EastEnders recap before Christmas Day 2025: Zoe Slater and Chrissie Watts to Max Branning drama

So, another year done, another dark Christmas season approaches in EastEnders.

As the BBC’s long-running soap opera approaches its 40th anniversary, viewers have seen a year filled with exciting events for the characters in Walford.

With Christmas just around the corner, I wanted to give you a quick rundown of everything that’s happening in Walford. As a big fan, I always like to know what drama’s brewing!

The biggest drama on Christmas Day will likely unfold at the Queen Vic pub, as a major storyline involving the Slater family comes to a head. Meanwhile, expect an uncomfortable Christmas dinner for the Beales and Brannings.

Here’s everything you need to know…

EastEnders recap before Christmas Day 2025

The Zoe Slater saga

If you haven’t heard, Zoe Slater (played by Michelle Ryan) unexpectedly came back to Walford after being away for 20 years. She and her mother, Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace), haven’t been close for a long time.

It was obvious Zoe was keeping something hidden, and we quickly learned it was a painful past. In 2006, she had twins, but believing her daughter hadn’t survived, she tragically abandoned her son due to her overwhelming grief.

Zoe has been working to find her missing son and, during that time, began a relationship with Max Branning. However, their romance ended after she nearly harmed a man who assaulted her while she was asking him about her son’s whereabouts.

Zoe eventually returned to Walford when her younger brother, Tommy Moon, found her. She made up with Kat after a long disagreement, and was also, unfortunately, accidentally shot – but she’s okay.

Zoe confessed everything to Kat, and her mother promised to help find her son. Zoe briefly misled everyone by claiming her ex, Dennis Rickman, was the father of her twins. However, this was a ruse to trick Sharon Watts into funding the search.

Zoe also ran into her former boyfriend, Dr. Anthony Trueman (played by Nicholas Bailey), who also happens to be Kat’s ex. Anthony had recently separated from his wife, Sophie, and it was later discovered someone had taken out a restraining order against him.

It also became clear that Anthony was fixated on being with Zoe again.

Zoe started getting threatening messages and was harassed and followed by someone she didn’t know. She suspected everyone, especially Jean Slater, of being behind it.

Anthony recently reconnected with Zoe, but while looking into her past for Kat, he made a surprising discovery: Zoe’s twin children are both alive. Based on the dates, it appears Anthony is likely their father.

Enraged that Zoe had kept the twins a secret from him, Anthony told Kat a lie, claiming both babies had passed away.

I was really shocked when Zoe was caught up in an arson attack! It happened at Dot Branning’s old house – the one Zoe was staying at – but thankfully, she managed to escape unharmed. It was a scary situation, but she pulled through.

Kat returned to the Vic for Christmas and, knowing Zoe didn’t know, kept the story about her children being gone a secret. Just before Zoe received a Christmas card seemingly from her son saying he’d visit, Kat still hadn’t told her the truth.

However, viewers are aware of further twists…

Jasmine Fisher’s true identity

Jasmine Fisher (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness) joined the Walford community in the fall and quickly made an impression. She soon found work at The Albert pub and started dating Oscar Branning (Pierre Counihan-Moullier).

However, viewers became wary of Jasmine because she was reluctant to show identification at work and seemed overly focused on her new boss, Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins).

Cindy’s strange behavior, combined with Jasmine’s obsession with getting revenge and her illegal hacking, made the Beale and Branning families worry she was involved with the dangerous Ford family – the same group who had once forced Cindy to disappear and enter witness protection by faking her own death.

Cindy ran away from Walford, and Jasmine was taken into custody. During questioning, it came out that Jasmine was actually Zoe Slater’s daughter, and had been alive all along.

Even though Jasmine had some contact with her mother, she was still determined to get revenge on the woman who gave birth to her – flashbacks showed this woman had badly mistreated Zoe.

Sadly, Jasmine had some doubts, but these were discouraged by her accomplice…

Chrissie Watts returns

The Christmas Eve episode delivered a surprising reveal: Jasmine was indeed behind Zoe’s troubles, but it turned out Chrissie Watts (Tracy-Ann Oberman) was the mastermind pulling the strings all along.

As a long-time viewer, I’ll never forget Chrissie leaving Walford! After twenty years in prison for killing her husband, ‘Dirty’ Den Watts, she finally walked free in 2005 and rode off with her old flame, Jake Moon. It was a surprisingly touching exit, especially knowing she’d even managed to make amends with Den’s daughter, Sharon, while they were both inside. It felt like a real full-circle moment for those characters.

However, it seems that Chrissie has not made peace with her bitter history with Zoe…

For the full history lesson, read below.

Sam Mitchell has breast cancer

Sam Mitchell, Phil Mitchell’s sister, came back just before Christmas. She initially attempted to take money from Phil – something she’s done before – intending to give it to her son, Ricky Branning.

Viewers and Phil soon learned that Sam had discovered a lump in her breast and was worried about having breast cancer, just like her mother, Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor), who had previously battled the disease over twenty years ago.

Sam and Phil reconciled, and he vowed to stand by her during this health journey.

Zoe became worried that Sam was secretly following her, and Kat even confronted Sam about it on Christmas Eve. However, Sam then shared some personal news about her health, which led to a heartwarming exchange with Kat.

Sam will have surgery to remove the lump, followed by radiation therapy and medication. Because the condition was detected early, doctors expect a full recovery.

So, while good news awaits, what will Sam say when she runs into Chrissie?

