EastEnders is set to ramp up the romance between Vinny Panesar and Penny Branning this week, after their surprise over New Year’s looked like it was the start of something, but she poured cold water on the idea last week.

However, it looks like she was just playing it cool, as Gina Knight notices this week that her new housemate still seems interested in him.

She tells Penny that New Year’s doesn’t need to be a one-off, and that she should try and make something of it.

Later in the week, the two go on a date at Container Junction.

“Despite insisting that there was no chance of romance with Vinny,” says our insider, “it seems that Penny can’t move on from their surprising New Year passion.

“Gina steps in to play matchmaker and it seems to work, as Penny and Vinny finally head out on their first date! Will this bring them closer together?”

Vinny actor Shiv Jalota told Digital Spy last year that his character would have a storyline in early 2026, stating: “There’s some exciting stuff for Vinny.

“I’ve been there for like, six years. I’ve been very fortunate. Ben [Wadey, executive producer of EastEnders] has given me a beautiful storyline that I can’t give away.”

“It’s gonna cause a lot of drama with Suki and the Panesars,” he added, teasing that Vinny is going to “fight for what he wants”.

So it looks like this romance is going to be a full-on story with plenty of drama, and it’ll be interesting to see if/how it ties into everything going on with Ravi Gulati and Priya Nandra-Hart, and Suki and Eve’s adoption.