EastEnders legend Patrick Trueman celebrates his 85th birthday in next week’s episodes (Image: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)

EastEnders is gearing up to mark Patrick Trueman’s 85th birthday with a bash at The Queen Vic, but it seems the festivities won’t be without their share of drama.

In the upcoming episodes of the BBC One soap, Yolande Trueman (portrayed by Angela Wynter) plans a birthday party for Patrick at the local pub. Despite Linda Carter’s (Kellie Bright) hesitations, Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe) steps in and gives her approval.

Linda, who is having a tough time, finds herself running the pub single-handedly once again. This provides an opportunity for George Knight (Colin Salmon) to lend a hand behind the bar following his break up with Elaine, much to her annoyance.

Elsewhere on the Square, Denzel Danes (Jaden Ladega) agrees to look after the younger residents so the adults can partake in Patrick’s (Rudolph Walker) celebration. Yolande even allows Denzel to invite his mates over for company, a decision she will later come to regret.

Tommy Moon (Sonny Kendall) manages to secure an invitation to Denzel’s gathering, while troublemaker Joel Marshall (Max Murray) remains excluded. However, he’s keen to get closer to Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd), reports Belfast Live.

As the week progresses, Elaine goes all out for Patrick’s special day, much to his delight, but the women are in for a shock. Meanwhile, Denzel begins to welcome his friends and settles the younger children down with a film.

Joel turns up uninvited and manages to bribe his way into the house with booze before he and Denzel head off to The Vic.

Once there, landlady Elaine allows the schoolboys one glass of punch each. However, they later swipe jugs of alcohol and make a quick exit.

Upon their return home, Denzel and Joel inadvertently leave the punch jugs unattended, leading to Raymond and twins Bert and Ernie consuming the cocktail.

The following day sees Linda and Elaine at odds again, with Johnny Carter (Charlie Suff) attempting to console his mother after the incident.

Meanwhile, Denise Fox (Diane Parish) and Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace) are livid that Elaine allowed the boys to drink alcohol.

Will the trio of lads pull through after ingesting the booze?

And could Elaine face repercussions for providing the punch to the teenagers? Only time will reveal the answers.