TODAY’S BIG STORY!!! Major EastEnders character stages return – and they’re dying

One of EastEnders’ most evil villains ever stages a return next week as George Knight’s (Colin Salmon) adopted father Eddie Knight (Christopher Fairbank) announces he’s dying.

The character was first introduced in 2024 along with his wife Gloria (Elizabeth Counsell), as it was revealed they had adopted George illegally through a process known as baby farming back in the 50s.

As George grappled with the truth and its impact on his identity, it soon became clear that Eddie was a nasty racist, with George opening up to his loved ones about how he had seen Eddie kill a Black man as a child.

The former Queen Vic landlord then heartbreakingly learned that the man was actually his birth father and testified against Eddie in court as he went on trial for racially motivated murder.

Eddie was eventually sent down with George disowning him, before Gloria died in hospital from a heart attack.

Nearly two years later, George has moved on with his life and recently welcomed his fourth child with new partner Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington).

But as the couple prepare to bring their newborn daughter Ivy home next week, their lives are turned upside down by a call from Eddie.

It all begins when Nicola rails at George for having his phone switched off, missing calls which she assumes are from the hospital about Ivy.

However, she’s shocked when Eddie is then revealed as the caller and heads to hospital to confront him, where he confirms he’s dying.

While she initially tries to keep Eddie from getting in contact with George, she’s soon rumbled when he finds a hospital parking ticket, and she’s forced to come clean.

As George and Eddie later come face-to-face again, George is shocked by his father’s fragility.

With George’s family worried about the impact seeing Eddie again will have on him, Nicola steps in and visits Eddie to warn him to stay away from them all.

But twisted Eddie soon spots an opportunity to worm his way back into George’s life, which could have huge ramifications for his relationship with Nicola…

EastEnders’ George Knight is left with a moral dilemma next week, when he learns that his adoptive father Eddie is not long for this world! As parents Nicola and George begin to settle into their new normal with baby Ivy, the pair are at each other’s throats when Nicola discovers that George’s phone has been switched off and he’s received a string of missed calls.

Seeing that they’re from the hospital and assuming that they’re about their premature daughter, Nicola calls back – and is shocked by who picks up!

“It’s Eddie,” begins our Walford insider. “Nicola sneaks off to confront him at the hospital where he makes the unexpected admission that he hasn’t got long left. When George later asks Nicola where she’s been, she lies to him – but her deception soon comes out in the wash!”

Finding a mysterious parking ticket from the hospital, George presses Nicola for the truth of her whereabouts, forcing her to reveal all about Eddie’s condition. In a move that shocks Gina and Kojo, George decides to pay his disgraced dad a visit – and is taken aback by the old man’s fragile condition!

“George harbours a lot of hatred towards Eddie, but seeing him in such a weakened state really knocks him for six,” explains our source.

“George will never forgive Eddie for the past, but this is the man who brought him up and George is a kind man. The conflict he feels over seeing Eddie so poorly puts his moral compass in a spin.”

Nicola and George’s drama begins even earlier in the week, when they’re able to bring premature Ivy home from the hospital at last. However, their blissful baby bubble is popped when they walk into an unwanted surprise party for the tot, prompting stressed Nicola to order everyone out of her house!

“Nicola’s been through a lot, and having everyone overwhelm her when she’s only just brought little Ivy home is too much,” reckons our insider. “She and Gina have a sweet heart-to-heart about the new arrival, and Nicola lights up when she watches George dote on their daughter. They just need peace and privacy for now!”

Later in the week, Nicola faces financial troubles when her accountant reveals that Harry’s Barn is in serious debt. Confronting Gina and Harry, the guilty pair come clean to Nicola about the bar’s cash flow problem, and Harry begs his mum not to sell up.

Meanwhile, Nicola heads to the hospital to confront dying Eddie, desperate to convince him to leave her family alone. Yet as she supports an emotional George in the wake of a shocking week of revelations, is this really the last that we’ve seen of wicked Eddie?