Emmerdale's Kerry Wyatt makes a bad decision while babysitting Sarah and Jack Sugden next week, leaving the youngsters unattended while she pops out to the shop.
Kerry is only gone for a few minutes, but her actions almost cause an accident as she returns to find Sarah trying to warm hot milk on the stove.
Knowing she's made a mistake, Kerry fears this could wreck her relationship with boyfriend Andy (Kelvin Fletcher) if he ever hears about her carefree attitude towards looking after his kids.
Here, Laura Norton - who plays Kerry - chats about her character's actions and where things go from here.
How is Kerry feeling about her relationship with Andy at the moment?
"Kerry is very happy in her relationship with Andy. She's never had a man in her life who's treated her as well as he does, so she'll do everything she can to hang onto that. Everything else that's going on in her life - the job and the fact that she's getting sick of the kids - are separate issues. Kerry will do everything in her power to keep this relationship as it is."
Does Andy have any inkling that Kerry is struggling with looking after the kids?
"Not at all, because Kerry has done everything in her power to make sure that Andy and Amy both see that she is fantastic with kids. Kerry went on a mission to look after Sarah and Jack on her own, because she wanted to prove to everyone that she'd changed.
"Kerry wants to be seen as a good role model, a good mam and not the person she was in the past. Now the cracks are starting to show, but Andy's the one person that she hides that from."
Is Kerry worried when she starts to struggle with looking after the kids?
"Definitely - because of the past and all the histrionics she's had with Amy. When the cracks show, at first she goes into denial. Kerry doesn't want to feel ashamed, so she just pretends that things are not a big deal or that they didn't really happen. But at the same time, there's still a massive part of Kerry that knows she's done wrong.
"Kerry genuinely is doing her best, but she just gets it wrong. She's never been taught how to do these things, so she's not very good at them. Kerry is not a natural mother type and she doesn't want to admit that."
Why does Kerry sneak out when she's supposed to be looking after Sarah and Jack?
"There's a few reasons. Kerry is popping out to the shop because she wants cigarettes. She's also getting bored because the kids are getting put on her time and time again. Even though she asked for that, Kerry is starting to realise that it's not what she signed up for - sitting in the house with kids every night. She wants to be young, having fun and out having drinks.
"In that moment, Kerry just sees this as popping out for two minutes while the kids are in bed. Kerry just probably thinks that she can get away with it and nobody will come to any harm."
What is Kerry faced with when she returns to the house?
"The kids were both in bed when Kerry left, but she comes back and Sarah is now awake. It turns out that baby Jack has woken up and Sarah has been shouting for Kerry, really frightened and not knowing what to do. Sarah does what she's seen her parents do, which is start to warm some milk for Jack.
"As Kerry walks in, there's a pan of boiling water on the stove and Sarah is just about to drop some milk into it. Kerry nearly dies with panic and stops her. She takes it out on Sarah slightly, but then she feels completely terrible and guilty. Kerry realises that the consequences of what she's done could have been very severe, so she feels awful."
When Kerry tells Sarah to keep this a secret, does she really think this is the best idea?
"For Kerry, it's the only option because she's got too much to lose. She's made too many mistakes in the past. In that moment she just decides that she'll never do it again, so it's best to pretend that it never happened. Kerry reckons that this will never crop up again or really affect Sarah in the future."
What happens when Sarah lets Kerry's mistake slip to Amy the next day?
"Amy confronts Kerry over this, but Kerry gets really defensive. She tries to brush it off as not being a big deal. However, she's not massively surprised by Amy's angry reaction, as they've never really settled with each other. Kerry is constantly on eggshells with Amy, so her finding out is the worst thing that could have happened. It'll cause friction in their relationship."
Does Kerry consider telling Andy the truth at this point?
"No, it's the last thing she wants to do! She can't lose Andy as she's never really had anything like this before. Andy is also a key to Kerry getting the relationship she wants with Amy. She's never had anyone like Andy before.
"In the past, Kerry's self-worth has been so low that she's gone with people who've treated her really badly. Andy is the first person to look past everything else and see Kerry as a really nice person underneath it all. Kerry can't believe her luck with Andy."
Do you think they make a good couple?
"I think they make a great couple. They have their little spats and rows about things, but when they're good together they're just like best mates. Kerry is an idiot for making the silly mistakes that she's making, because potentially she could have something amazing with Andy."
Do you think Kerry will ever change?
"I think it's hard, because she's in her 30s now. If you haven't made those fundamental changes by that age, then you're very much a creature of habit. Kerry is in so much denial that she doesn't want to open Pandora's Box. There's a world of pain inside, so she doesn't want to face up to that. Kerry would have to admit that she wasn't a very good person in the past. I think she wants to change and she'll keep trying until people believe it, but I don't know if she can."
What's your take on Amy and Kerry's relationship?
"It's a role reversal, as Amy acts like the mother. Since the day Kerry arrived in the village, she's the one who keeps making ridiculous mistakes and Amy is the one telling her to stop it. That must be difficult for Amy to deal with, but Kerry just doesn't know how to be a good mam.
"There's a massive bravado with Kerry, and what you see is not always how she feels deep down. She feels guilty that Amy is having to take on that motherly role and tell her off, because it's embarrassing and degrading for Kerry. But she just cannot be a responsible adult.
"As the story continues, Kerry actually starts to leave the kids alone again, even though she really believes she's changed. She just doesn't have those motherly instincts."
If Kerry was a friend of yours, what advice would you give to her?
"I'd tell her that her behaviour is ridiculous and she needs to sort herself out! Life isn't all about having fun and burying the past. Issues need to be spoken about, apologies need to be made and behaviour needs to change. But Kerry is one of those people who just thinks she's genuinely doing nothing wrong."
Would you like to see Kerry and Andy make a go of things?
"Definitely. If anyone could change Kerry, he could. She is a lovely lass underneath it all, she's just a bit broken and damaged."
What kind of a reaction do you get from the viewers for playing Kerry?
"It's weird, as there tends to be a bit of a split! Some people really like Kerry and relate to her. But then you do get the odd person who says, 'Stop drinking, look after your daughter, and dress your age!' I think people do see that Kerry has got a heart. I think the viewers like to watch people who makes mistakes, because we all do.
Love many, trust few, always paddle your own canoe