"Barney would love to be more than friends."
In BBC’s EastEnders, Barney Mitchell (Lewis Bridgeman) has been harbouring romantic feelings for his friend Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James).
Recent instalments of the soap have seen Barney face heartbreak over Avani’s distance from him.
This was due to Avani’s budding romance with Joel Marshall (Max Murray).
However, unbeknownst to Avani, Joel secretly filmed one of their sexual encounters and has shown it to Tommy Moon (Sonny Kendall).
Future episodes of EastEnders will show the news of Avani and Joel having sex get out, leading to Avani being on the receiving end of some hateful comments online.
This will surely devastate Avani, who is already fragile following a humiliating strip search to which the police subjected her.
Barney is on hand to comfort his friend over the trolling.
An EastEnders insider explained: “Barney would love to be more than friends with Avani.
“But more than anything, he just wants to make sure his mate is okay.
“He tries to reach out to her about what’s happened, but when he mentions Joel, Avani sees red and storms off.”
However, when Barney reaches out to Avani again, she will accept his comfort.
Barney’s mother Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) witnesses this and thinks Avani is leading Barney astray.
When Barney reveals the truth, Avani is touched when Nicola offers some thoughtful words of support.
Things take another turn when Avani asks Barney back to her house.
The insider continued: “But things soon go wrong when Barney accidentally misreads the situation.
“Avani is furious, and she storms off.”
This tense exchange is spotted by Avani’s father, Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara), who steps in to offer Barney some advice.
This is surprising given how Ravi dangled Barney from a bridge after mistakenly believing he had attacked his daughter.
Barney and Avani later make amends, leading to them sharing a kiss.
Could this be the beginning of the relationship Barney has been hoping for?
However, amid this positive progression, Barney’s world will be turned upside down when the truth about his paternity is finally revealed.
The teenager has grown up believing that Teddy Mitchell (Roland Manookian) is his father.
In true soap style, the truth that Zack Hudson (James Farrar) actually fathered Barney with Nicola will be revealed.
This will lead to a dramatic car chase involving Zack, Teddy, and Harry Mitchell (Elijah Holloway), with several other residents risking their lives.
EastEnders continues on Monday, May 26, 2025.
Loading ...