There’s a blast from the past for the residents of Walford in next week’s EastEnders as David Wicks (Michael French) makes his long-awaited comeback.

But the biggest shock is reserved for David himself when he comes face to face with the allegedly dead Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins).

With a lot of catching up to do, they reconnect, and this puts Ian’s (Adam Woodyatt) nose right out of joint.

Particularly as he is planning a wedding proposal…

Elsewhere, Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) continues to struggle with the aggressive behaviour of son Tommy Moon and, in another burst of conflict, he intimidates her further.

And in other developments, there could be hope for Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) and Denise Fox (Diane Parish) after all…

Monday October 7
David Wicks is back in Walford. Meanwhile, Cindy is left reeling to see him back in the Square and keeps out of sight.

Later, Cindy tells George about why David being back has her rattled, and he advises her to front it out.

After meeting with Reiss, David is soon distracted when he gets a shocking blast from his past – Cindy is very much alive and standing in front of him.

David Wicks standing outside the Queen Vic with a bag in EastEnders

Denise arrives back early after hearing the news about Pastor Clayton. During a heart-to-heart, Yolande talks to Denise about the importance of honesty and truth, triggering guilty Denise into opening up in a vague way about her lies over the club crush.

With Yolande’s words about the corrosive nature of lies ringing in her ears, Denise steels herself to tell Jack the truth about Chelsea causing the club crush.

Kat tells the boys that Alfie has got the Manager’s job at the Minute Mart.

Elsewhere, Ian tells Peter and Lauren that he and Cindy might get married again but admits he fumbled the proposal.

Tuesday October 8
Shocked David has a lot of questions for Cindy as they catch up on the past two decades.

Meanwhile, Ian is horrified when Bianca reveals that David is back in the Square. Later, Ian goes to see Anna to make amends and tells her that he’s got a big plan for Cindy.

Cindy Beale reconnects with David Wicks over a glass of wine in EastEnders
A lot of questions over a bottle of wine (Picture: BBC)
Money is a problem for the Moons, so misguided Tommy plans to steal from the café but Kathy catches him in the act.

Kathy goes to see Kat to tell her what Tommy did and suggests that Kat needs to have a stern word with him. Later, Kat tries to talk to Tommy, but it doesn’t go well, and he physically intimidates her.

Jack is overwhelmed with the demands of caring for Amy and running the house singlehandedly. He reluctantly agrees that Penny can go over to No.27 to support Amy.

However, Jack is pleased to find Amy in much better spirits thanks to Penny’s visit but ruins the whole mood by making a tactless comment that upsets Penny causing a massive row between them.

Wednesday October 9
David and Bianca have some deep conversations.

It’s Jay’s 30th birthday, and he’s showing Kat and Phil a video message from Lola, but Tommy ruins the mood.

Kat asks Tommy to stop making such a racket and Phil is stunned when Tommy is viciously rude in response. Later, Kat tries to talk to Tommy about stealing from the café.

Things go from bad to worse when Tommy tries to leave, and Kat grabs him.

Tommy Moon argues with Kat Slater in EastEnders
Kat is becoming more intimidated by Tommy (Picture: BBC)
After hearing about Penny and Jack’s continuing issues, Denise makes it her mission to fix their relationship. She gets them both to come to Denzel’s 16th birthday part.

Later, at the Branning house, Jack tells Denise how grateful he is for everything she’s done for their family and gives a moving speech about how amazing she is.

Thursday October 10
As the night wears on, Cindy is forced to juggle several different tricky situations.

Junior starts to talk to George about his mystery woman, as his feelings for Cindy weigh heavy on his heart.

George is intrigued as Junior admits that what started as a fling has developed into something much more serious, and he believes the woman feels the same way.