EastEnders Elaine star Harriet Thorpe on ‘massive problem’ with Linda’s future amid Christmas death

Wedding bells are set to ring on EastEnders as Elaine Peacock and George Knight prepare to tie the knot – but with George’s ex-wife Cindy up to no good yet again, there’s no guarantee they’ll make it down the aisle. Following a tumultuous year, The Queen Vic’s landlord and lady are finally ready to wed – and star Harriet Thorpe couldn’t wait to play a bride. “I normally play psychotic women, so the bride isn’t my first go-to. I’ve never been an ingenue,” she says. “I’ve always been a character actor, so being a bride – and Elaine, with her controlling everything – has been such a joy.”

Elaine can’t wait to become Mrs Knight, but she still won’t let herself fully trust George (Colin Salmon) after he kissed Cindy while grieving his mother’s death in April. “Elaine is thrilled because, with George and Elaine in their sixties, they both know what they want in life, and for them to get to this point is a culmination of such a roller-coaster ride,” she says. “But there’s something lurking in the background, which is revealed later on – a reason why there’s always uncertainty. And the fact that George has already kissed Cindy is a taper that’s been lit, and it’s very hard not to burn.”

Elaine’s mistrust of George isn’t her only problem – she also has her daughter Linda’s (Kellie Bright) sobriety to worry about, with Bernie Taylor back in town and hellbent on revenge for Keanu’s murder. “I think Linda’s alcoholism is a massive problem. Now Elaine is aware of the extraordinary, horrific reality of what her daughter is also suffering with the Keanu revelation – but ultimately you keep loving your child and that tears you apart,” she says. “You want to support them but when you’re plate-spinning these difficult family situations, there’s a limit.” As for any EastEnders deaths planned for this Christmas, is The Queen Vic in safe hands with Elaine staying in Walford this time? “Let’s hope so,” she laughs. “You’ll have to watch on Christmas Day, darling.”

The day before her nuptials, Elaine goes to Cindy with a bold and risky plan. She wants Cindy to set up a honeytrap for George to see whether he still has feelings for her. “It’s a great bargaining tool and it gives her control for the first time, to find out whether this matters or not,” Harriet says. “They are enemies, obviously, and I’m never sure when Cindy says yes to anything that it’s from the heart. But as women, sometimes you have to trust them for that moment.”

Cindy (Michelle Collins) does go through with the plan by attempting to smooch George – but reveals that she was asked to by Elaine, throwing their wedding into jeopardy. “Elaine was the one who was always trustworthy and I think the horror of realising she doesn’t know whether he’s trustworthy, and that’s why she’s done this, is a devastating feeling.” With Elaine dragging up George and Cindy’s romantic past once again, do George and Elaine have a future?

“It’s an interesting question – Cindy is the antithesis of Elaine,” Harriet says. “She’s gorgeous like a model and Elaine is more panto. It’s always the threat of somebody else and, as a view, you see the choice George has. He has a beautiful woman who lives over the road and yet he’s with Elaine in the pub having a laugh. It’s what matters, and what’s going to last. When you reach maturity, you begin to know what you don’t want in life – and you want somebody who is going to be there for you.”

What Harriet does know is that she isn’t planning on leaving the show any time soon. “EastEnders is an amazing gift and people endlessly dismiss soap, but it’s soap opera – and opera is what we do all the time, singing out these amazing characters who are multilayered and multifaceted,” she says. “Working towards this wedding, with all the pitfalls and potholes, is absolutely a gift. It’s been an honour and a joy to play.”

EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.