Monday


Lauren decides to do something that will make her mum proud, so she offers to help out at the salon. Everything goes well until Tanya has to leave Lauren manning the reception. A letter from the hospital drops out of the bookings diary and Lauren is horrified to see that her mum didn't attend the appointment. Upset by this discovery, Lauren ends up having another big argument with Tanya, before heading off to The Vic and hitting the bottle.

Later, Lauren hopes for some alone time with Joey. Knowing that Cora and Poppy are out, Lauren steals Poppy's keys and they go back to her place. Lauren and Joey start tearing each other's clothes off, but as they kiss on the sofa, Dot arrives home unexpectedly and is horrified to see what her granddaughter is up to…

Meanwhile, Masood tries to shield Zainab from the truth about Ayesha's crush, but in doing so, he starts to dig a deep hole for himself. Masood claims that Ayesha is traumatised by her father's death and must be transferring her grief into a crush. Zainab isn't convinced and when she pushes Masood for a name, he tells her that Ray is the guy who is leading Ayesha astray. Later at the Minute Mart, Zainab confronts Ray when he comes in for some milk - but Masood's lie is soon exposed. How will Masood explain himself?

Elsewhere, Kat and Bianca both turn up for their cleaning jobs at The Vic. Kat tries to mask her sadness over Alfie by getting on with her work, but Roxy soon starts getting on her nerves by dishing out orders. Soon afterwards, all hell breaks loose when Kat sees Amy with one of Tommy's favourite toys. Forced to step in, Alfie takes Roxy's side over Kat's. In response, Kat resigns from The Vic, and Bianca also loses out when her contract is terminated by Roxy.

Also today, Ava has a job interview in Walford, Phil gives Dexter a chance to work at The Arches, while Abi is feeling unwell and fears that she'll mess up her imminent exams.

Tuesday

Dot goes into cleaning mode at her house and is horrified to find an offending pair of boxer shorts wedged in the sofa. She makes it clear to Cora that she is unhappy with how far standards have slipped in her absence. Soon afterwards, Dot visits Tanya and Max and tells them that she wants to bring the Brannings together, believing that the whole family is in crisis. It's agreed that everyone will meet at The Vic at 5pm. Dot adds that she found Lauren in compromising circumstances with a young man in her living room last night, but she still doesn't realise who Joey was.

Later at The Vic, Dot gets her first surprise of the evening when she learns that Jack is now engaged to Sharon. Kirsty then serves up the Brannings' meal and causes some trouble by introducing herself to Dot as Max's wife. Things get even worse when Joey turns up at The Vic and Dot finally realises that he is Derek's son.

Emotions run high as Dot digests Lauren and Joey's relationship, and in the end she storms out. When Cora returns home making snide comments, Dot tells her that since she has stolen her job and made a pigsty out of her house, Cora must pack her bags and get out…

Meanwhile, Ray has developed an attraction to Kirsty at The Vic. However, he is becoming annoyed with Kim, who is still hopelessly in love with him. Ray looks for a way to put Kim off kindly, and even asks Denise to help with warning her off.

Elsewhere, Zainab is pleased when Ayesha announces that she wants to see Rashid again, while Max gives Lauren a dressing down - ordering her to sign up for a college course and get her act together.

Thursday

Dot embarks on a one-woman mission to get the Brannings back on track, and she starts by giving Lauren some advice. Soon afterwards, Lauren heads to The Vic where she seems hell-bent on drinking herself stupid. Kirsty is working behind the bar and tries to intervene with a friendly chat, but when Max and Tanya turn up, they warn her to stay away from Lauren.

Later, Kirsty takes a drunken Lauren over to her room at the B&B so that she can sleep it off. Kirsty then phones Max to let him know what's going on. Max lies to Tanya by telling her that the call was from Lauren, who specifically wants him to pick her up from The Vic. As Max arrives at the B&B to take Lauren home, Kirsty gives Lauren her key and whispers that her door is always open.

Not wanting any trouble, Max persuades Lauren not to tell Tanya where she's been. However, as Lauren rushes upstairs, Kirsty's key falls out of her pocket. The key is picked up later - but not by Lauren…

Meanwhile, Cora tries to win one last chance from Dot by transforming herself into the perfect lodger. When Ian arrives with flowers for Dot to welcome her back, Cora tries to get him on her side. However, Ian insists that Cora should respect Dot's wishes by leaving, and it's clear that Dot won't be changing her mind when she declares that Cora only has herself to blame for being homeless.

Elsewhere, Lola takes a liking to Dexter but he fails to hide his shock when he learns that she has a baby, Dot speaks to Jay about Heather's death, Jack makes a special effort to spend quality time with Dennis, while Masood tries to make Ayesha focus on Rashid's imminent visit rather than him.
Kirsty manages to get Lauren to her room to sleep off the booze.1 of 7

Friday

When Tanya hears Max's mobile buzz from his coat pocket, she pulls it out and spots his recent calls. She isn't best pleased to see that Kirsty's name is listed from the night before. Tanya doesn't immediately confront Max, but she finds herself becoming increasingly paranoid over the rest of the morning - especially when Lauren seems secretive about exactly where Max picked her up last night.

At lunchtime, Max arrives home for a short while. When he leaves again, it's without his coat, so Tanya grabs it. However, Tanya is stunned when a key to a room at Kim's Palace falls out…

Meanwhile, Alfie hurts his finger and instinctively calls out for Kat, which concerns Roxy. Following a quick bit of advice from Kirsty, Roxy becomes determined to make her mark on The Vic and makes plans to host some theme nights. Later, Kirsty intervenes by informing Alfie of the real reason why Roxy is behaving strangely. Afterwards, Alfie assures Roxy that she's the only woman in his heart, and Roxy is delighted as their relationship steps up a gear.

Elsewhere, a lady from the council arrives to see Dot, following up enquiries about the considerable rent arrears. Dot is worried when she realises that she's in trouble for subletting.

Also today, homeless Cora is pleased when Tanya allows her to move in as a temporary measure, Phil warns Lola that she can do much better than Dexter and needs to get rid of him, while Masood hopes that Ayesha's attention has been diverted as she reveals plans to see Rashid again.