**Warning: Contains major spoilers for the Wednesday 16th July 2025 BBC iPlayer episode of EastEnders.*

There was game-changing news for Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) in the latest edition of EastEnders, and it’s all thanks to her beloved Martin Fowler (James Bye).

Martin tragically died in February this year when he was trapped in the ruins of The Queen Vic explosion, and Stacey has only just picked up the pieces as she comes to terms with his loss.

After Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) reopened Martin’s fruit and veg stall on the market, which led to the hiring of cheeky newcomer Oscar Branning (played by Pierre Moullier), Ian set his sights on buying The Vic.

In a bid to thwart him, Stacey and cousin Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace) pretended that Stacey won a whopping £100k on a scratch card which she would use to take ownership, with shopkeeper Vinny Panesar (Shiv Jalota) playing along too.

Lacey Turner as Stacey Slater, Jessie Wallace as Kat Moon, Gillian Wright as Jean Slater and Laila Morse as Mo Harris sit with drinks in the Queen Vic and are all looking out of shot to the left for EastEnders.

Stacey with Kat, Jean and Mo in EastEnders. BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron
The pair hoped this would wind Ian up enough not to go ahead with his own offer for the pub.

But the next day, Stacey and Kat revealed their prank to Ian, whose eyes lit up at the prospect of a quick sale and a place behind the bar as landlord.

Meanwhile, Stacey and Eve Panesar-Unwin (Heather Peace) were spooked when a man with a clipboard loitered outside the house, and former solicitor Eve confronted him, thinking he was a bailiff.

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But when Stacey, assuming she had missed some payments, insisted that she would pay up soon, the man explained he was actually from a life insurance company.

Martin had made Stacey the beneficiary of his life insurance, totalling the exact amount she had just fibbed about having!

Stacey was floored that her late soulmate had even taken out a policy, as Martin hated paperwork.

Martin wearing a grey suit jacket and looking at his phone in EastEnders
Martin has left his loved ones with financial security. BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron
Although relieved that the kids were going to be looked after financially, Stacey admitted that nothing could ever make up for losing Martin.

Speaking to Kat, Stacey mapped out her intentions to give some money to Martin’s eldest daughter Bex (Jasmine Armfield) and youngest child Roman Allen.

But she also wanted to invest a large chunk, and told a shocked Kat that she wanted her to be her business partner so they could buy The Vic!

Will the Slaters become the new owners, or will Ian get his wish and claim the place first?

Read more:

EastEnders airs double exit for emotional storyline in BBC iPlayer release – will they be back?
EastEnders finally confirms Jake Wood return as Max Branning – with “plenty of chaos” revealed
6 EastEnders spoilers next week: Kat’s fight for the Queen Vic and Oscar learns Linda’s secret
EastEnders schedule shake-up confirmed again as new advance spoilers revealed
EastEnders airs dramatic double exit in double-bill early BBC iPlayer release
EastEnders airs big update on former character in iPlayer release
Zoe Slater’s biggest and best EastEnders moments – from Kat bombshell to Den Watts murder
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Authors
Laura Denby is a Freelance Soaps writer covering all the latest news in the Dales, Cobbles and East End for Radio Times. She’s a soaps nerd with a love for comedy drama, and has also written for Digital Spy, Metro UK and Yahoo UK.