EASTENDERS fans have noticed a massive blunder in the soap amid Penny Branning’s return on New Year’s Day.
BBC viewers were left shocked after Lauren, Penny and Louie Branning returned and Lauren was arrested for drugs smuggling.
The mum of one – who is played by actress Jacqueline Jossa in the BBC soap – has returned five years after leaving Walford for good.
Last night’s New Year’s Day episode saw Lauren still in France, staying with her cousin Penny Branning (played by Kitty Castledine) in Paris.
With Penny throwing a bash for her friends, she was disturbed when a mysterious woman called Juliette (Lily Catalifo) turned up and demanded she work for her again.
Juliette even found her way into Lauren’s son Louie’s bedroom, later threatening his life to Penny to force her to comply.
It wasn’t explicitly revealed what job Penny did – nor why her disability was such a help for it.
However, with Lauren set to return to Walford to visit ex Peter and her uncle Jack (Scott Maslen), Penny’s father, Penny saw an opportunity to escape.
She told Lauren she would join her and the three headed to the station to get the Eurostar to London.
Lauren allowed the police to search her bag, sure she had nothing to hide – until they found a large brick of drugs.
“That is not mine,” she insisted as the police arrested her.
“I’ve never seen it before.”
But while Lauren was being arrested, Penny just kept on going with Louie, not stopping leaving fans in shock.
However, viewers were distracted by Penny as they believed she should have a French accent after living there for most of her life.
Taking to social media, one viewer said: “Would Penny not have a French accent?”
Another wrote: “Penny’s French sounds like an English accent.”
Upcoming scenes will see Peter discover Penny’s secret associated with drugs.
This will leave Lauren fuming with Peter when she finds out he knew and didn’t tell her.
Then when Lauren and Penny start flat hunting, Peter puts a spanner in the works when he forbids them from letting Louie live with someone caught up in the drug world.
EastEnders airs from Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
