Two EastEnders legends return while three leave forever in early iPlayer release (2025)

This article contains spoilers for tonight’s episode of EastEnders, which airs on BBC One at 7.30pm or can be streamed now on iPlayer.

Sonia and Bex Fowler (Natalie Cassidy and Jasmine Armfield) have driven off into the sunset for their happily ever after – with Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer).

Not forgetting baby Julia, of course.

Someone pass this tissues, as this soaps reporter is an emotional wreck after seeing the family leave Albert Square for pastures new.

Earlier this week it seemed like the show was adamant to demonise Bianca, ostracising her from yet another family member.

Sonia had disowned her after she sold a story about their ordeal with killer Reiss Colwell (Jonny Freeman) to a journalist, and the resulting podcast chat went viral.

True-crime tourists flooded to her home, taking pictures of her house number and creating an unsafe environment for her to raise her baby.

She ordered Bianca out – and said she wasn’t surprised that her adoptive daughter Whitney (Shona McGarty) wanted nothing to do with her.

There was a collective sigh of relief when they made amends, but faced another hurdle in form of Sonia’s estranged father Terry (Glen Davies).

Claiming he was a changed man, he wanted Sonia, Bex and Julia to come and stay with him in Bali, where he operated a mindfulness business. Given her recent trauma, Son’ was more than happy to join him.

Terry splashed the cash, buying plane tickets and organising for his speedboat to be sent over to the Indonesian island.

However, his true colours shone through when he attacked Bianca and left her with some nasty bruises. Would Sonia believe that her dad was capable?

In today’s instalment, we were treated to a giant dose of nostalgia as Sonia listened back to a tape recording of her grandma Dot Cotton.

Hearing the late June Brown’s voice signified that this wasn’t just going to be your average EastEnders exit, it was the end of an era.

Bianca bravely spoke up and showed her injuries, but Terry was adamant that he’d only grabbed her in self defence.

After packing her belongings and sending family pet Jasper Parrot off to live with Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth), she headed to the local prison for some much-needed advice.

But who was she meeting?

Rocky Cotton (Brian Conley), who posed as Terry to get his hands on her inheritance money in 2021. He was eventually sent to jail for an insurance scam last year.

Despite his dastardly behaviour, Son’ told him that he was the closest she’d had to a dad in years, and trusted his words.

He told her to put herself first – and she did just that. She came home and told Terry that she was thankful for his offer, but she wanted to leave with her daughters, not with him.

Bianca was relieved to hear that she hadn’t take him up on his offer, and Terry lashed out, branding the family as a ‘bunch of chavs’.

Sonia was horrified and finally saw him for the man he really is, and decided a revenge plan was needed.

We won’t reveal exact details, but the events that followed were highly comedic and will go down as one of the funniest moments ever to come out of Walford.

Bex grabbed the tickets to Bali, as Bianca quickly packed her bags. She was coming along for the ride too.

All of the community then turned up to say their goodbyes, with Sonia making an emotional visit to late husband Martin’s (James Bye) memorial on Bridge Street.

Peter Beale and Lauren Branning (Thomas Law and Jacqueline Jossa) were gifted a piece of soap history – the keys to Dot’s home, which has been preserved in aspic ever since her exit in 2020.

Bex then got into Terry’s hire car, as Bianca convinced Sonia to leave in style, being towed in the speedboat behind.

Iconic.

As the infamous first bars of Julia’s theme kicked in, Sonia belted out one final tune on her trumpet.

Equally as iconic.

And just like that, I’m crying again.

EastEnders continues tonight at 7.30pm on BBC One.

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