Hollyoaks couple Jacqui McQueen and Rhys Ashworth take centre stage tonight in a special after-dark edition of the soap titled 'King of Hearts'.
The show favourites - played by Claire Cooper and Andy Moss - find themselves entangled in the dangerous world of gangster Danny Houston (Darren Day) once again as Jacqui's desire to protect her family leads her to desperate measures.
With scheming Kathleen still threatening to tell the police the truth about Theresa's murderous secret unless the McQueens stump up £2,000, Jacqui recruits Rhys to scam Danny in a poker game as part of a desperate plot to raise the cash.
However, when Danny discovers their plan, he's soon out for revenge and Rhys finds himself being dangled from a great height by two of the businessman's heavies.
As the drama unfolds, Danny makes it clear that he wants the money back and more - but adds that the debt will be wiped clean if he can have one night with Jacqui.
When Jacqui shocks Rhys by giving the indecent proposal some serious consideration, tension between the pair boils over into a full-blown row.
Determined that his girlfriend should not have to lose her dignity, Rhys teams up with Gilly Roach and they try to resolve the crisis by targeting Danny's glamorous drugs runner Sophia, played by guest star Donna Air.
With a gun in their possession, it seems as if the hapless pair have the upper hand - but when they find the weapon turned on them, it appears that they have landed themselves in some serious danger.
As the action reaches a climax, fans will discover whether Jacqui will have to go through with her night with Danny and whether Rhys and Gilly will escape Sophia's clutches.
Praising the late-night edition in a recent interview , Claire Cooper said: "We get so used to the everyday [episodes], it's almost like we're taken out of our comfort zones. It's exciting. You can take it a bit further - there's a few swear words and we can do more things, as people will see in this episode.
"At 6.30pm, we have to be so careful because of compliance and things sometimes get cut out. With this, we get to tell a story in more detail and sometimes a bit more true to form - showing how people do respond, as obviously we can't show too much at 6.30pm! It's nice to have that freedom and the opportunity to play with it."
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