EastEnders has revealed full details of the dramatic explosion in The Vic next week, confirming that not everyone will survive the huge 40th-anniversary episodes.

Reiss Colwell has held Bianca Jackson captive in a lockup since November, in a bid to keep his wife Debbie’s murder a secret. But with Sonia Fowler making a big discovery this week, it has been revealed that Bianca will soon return to the Square and killer Reiss will go missing.

In scenes that will air next week, Sonia begs Bianca to attend Billy and Honey Mitchell’s wedding with her, desperately trying to return to normal despite Reiss being on the loose.

But this isn’t the only problem Bianca has to deal with, as she runs into Grant Mitchell – who she hasn’t seen since 1999. She isn’t pleased to see him, and the pair have a row about the past.

Sonia and Bianca manage to enjoy the celebrations, but they fail to realise that Reiss has secretly returned to Walford. The secret is soon revealed, as when Bianca comes home from the wedding, she is terrified by Reiss, who has snuck into No.25.

They have a major confrontation, with the newly free Bianca determined to make sure that Reiss pays for his crimes.

Reiss and Bianca’s face-off collides with another dramatic showdown in the Square, and a shocking series of events ends with a huge explosion inside The Vic.

With many residents trapped inside the pub, some popular characters face a fight to escape, while Jack Branning leads a mission to rescue friends and neighbours. But it is a race against time, as some parts of The Vic are close to collapsing, and EastEnders has confirmed that not everyone will get out alive.

In the soap’s exciting live episode, which will broadcast live from the BBC Elstree Centre on Thursday, February 20, some people are still trapped in The Vic – including Sonia, who goes into labour in the middle of the disaster.

She is forced to give birth with no medical support, and only the help of two others who are also stuck in the pub. With Natalie Cassidy confirmed to be leaving the show, will Sonia and her baby make it out alive?

Meanwhile, as the emergency services arrive on the Square, there is an anxious wait for those who are desperate for news of their loved ones.

The residents still in the pub continue to search for an escape route, but as time runs out, the chance of surviving the blast grows less likely.

As EastEnders celebrates four decades on TV, who will lose their life?