EastEnders airs Sean Slater and Craig Ingram cliffhanger in early BBC iPlayer release

Sean Slater (Robert Kazinsky) has caught up with Craig Ingram (Matthew James-Bailey) in EastEnders – and it's not going to be a polite conversation.

Craig was waiting outside of Walford Hospital for Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd), who has ran off with the groomer to start a new life away from Albert Square. He's preyed on her vulnerabilities, and manipulated her into thinking she'd be happier with him.

She even got her hands on £100,000 worth of inheritance money, though the police subsequently froze her bank account and this cash can't be accessed.

Earlier this week, in a worrying turn, Craig lashed out at Amy and slapped her across the face.

In today's episode, he tried to justify his actions by saying they'd both hurt one another, and that when the account was frozen, it was like a "dagger to the heart".

Amy was clearly nervous of his unpredictable temperament, though when she was handed an option to leave, she chose to stay with him.

Back on the Square, her dad Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) had come to the realisation that there was little they could do and it would just be a waiting game moving forward. However, Sean was reluctant to sit about, and Chelsea Fox (Zaraah Abrahams) urged Jack to listen to his ideas.

He suggested getting Denise Fox (Diane Fox) to record a video from the hospital, saying that she's taken a turn for the worse amid her cancer battle. It was hoped that this footage would then convince Amy to return.

Jack said that he wasn't prepared to tempt fate with Denise's life, though she thought it was their last hope and would be better than sitting around and waiting for an answer.

Meanwhile, Craig and Amy planned to sneak over to her home to steal money from her family. Using a spare key, Amy creeped into the Fox & Hair salon and tried to prise the till open. Suddenly, Josh Goodwin (Joshua Vaughan) entered and showed her the video.

Denise was seen to beg Amy for an opportunity to say goodbye following bad news from the hospital.

Amy rushed out and towards Craig's car. He was furious that she had no money with her, and was reluctant to take her to the hospital.

However, knowing that Amy wasn't going to settle without seeing Denise, he agreed to take her there. Denise was stunned to see a mark on Amy's face, and wasn't satisfied with her claims that it was accidental.

The whole plot then fell apart as a nurse entered the room and asked why Denise was there - she's not due any treatment. Amy realised that she'd been duped.

Outside, Sean clocked Craig in his car and swung the door open, grabbing the keys from the ignition.

What will Sean do?

Read more:

• EastEnders icon Rob Kazinsky teases "never-seen-before" storyline for his character Sean Slater with plot that "treads new ground"
• EastEnders legend Jo Joyner returns to Walford set for Branning 'family reunion' - 8 years after last Tanya appearance
• EastEnders star teases "fire and carnage" when Penny Branning's baby paternity secret is revealed
• EastEnders favourite Balvinder Sopal teases Ash return is "grenade" to the Panesar family unit this autumn

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Authors

Michael Adams is the Soaps Editor at Radio Times, covering all of the hot gossip and spoilers from Weatherfield to Walford, Emmerdale to Hollyoaks and everywhere in-between. He joined the team from Metro, where he spent two years as a Soaps Reporter and previously worked on the sets of both Coronation Street and Emmerdale.