Ever since EastEnders teased the arrival of a new baby in the New Year’s Day flashforward episode, fans have been speculating as to who his parents will be.

Well, it now seems like we finally have our answer, as Penny Branning (Kitty Castledine) unexpectedly discovers she is pregnant next week.

The market trader has been hooking up with Vinny Panesar (Shiv Jalota) following their kiss over Christmas, and they are both stunned in forthcoming scenes that see them discover news of her pregnancy.

And while Vinny is there to support Penny, she is disgusted by the reaction she receives from her dad Jack Branning (Scott Maslen).

The drama kicks off when the Brannings gather for a Sunday lunch, and Jack finds a pregnancy test and immediately assumes it belongs to teen Lily Slater (Lillia Turner), who is already mum to his granddaughter Charli with Jack’s son Ricky Branning (Frankie Day).

Jack and his wife Denise Fox (Diane Parish) confront Lily about the test, but the mystery deepens when she denies it belongs to her. Penny then ‘fesses up and admits it’s her’s.

‘Nobody expects it, and there’s a lot of confusion,’ reveals actress Kitty Castledine, who plays Penny.

‘Jack immediately can’t believe what he is hearing and wants to talk it through, but Denise wants to protect Penny’s privacy, given that they are at a family dinner and it’s an intense and private conversation to have.’

Later, Penny takes the test and lies to her family that the result is negative, and Jack can’t hide his relief. But when he later realises that she is, in fact, pregnant, his reaction maddens Penny, who blasts his attitude towards her.

When Jack later tries to apologise, he only makes things worse by offending his daughter again.

‘Penny and Jack’s relationship is always rocky -one small move can offset the harmony,’ explains Kitty. ‘In this instance, Penny perceives Jack to be reacting negatively.’

Privately, Penny is also ‘scared’ about the pregnancy, with Kitty revealing: ‘The reality of potentially becoming a disabled young mum is overwhelming and hard to take in. She goes through waves of emotion, just like many new mums do when they find out they’re unexpectedly pregnant.

‘The more she opens up to people, the more she realises she has a support network around her. She also wants to buy herself some time to process everything and figure out how she truly feels about it and what she plans to do.’

One person she knows she can count on is her cousin Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa), and Penny chats through her worries with the mum of two.

‘Penny looks up to Lauren a lot, even though she would never say it to her face,’ says Kitty. ‘She sees what an amazing mum Lauren is, and out of everyone, she knows she can talk to Lauren about her worries and concerns.’