Vicki Fowler’s love triangle

The character of Vicki Fowler (now played by Alice Haig) has returned to Walford, along with her boyfriend Ross Marshall (Alex Walkinshaw), and the two have gotten back together. This follows the return of her father, Dirty Den Watts.

Vicki and Ross became a couple after Vicki ended her relationship with her then-partner, Spencer Moon, while they were both in Australia. This was particularly complicated because Spencer was also Ross’s close friend.

Ross brought his teenage son, Joel Marshall (Max Murray), with him, but Joel is going through a difficult time. He’s been influenced by harmful online content promoting extreme hatred of women and has committed several sexual offenses. Ross previously covered up one of these crimes while they were in Australia.

Joel’s troubling behavior resurfaced while he was in Walford, involving sexual assault, harassment, and the creation of inappropriate images. Disturbingly, Vicki even compensated one of Joel’s victims.

I was absolutely horrified to learn just how far Joel’s actions went. He seriously attacked Vicki, leaving her for dead, which is just unimaginable. Thankfully, she survived! It took courage from both Ross and even Joel’s friend, Tommy Moon, to turn him in, and he was finally arrested. It’s a terrible situation, but I’m so relieved Vicki lived.

Joel is currently on remand ahead of his trial – and he won’t be pleading guilty.

Afterward, Vicki resisted Ross’s advances and instead found herself drawn to Zack Hudson (James Farrar), who was the half-brother of her adopted sister, Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean).

Vicki ended things with Zack, knowing a relationship with Sharon could cause problems. Sharon is currently staying with Vicki’s mother, Michelle, and Vicki’s great-aunt Kathy had also advised against getting involved.

Vicki and Ross have gotten back together and are now living with Sharon again, but Vicki still feels a connection with Zack.

On Christmas Eve, Zack’s son, Barney Mitchell (played by Lewis Bridgeman), realized there was a spark between two people…

Max Branning discovers family betrayal

Recently, the popular character Max Branning (played by Jake Wood) returned to Walford. His return followed a dramatic fire that put his son, Oscar, and ex-girlfriend, Zoe, in danger.

In addition to attempting to rebuild his relationship with Oscar and his daughter, Lauren Beale (Jacqueline Jossa), Max also unexpectedly encountered his ex-girlfriend, Linda Carter (Kellie Bright).

Max unintentionally revealed that Lauren had stolen money meant for charity, after she’d been tricked into paying for medical treatment for her son, Jimmy, who has severe vision problems. He then stood up for her when the townspeople found out. Following this, Lauren urged Linda to admit that her four-year-old daughter, Annie Carter (who is actually Lois Hawkins), was Max’s biological daughter – a secret Lauren, Oscar, and Max’s brother, Jack Branning, also knew.

Last week, Linda finally revealed to Max that he has another daughter named Annie. Max was excited to get to know her, but Linda thought they should take things slowly.

Max, ignoring the situation, tricked Annie into visiting Santa’s Grotto and then surprisingly revealed he was her father. Linda was understandably enraged when she found out and threatened to sue him.

Despite their issues, Jack convinced Linda to be more understanding towards Max, encouraging them to prioritize their daughter, Annie. Linda agreed, and Max was able to spend Christmas Eve with Annie.

After feeling ignored by his father and having had a few drinks at The Vic, Oscar blurted out that his family had known about Annie’s father for a long time – even before he did.

The stage is set for an explosive confrontation on Christmas Day.

Nigel Bates’s “last Christmas”

Nigel Bates, a beloved character from EastEnders’ 90s storylines, returned to Walford on Christmas Eve 2024. It was later revealed that he was diagnosed with early-onset dementia and had left his wife, Julie, because he didn’t want to become a caregiving burden for her.

Nigel moved in with his friend Phil and started working at a cafe with another friend, Kathy. As Nigel’s health declined, Phil vowed to support him through everything.

I have to say, Julie’s storyline took a surprising turn! After finally arriving in Walford and reconnecting with Nigel, she initially tried to head back to Scotland with him. But things changed, and she ended up staying put, moving in with Nigel and Phil in Albert Square. She also picked up a job at Walford High, which seemed to settle her in nicely. It was a bit of an unexpected twist, but I think it works for her character.

Over the past few weeks, Nigel’s health declined significantly. He began experiencing hallucinations, became confused, and started talking to people who weren’t present. Sadly, he also unintentionally hurt Julie.

The Square group showed a film based on an old script earlier this week. However, Nigel became upset when Julie was hurt and left. While he was gone, he didn’t hear Phil and Julie discussing the possibility of him needing care.

Nigel ran to the Queen Vic pub, where he began seeing images of beloved past characters like Pat Evans, Barry Evans, and his late wife, Debbie Bates. This led him to the difficult realization that he needed to go into long-term care, a fate shared by a devastated Phil and Julie.

So, they are all determined to give him one ‘last’ amazing Christmas at home.

Don’t miss EastEnders! Add it to your watchlist on the TopMob: What to Watch app. Download the app now to get daily TV recommendations and exclusive content.

Authors

Lewis KnightNews and Trends Editor

Lewis heads up news and trending content at TopMob, ensuring we cover what our audience wants and needs. He’s a huge TV and movie buff, especially a fan of Nicole Kidman, but also loves sci-fi, independent films, and the newest shows on HBO. With a background in Psychology and a Masters in Film Studies, Lewis previously worked in advertising before spending three years at The Mirror, where he focused on community engagement, SEO, and reporting on entertainment and showbiz.

Visit us on Twitter

2025-12-25 10:07