EastEnders Confirms Gritty Toxic Masculinity Spin-Off — Release Date Lands Sooner Than You Think

The countdown is on—the special hits screens next month.

EastEnders is doing something you don’t see every day: pairing a soap storyline with a companion documentary. It’s a bold move and, given how dark this arc has been, probably the right one.

The special and when to watch it

BBC Three has lined up a one-off documentary called 'EastEnders Investigates: The Manosphere'. It airs Thursday 9 October at 8pm on BBC Three and iPlayer. Content specifics are still under wraps, but the timing isn’t random — it’s designed to drop alongside key episodes in the show.

Why now?

Last month, word leaked that the team was developing a doc around misogyny. A tabloid claimed it could feature EastEnders cast members and that producers wanted it to spark wider conversation. That tracks with what’s playing out in Walford right now — a full-on exploration of toxic masculinity and the ripple effects it leaves behind.

The Walford storyline it’s shadowing

At the center of the current arc is teenager Joel Marshall (Max Murray), who has left a trail of harm since arriving in Albert Square. Here’s the quick (and grim) rundown:

• Sexually assaulted a stranger on a train and had a friend film it
• Recorded an intimate moment with Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James) without her consent
• Leaked adult footage of Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) online
• And the kicker: the real reason he couldn’t go back to Australia was that he took a photo up a girl’s skirt — and Ross paid off the family so it didn’t become a police case

How far is this going?

Executive producer Ben Wadey has made it clear the storyline isn’t done escalating.

"This storyline is going to really come to a head."

Alice Haig, who plays Vicki Fowler, backed that up, telling The Mirror that things are about to get:

"Very, very dark."

The inside-baseball bit

It’s unusual — in a good way — to see a soap roll out a topical doc in step with its plot. If the special does bring in cast voices and ties real-world context to what we’re seeing on screen, that’s more than a tie-in; it’s the show trying to engage with a messy, very online problem in real time.

The takeaway

'EastEnders Investigates: The Manosphere' lands Thursday 9 October at 8pm on BBC Three and iPlayer. The doc’s details are still under wraps, but expect it to intersect with the week’s episodes as the Joel storyline hits its peak.