*EastEnders spoiler alert for the episode airing on January 2, already available for streaming on BBC iPlayer.*
In a nail-biting episode of EastEnders, viewers were left on edge over the fate of Eve Unwin (played by Heather Peace) following a wedding day that went disastrously wrong with Suki Panesar (portrayed by Balvinder Sopal), thanks to the interference of Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry), Eve’s manipulative ex.
The tension peaked when Nish snuck into the honeymoon suite and tampered with some champagne, leading to Eve collapsing after consuming the poisoned drink.
Meanwhile, Suki had her own brush with death as Ravi (Aaron Thiara) inadvertently endangered her life while attempting to deal with his father, not realising Nish had cunningly attached himself to her.
Nish was revealed to meet his demise, whereas Suki and Eve were rushed to hospital, ultimately surviving the ordeal and looking forward to a peaceful married life ahead.
Despite fears that Eve might not make it, Heather disclosed in an exclusive chat with the Express at the 2022 Inside Soap Awards that she had negotiated her character’s trajectory with the BBC long before, insisting on “one condition” when she accepted the role.
Fans feared the worst for Eve Unwin
(Image: BBC)
Soap stars often face uncertainty regarding their characters’ longevity, but Heather was determined to avoid the all-too-common tragic ending for lesbian characters seen across various media.
The trope of LGBTQ+ characters facing disproportionately tragic ends is well-documented across popular series such as The 100, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Orange is the New Black.
Heather expressed her awareness and engagement with this issue by stating: “I’m very well aware of this, I understand my community, I read a lot.”
She elaborated on her proactive stance, adding: “I’ve done a radio show where we’ve talked about this. Lesbians quite often meet a bad end, like, proportionately way more so than any other.”
She detailed her discussions with producers about the future of her character, saying: “And the one thing I did say to the producers was, ‘You want rid of me? ‘ And they’re very open to talking. I said, ‘At any point you can get rid of me, but I’m asking you now: Don’t kill her off.
“‘Don’t kill the lesbian. Let’s break that trope. If it no longer suits you that I’m here and there’s no more stories or whatever, let’s not leave it like that.’
“And they’ve agreed and that was literally my only condition,” she recounted with satisfaction.
Eve and Suki’s wedding day wasn’t short of drama
(Image: BBC)
Heather is also known for her role as teacher Nikki Boston in Waterloo Road. Fans of the series will recall her tenure from 2012 until 2014, and Peace has shared her excitement over the show’s return in early 2023.
She commented on how her suggestions regarding her character’s exit were also heeded by the BBC, recalling: “They listened to me on that as well, because it was a positive love story ending for my character.”
While many characters on Waterloo Road have met with unfortunate ends, Nikki’s story ended on a high note.
In her last appearance on the show, Nikki stepped down from her educational role to start a new life in Berlin with her partner Vix Spark, portrayed by Kristin Atherton.
Catch the latest episode of EastEnders tonight at 7.30pm on BBC One.