EastEnders' Shirley Carter is already fearing she's made a terrible mistake after selling the freehold of the Queen Vic.
Shirley (Linda Henry) has inadvertently fallen into a cunning trap after Max Branning persuaded her to give up control of the pub, with the blessing of absent landlady Linda Carter.
The struggling Carters had no choice but to take Max's idea on board if they wanted to save the life of their beloved pet dog Lady Di, who has pneumonia and needs emergency treatment which could cost as much as £8,000.
Tuesday's visit to Walford saw Shirley finalise the plan by signing the paperwork and forging Mick's signature, before setting the ball rolling with arranging Lady Di's treatment.
As the Carters then threw themselves into Woody's wild Ladies' Night at the Queen Vic, Shirley hoped the family dramas were over for a while, but a conversation with Max soon left her feeling unsettled.
Despite previously promising that the business he'd sold the freehold to would be taking a hands-off approach, Max confirmed that they'll actually be paying a "consultancy visit" to the pub next week to suggest changes.
Max told Shirley: "All they want to do is maximise profits and assess the pub. I'm sure any changes they suggest will benefit everyone." Hmm, why don't we believe him?
As Shirley was left to contemplate his words, she couldn't help wondering whether she'd done the wrong thing. And since we all know Max's intentions are far from genuine here, it'll surely only be a matter of time before Shirl receives a nasty shock...
EastEnders continues on Thursday (April 27) at 7.30pm on BBC One.
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Daniel has been writing about soaps on Digital Spy since 2004 and took over as Soaps Editor in 2010.
He has interviewed hundreds of soap stars over the years, from Bill Roache to Lacey Turner, and regularly visits the sets of Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks for behind-the-scenes trips and press events.
He has served as an awards judge on numerous occasions for the likes of the BAFTA TV Awards, RTS Programme Awards and British Soap Awards. In 2020, he was Highly Commended for Best Section Editor at the BSME Awards.
