This week’s EastEnders saw Kat Moon officially take the reigns as the new landlady of The Queen Vic. With Linda, Elaine and the rest of the Carters having moved out, this presumably leaves quite a few vacancies behind the bar.

While it’s reasonable to expect that she’ll probably enlist Jean (uh-oh), Freddie (for as long as he lasts) and even Big Mo (bigger uh-oh) to help out, it should be more than just Kat, Alfie and a few Slaters running the joint. Poor Tracey will have a heart attack in no time at all.

The Queen Vic needs fresh blood… here are seven Walford locals Kat should bring aboard.

Seven EastEnders locals Kat should hire at The Queen Vic:

1. Priya Nandra-Hart

If there’s one thing any good bar needs, it’s a bit of glamour. And, of all the current Walford residents, who’s more glamorous than Priya?

Of all the Panesar clan, Priya is second only to Vinny in being underutilised by the soap, frequently serving only to make a sassy/flirty comment, or annoy the various members of her family. While we’d love to see Priya get a much meatier storyline to get her teeth stuck into, a few shifts at The Queen Vic would be a nice start.

2. Vicki Fowler

Vicki has been at something of a loose end since returning to Walford earlier this year. Now in debt to Sharon after paying away Joel’s unsavoury past, she found work for the Panesars, monitoring their business accounts.

We all know how that went – Vicki was caught in the middle when Bernie robbed the Panesars, losing her job as Bernie fled with their cash. Since then, she’s been offered a few shifts at the café, but we’d much rather see her behind the bar of The Vic.

Seven EastEnders locals Kat should hire at The Queen Vic continued:

3. Zack Hudson

Zack currently works as a chef  at the local restaurant, after previously serving as bartender at Peggy’s (before it became known as Harry’s Barn). While his relationship with Ravi is one of the soap’s best double acts at present, those good looks are clearly going to waste hidden in Walford East’s kitchen.

Every bar needs a good hunk, and Kat could do far worse than bringing Zack aboard as one of The Vic’s new faces.

4. Oscar Branning… eventually

Cheeky chappie Oscar is currently setting Walford market ablaze with his high-energy, low-effort approach to selling cauliflower. But one can’t work on a fruit-and-veg stall their whole life, and Oscar needs to start thinking of the future.

With Oscar turning eighteen this December, he’ll be of legal age for bar work by then. One can just picture the chaos he’d unleash working behind the bar of The Queen Vic. With Alfie’s schtick getting more tired the older he gets, EastEnders needs a new face to carry the baton.

Seven EastEnders locals Kat should hire at The Queen Vic continued:

5. Gina Knight

The Carters and the Knights are out, the Slaters in. But that doesn’t mean we should discard the family entirely.

While it makes sense that Linda and Elaine might move on, Gina always seemed like a good fit for The Vic. Jean, Alfie and Big Mo are a liability at the best of times – Kat might want to hire someone more reliable and even-headed while the pub’s still standing. It would give Gina something to do too, lest she suffer the same fate as departing sister Anna.

Seven EastEnders locals Kat should hire at The Queen Vic continued:

6. Chelsea Fox

Chelsea’s been severely underutilised recently, and given precious little to do since last year. A shame, since actress Zaraah Abrahams is one of the soap’s most likable figures, and Chelsea an important Walford fixture… when they remember she exists, that is.

How about give her a job at The Vic, then? Granted, her last bar job didn’t end so well (the whole club crush incident of 2024), but we’d say she’s earned a second chance. Especially if that means the difference between Chelsea scenes or no Chelsea scenes.

7. Zoe Slater

Okay, we said no more Slaters, but we’ll make an exception for this one. With Zoe’s return to Walford imminent, she’ll need something to do when she finally reunites with her family.

The addition of Zoe will add a fresh dynamic to Kat’s time at The Vic, ensuring that it’s more than just another round of The Kat & Alfie Show.  Kat and Zoe working the bar of The Queen Vic together? One can practically picture the fireworks now.