 In October 2019, it was announced that Sam Mucklow and Shelby Tribble had quit the series.During the final episode, it was confirmed that a ""The Only Way Is Essexmas"" special would return having not aired the previous year.This series included newly single Lockie and Yaz attempting to move on with their lives, Frankie and Harry beginning their relationship but hitting some hurdles on the way, and Bobby looking for love.