strong foundation to an otherwise repetitive drug plot.
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)
Yes, we know that Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf) is only back for a short stint amid her current breast cancer storyline and reunion with Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) and Chrissie Watts (Tracy-Ann Oberman), but we need her for longer!
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.
Whether it's navigating grief, health fears, motherhood, grandmotherhood or friendship, Medcalf delivers the material wonderfully, and Sam feels primed to take a leading role in the Mitchell clan alongside brother Phil.
Whatever happens, when Sam goes again, we need her back ASAP and, ideally, for good!
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