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EastEnders airs kidnapping horror and more Walford teen shocks in early BBC iPlayer release

Warning: Contains spoilers for Wednesday's episode of EastEnders, which airs at 7.30pm on BBC One or can be streamed now on BBC iPlayer.

Chelsea sits beside Jordan, who is in a wheelchair, in a scene from EastEnders

BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron

Published: Wednesday, 12 August 2026 at 11:59 am

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With the prison alarm bell ringing, Chelsea Fox (Zaraah Abrahams) was left unable to contact her family in EastEnders.

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She'd been lured to the prison under false pretences by Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt), where she came face-to-face with twisted ex-partner Gray Atkins (Toby-Alexander Smith).

Knowing that Chelsea was away from their son Jordan Fox (Jahsaiah Williams), the murderer instructed his grandmother Sheila (Sheila Ruskin) to swoop in and kidnap him.

By the time the Fox-Trueman clan realised he was missing, they were long gone.

In today's episode, Chelsea pleaded with a prison guard to let her go, convinced that something had happened to Jordan. Meanwhile, Kim Fox (Tameka Empson) was desperately trying to reach her.

Ian and Gray talking in a cell in EastEnders

Toby-Alexander Smith as Gray Atkins and Adam Woodyatt as Ian Beale. BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron

She rushed over to Walford Hospital to alert sister Denise Fox (Diane Parish) to what was unfolding. Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) had only just been made aware himself, and assured them that his colleagues at the police station were on the case.

He then called Sheila himself, and heard an announcement for a flight in the background.

Denise then expressed her desire to chase after Sheila. Despite Jack's warning not to leave the ward for risk of infection amid her aggressive blood cancer diagnosis, but she wasn't prepared to listen.

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In his absence, she ordered Kim to help her into a wheelchair and to take her to London City Airport. The women believed that she didn't have Jordan's passport, so they wouldn't get far.

However, back on Albert Square, a frantic Chelsea realised that her son's ID had been taken, and it was a race against time to stop him boarding a flight to Morocco.

A dramatic confrontation ensued at the airport, with Denise becoming breathless and unwell as she screamed at Sheila. Chelsea then approached, pulling Jordan to safety.

Sheila Ruskin as Sheila in a scene from EastEnders

Sheila Ruskin as Sheila Atkins. BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron

Although Sheila fled, Chelsea later explained that the police had caught her as she was trying to leave the airport. Jack was furious that Kim had betrayed his trust and taken Denise out of hospital, though she asserted that she was left in an impossible situation.

But the drama was far from over. Back at the prison, Gray was waiting for Ian and cornered him with a shaven-off toothbrush - blaming him for the scheme not going to plan.

Will Ian be OK?

Denzel and Nugget laugh in the background as Lily confronts Joel in a scene from EastEnders

Lillia Turner as Lily Slater. BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron

Elsewhere, the Walford teens – who were all present on the night of Joel Marshall's (Max Murray) attack – gathered at the Gaming Grounds for a drink.

Joel heard on the grapevine that they were meeting and followed, revealing that he was sick of the secrecy over the situation and that he wanted to put it in the past.

The group realised that Lily Slater (Lillia Turner) was behaving suspiciously, and she admitted to being the one who freed him from being tied to the fence.

Amy stands over Joel at the dining table in a scene from EastEnders

Ellie Dadd as Amy Mitchell and Max Murray as Joel Marshall. BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron

It's safe to say that they were stunned... but further shocks were yet to come.

When Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy) and Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) caught up with them, Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd) questioned Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James) and Denzel Danes's (Jaden Ladega) silence over the situation.

They were forced to confess that they'd spent much of the night together, ruining Amy's chances of reuniting with Denzel.

But are more revelations yet to come?

Read more:

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Authors

Michael Adams wearing a white t-shirt and beige gilet against a white background

Michael AdamsSoaps Editor

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.

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