EastEnders fans plead 'don't ruin bond' between two unlikely characters (2025)

Fans of the BBC One soap have made their feelings known about the pair

EastEnders fans have said they’re ‘loving the chemistry’ between two unlikely characters as they begged the soap’s bosses not to ‘ruin it’.

There’s been many double acts on the BBC soap over the years, ranging from Dot Cotten and Ethel Skinner in the 1980s, to brothers Phil and Grant Mitchell.

One of the key cornerstones of making a UK soap successful is creating friendships that feel real and authentic to those watching at home.

Recent months have seen Ian Beale and Priya Nandra-Hart becoming pals after joining forces to take down their exes Cindy Beale and Ravi Gulati by making them jealous.

Forming the ‘bad exes club’, Ian and Priya share a similar sense of humour outside of their relationship woes, learning they genuinely enjoy each other's company.

There have been some bumps in their friendship along the way, with Ian misreading the room and trying to kiss Priya, who later took a bribe from Cindy to steal a locket from him.

In scenes that aired on Wednesday night (April 3), Priya apologised to Ian for helping Cindy as they quickly got back into their normal routine.

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After Priya asked what his ‘meat to mush ratio’ for making pies is, Ian joked: “You look like you could be a decent human being, but looks can be deceptive.”

The same scene saw Vicki Fowler entering the cafe to ask Ian for a loan. However, Priya was quick to tell her new neighbour that she wouldn’t let Ian be manipulated.

“She’s a chancer. I’ve been on the scrounge way too many times to not see through you. She’s turned up out of the blue for years and the first thing she’s done is come and ask for cash.

“Has she asked how you are? No. Has she asked about your grieving family? No. What she has done is get a begging bowel out,” she said.

Despite fans loving Priya and Ian together, they’re desperate for the show not to try and make them a romantic couple in the future and to show that its normal for men and women to be friends.

Bringing the matter to the EastEnders Reddit page, @Ok_While_6517 said: “Anyone else absolutely loving their chemistry? Not looking for a relationship storyline but I love their dynamic as pals and think Ian’s character could be improved by having a strong female friend to bounce off of.

“This used to be Sharon (pre spaghetti gate) but I think Prya is a perfect fit. Personally I hope this continues and we get them forming a closer bond.”

The comments section of the post fans in universal agreement that Ian and Priya must not go past being platonic friends no matter what.

@YurchenkoFull wrote: “I love them! They are so strange as a pairing but they have a lot of chemistry together. I hope they remain friends and we get more scenes with them.” @AllisonEEHistorian added: “We need their friendship to grow, not a romance. They are so funny together.”

@NewCarob9279 commented: “I love their friendship it’s about time that we get a friendship that’s platonic between a man and woman with there being intimacy.” @MesoamericanMorrigan pointed out: “I can see it ending up like him and Janine though. He is a bit of a sleaze.”

@TheMegaCity stated: “Love their pals vibe. Please don't ruin it with making it romantic EE.” @adriftinaseaof posted: “I am all here for them being buddies. Two people playing their best game while dealing with all that Walford chaos. Platonic only though please.”