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Carmel and Denise do their best to talk Masood out of his plan. Lee searches for a way out. Sad news rocks the residents.

At No. 55, Jay avoids a call from ‘M’ and lies to Ben and Louise that Billy’s given him the morning off work. Louise is keen to go to the hospital with Sharon to pick up Phil, but Ben makes a quick exit for work. Jay’s horrified as Louise answers the door to Mike. Jay pleads for a few more days to get his money; Mike gives him until midday. Later, Roxy’s alarmed to spot Jay heading for the tube station, a packed bag in hand. Jay despairs he owes Mike £1000 and has no choice but to run. Roxy begs him not to flee and promises to help.

With Phil now home, Sharon tries to remain optimistic about getting a liver donor. Phil refuses to be cheered and suspects she’s keeping something from him. Meanwhile, Roxy approaches Ronnie and Jack who are applying for a mortgage for the house in Ongar. Roxy tentatively asks for a loan. Ronnie can’t help and reveals she’s already said no to Jay too. At No. 55, Phil’s furious when Jay walks in, and swiftly throws him out - he wants Jay nowhere near Louise. Roxy reveals Jay’s in debt to a dealer and is disgusted that Phil’s abandoning him. Phil pays Ben a visit in the Arches; Ben insists Jay only moved back in because Sharon said Phil agreed to it.

A frantic Sharon arrives on her way to pick up Dennis from school - a boy’s been stabbed. Ben pointedly remarks that Jay could be next. Phil finds Jay in the Square Gardens; he plans to stay with his granddad but can’t afford the train. Phil offers him a wad of cash to get away - or they can sort things out together. Jay thinks he can only pay Mike back if he carries on dealing. Phil won’t hear of it, and drops Jay off outside the police station. Jay’s reluctant to grass, but Phil insists it’s his only choice and promises to protect him. Later, Jay comes home with good news; Mike is going to be arrested. Phil allows Jay to move back in - everyone makes mistakes.

As Whitney makes plans for their new flat, Johnny wonders how Lee can afford it. Stressed Lee snaps at him, clocked by Linda. Whitney reminds Lee to give the No.5B deposit money to Jack. At the call centre, Lee asks Haroon for a pay advance but he refuses. Later, Linda discovers a sapphire bracelet from her dad is missing from her handbag. After dinner, Linda corners Lee for a quiet word, concerned after his earlier outburst at Johnny. Lee denies anything’s wrong. Satisfied, Linda tells Lee how proud she is of him. When Linda’s gone, a shame-faced Lee takes her bracelet from his pocket…

Carmel’s concerned about Masood’s decision to move to Pakistan and frets to Denise that he’s being used by Zainab. Masood insists he wants a new life and invites Carmel for a last dinner together. She initially refuses, but agrees after Kush points out that a fresh start might be best for Masood. In the Minute Mart, Denise isn’t impressed with the mung bean stew Libby’s made for her, and sneaks a bite of Honey’s sausage roll. On seeing Masood, Denise reports she’s tried to contact Zainab to get her to dissuade him from leaving Walford. Masood denies the move is anything to do with Zainab. Denise isn’t convinced and thinks Masood’s running away because he’s unhappy. She’s hurt when Masood snaps there’s nothing left for him in Walford and berates her for not supporting him. Later, Denise is surprised that Carmel’s changed her mind; she scoffs that Masood will be back in two weeks but Carmel’s not so sure and urges Denise not to leave things badly with Masood.

Kathy tries to recruit Martin and Kush for the Walford Players Christmas show. Geraldine presents Kathy with a script for her version of ‘A Christmas Carol’. Kathy spots a man hanging around No. 45 - Derek Harkinson. A riled Kathy assumes he’s from the council about the bin collections and threatens to dump rubbish outside his house. At the Christmas show meeting, Kathy thinks Geraldine’s script is silly but Geraldine dismisses her opinion. Derek appears again and greets Patrick warmly - he’s an old friend of Pauline’s. Kathy’s mortified, and further irked when Geraldine won’t let her and Abi work backstage.

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30 minutes

Audio described

Credits

RoleContributor
Lee CarterDanny-Boy Hatchard
Linda CarterKellie Bright
Whitney DeanShona McGarty
Johnny CarterTed Reilly
Babe SmithAnnette Badland
Abi BranningLorna Fitzgerald
Patrick TruemanRudolph Walker
Denise FoxDiane Parish
Kush KazemiDavood Ghadami
Carmel KazemiBonnie Langford
Masood AhmedNitin Ganatra
Donna YatesLisa Hammond
Martin FowlerJames Bye
Kathy SullivanGillian Taylforth
Ben MitchellHarry Reid
Jay BrownJamie Borthwick
Phil MitchellSteve McFadden
Sharon MitchellLetitia Dean
Roxy MitchellRita Simons
Ronnie MitchellSamantha Womack
Jack BranningScott Maslen
Honey MitchellEmma Barton
Dennis RickmanBleu Landau
Derek HarkinsonIan Lavender
Geraldine CloughGwyneth Strong
Haroon ZamanSilas Carson
Mike RendonBailey Patrick
Osman 'Oz' BolatNoah Maxwell-Clarke
Executive ProducerSean O'Connor
DirectorThomas Hescott
WriterMatt Evans

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