EastEnders boss Kate Oates has teased some major storylines for 2019.
Kate answered fans' questions in a Q&A video posted on the BBC soap's Twitter account, explaining that she has big plans for Ruby's consent plot and Jean's mental health.
"I’ve got so much planned. 2019 is going to be a really big year. We’ve got some fantastic long-term arcs for you guys," Kate said. "The storylines will be really rich and diverse."
On Jean Slater's (Gillian Wright) mental health storyline, she continued: "She’s going to have a challenge coming her way where we look at her mental health through her physical health. So I’m excited about that one too."
Discussing Ruby Allen's (Louisa Lytton) consent plot, Kate stated: "We're gonna be colliding that with another story a little bit further down into springtime.
"I think that what we'll be doing with that Ruby storyline is first of all looking at the truth of her journey, as how she deals with what happened to her.
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"Another thing I'm interested in with this story is that we're not forgetting that Ruby is Johnny Allen's (Billy Murray) daughter," she added. "That will offer a different kind of drama with this storyline."
Kate also spoke about her plans for more LGBTQ+ characters on the soap, explaining: "We’re looking at opening a new gay bar on the Square. It will be a super cool precinct where gay and straight characters can hang out and stories can cross. It will be exciting and visual.
"It should be something really exciting, really fun, really visual and feel really true to multi-cultural London."
She also revealed that, as well as Lola Pearce, there are a couple more "great returnees planned".
"You may know that Lola is coming back so I’m really looking forward to seeing her in the Square," Kate added.
"We’ve got a couple more secret returnees coming. One is coming back in Spring that I’m really excited about.
"It's going to be a fairly short stint but I think it's going to have a really huge impact so they’re part of my big plans for 2019."
EastEnders airs on BBC One.
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