Three-strand week for 'EastEnders'

EastEnders have a three-strand week coming up next week, focusing entirely on Whitney and her half-brother Ryan (Neil McDermott), Stacey's (Lacey Turner) bipolar and Max's (Jake Wood) plight to be reunited with Tanya (Jo Joyner).

The first thing to say is that Ryan's an interesting addition to the Square. Many fans have already suggested that he's a replacement Sean Slater (Rob Kazinsky) - and admittedly, Ryan's relationship with Whitney reminds me so much of an early Stacey and Sean. But there feels like there's a lot more to give with Ryan as a character.

There was an immense potential with Sean, too, but with the combination of Rob deciding to leave and the way his storylines panned out, they just didn't quite get round to exploring his back story as some fans would have liked.

I'll not say too much more about Ryan at the moment as I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts when you see the episodes.

Secondly, Stacey's bipolar plot. Wow. Lacey Turner is more than outstanding during next week's episodes. The scenes she turns out with her screen mum Gillian Wright (Jean Slater) are remarkable.

Here's a short clip of one of the scenes from next Tuesday's powerful Simon Ashdown instalment. Click 'play' below to watch.



And finally, the Max and Tanya strand offers some light relief to a mostly-dark bank of episodes.

So in all, a strong week for EastEnders - definitely one not to be missed.

Check back tomorrow for all the spoilers and pictures!

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