Eastenders’ 40th anniversary is just months away. The BBC show has been teasing major arrivals and storylines for months, with some huge characters already making a

return. Most recently,Louisa Lytton made her return as Ruby with Martin Fowler’s son in hand. Other noticeable returns saw Michael French back on the square as David

Wicks, while legendary character Chrissie Watts also made an on-screen return.

Bosses have also revealed the highly anticipated episode in February will be broadcast live, and in a show first, viewers will be able to have their say and vote for the outcome of a certain love story. However, who this will entail has been kept under wraps.

Fans think they spotted a clue on Sharon’s phone during Monday night’s episode

EastEnders are known for keeping huge storylines secret, so naturally fans have started to speculate, and now they think they’ve worked out which two huge characters will be back for the anniversary after spotting an “obvious clue” in Monday night’s episode.

Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) was seen contemplating making a phone call to Martin Fowler (James Bye), and some eagle eyed viewers spotted two very recognisable names on her phone. The first was her former stepdaughter, Phil Mitchell’s (Steve McFadden) daughter Louise Mitchell. The character first appeared on screen in 2001, however, made her exit from Walford in 2020.

Michelle Fowler, the sister of Martin and cousin of Ian Beale, who are both still on the square could also be seen in Sharon’s contact list. Michelle was last in E20 in 2018, before she went off to reside in Australia.

Fans also think Louise will be making a return

Now, fans think the fact the contacts were shown was no coincidence, as they speculate foreshadowing of a return for the pair. Taking to Reddit, one fan started off the discussion by posing the question: “In last night’s EE episode Sharon could have just had Martin’s contact details up ready to call him but these characters’ names were also deliberately showed. Do you think this is a clue to 40th anniversary appearances?”

Another wrote: “I would love Michelle to come back. I’m not fussed about Louise at all – wasn’t a fan of the character but if she came back for a short run it would make sense while Phil is still around. I’d imagine it would be a recast though.”

Although the exact date for the live episode has not been revealed, it has been confirmed it will be taking place in 2025. Speaking on the milestone, Executive Producer Chris Clenshaw said: “The 40th anniversary is a milestone event for EastEnders, and we have been planning this week for a long time to ensure that it’s a week full of drama and surprises.

“In fact, as our regular audience will know, we have already seen the return of familiar faces and have many more nods to our history to come which will all build up to our momentous anniversary week.”