A Bold New Direction for EastEnders

BBC Three has officially announced the release date for its brand-new EastEnders spin-off documentary, EastEnders Investigates: The Manosphere. The one-off special will air on Thursday 9th October at 8pm, coinciding with the soap’s ongoing and increasingly disturbing misogyny storyline.

The documentary, first reported last month, will feature cast members and explore themes of toxic masculinity, online radicalisation, and the damaging influence of the manosphere. Producers hope the program will encourage wider discussion beyond the soap itself, tying directly into upcoming Walford storylines.

Joel’s Dark Storyline

At the centre of the soap’s controversial plot is newcomer Joel Marshall (Max Murray). Since arriving in Walford, Joel’s actions have shocked viewers. He has:

• Sexually assaulted a stranger on a train, encouraging his friend to film it.

• Secretly recorded himself being intimate with Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James).

• Leaked intimate footage of Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) online.

It was later revealed that Joel’s past in Australia was equally troubling. He had taken an upskirt photo of a girl, with his father Ross paying off the family to avoid criminal charges.

“This Storyline Will Come to a Head”

Speaking about the hard-hitting plot, EastEnders executive producer Ben Wadey confirmed: “This storyline is going to really come to a head.”

Alice Haig, who plays Vicki Fowler, also teased the direction of the soap’s darker themes, telling The Mirror that audiences can expect the drama to become “very, very dark.”

Why This Matters

By aligning EastEnders Investigates: The Manosphere with Joel’s escalating storyline, the soap is breaking new ground—using fiction to highlight real-world issues that affect young people today. The special promises to pull back the curtain on the dangerous rise of online misogyny, while tying the drama of Walford to a much bigger conversation.

Fans can catch the documentary on BBC Three and iPlayer, while EastEnders continues to air on BBC One and iPlayer four nights a week.