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Soaps with Julie Lordan

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The hunt for Hunter

EastEnders Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri / RTÉ One & BBC One

Mel's guilty conscience is gnawing at her, and she decides that coming clean to the police about Ray and the events of New Year's Day would be the best thing to do. Hunter is not convinced. He goes missing, putting even more pressure on a stressed-out Mel.

While in the office, Maddie appears and asks for help finding some cash, but when Mel refuses, Maddie is quick to make a jibe about Hunter. Mel flies off the handle and grabs Maddie, who is terrified at Mel's reaction. Billy witnesses the situation, but to Mel's surprise, he empathises with her.

The whole exchange makes Mel realise that a confession wouldn't be best for her and her son and she decides on another course of action. To Mel's relief, Hunter finally returns, but she worries about what he's been up to. She locks him in the house while she puts her plan in place. She heads off to find Phil and tells him that she is willing to sell her stake in the club. Seeing how desperate Mel is, he makes a lowball offer but she's not in the mood for being taken advantage of and refuses.

Phil might be the least of her worries, however, as the police have arrived to confront Hunter about his threats towards Maddie and Nicola. Realising that their secret is not safe while in Walford, especially with Hunter's unpredictable and hostile attitude, she accepts Phil's offer and makes the hard decision to move away. It may not be a happy ending for the mother and son, however, as their secret might not stay buried for much longer…

The stakes are considerably lower for the other residents of Albert Square this week, and the continuing saga of Keanu, Sharon and Louise's love triangle helps to cleanse the palate after that life-or-death drama – though Sharon may disagree. Keanu's obsession with her still poses a problem as she tries to hide his declarations of love from Phil.

Sharon fends off Keanu's advances and is happy when Phil puts her in charge after Mel accepts his offer, but a sneaky Keanu has been watching her and he wastes no time in trying to woo her. Despite herself, she has conflicted feelings about the young Romeo.

Love might be in the air for Ruby and Jay too as they spend the night together, but when Jay is nowhere to be seen in the morning, she worries she's been used. She confronts him at work, but it soon becomes clear she has the wrong end of the stick.

All about Junior

Fair City Sun, Tues, Wed & Thurs / RTÉ One

Orla, Wayne and Tommy are still bickering and poor Junior is caught in the middle. Wayne offers to throw the youngster a party to help distract him from his medical woes, and Orla is on board.

Then Dearbhla insists that she and Tommy be a part of Junior's life. Orla acquiesces and lets Tommy spend time with Junior, but Wayne is not happy. He reluctantly agrees but with a caveat – Tommy must not seek legal guardianship. The two men come to an uneasy truce, but leaving Junior with Tommy still breaks Wayne's heart.

They all agree to put their differences aside, if only momentarily, and focus on Junior and the baby. Wayne and Orla put on a strong front as they head to the clinic for Orla's appointment. It's not the news they hoped for, and Orla blames herself. Time's running out for poor Junior, and Orla is all too aware. Over at the garage, Ray gets impatient and hires Leo for the office admin job, but Doug's not happy about the decision.

Doug might be too quick to judge, however, as Leo shows off his skills and seems to be doing a good job. It's not long before Doug grows frustrated with Leo as the pair disagrees on how to run things, and when Leo starts to slack off, Doug is keen to get rid of him.

Decco's having a hard time looking after Samantha. He proves to be his own worst enemy when his pride won't let him accept any help. It soon proves too much for him to cope with on his own, and he considers sending Samantha to live with Vivienne. 

Peter plays the field

Coronation Street Mon, Wed, & Fri / Virgin Media One & UTV

Jenny is in a state as the court date approaches. Johnny has received an invite to Brighton from Eva, and Jenny insists that he goes. Once he leaves, she hits the bottle in an attempt to ease her worries. A groggy Jenny proceeds to tumble about the bar and causes a scene when she throws everyone out, convinced that they are mocking her behind her back.

When Johnny returns, he finds Jenny in a right state. Gemma wants to help and goes to Imran for advice, but he tells her the only way the case will stop is if Liz doesn't turn up. This gives Gemma an idea, and she sneaks into Liz's flat. Later, the police turn up looking for Liz when she misses the hearing. What has Gemma done?

Meanwhile, Abi's infatuation with Peter grows stronger. She tells Sally and Tracy that she's going sailing with him, and Tracy goes straight to Peter and tells him that he is leading Abi on and to let her down gently. Peter does the right thing and tells Abi that he's not looking for anyone to join him on his trip, but she determines to change his mind in the three months leading up to his departure.

Shifty Paul is out to steal Roy's diamond ring. He takes it from its box and runs, sending Roy into a panic when he can't find it. Gemma grows suspicious of Paul when Roy asks Billy if he misplaced the ring, and she confronts him.

Paul admits that he sold it at the market and puts Gemma in a difficult position when he threatens to tell Chesney about her past if she says anything. 

Getting his story straight

Emmerdale - Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri / RTÉ One & BBC One

Jacob and Liv are growing closer, much to Maya's annoyance. When Maya sees Liv pull Jacob into Mill Cottage, she assumes it's for some sort of secret tryst. Furious, she tells Aaron and he throws Jacob out. Liv and Jacob's meeting was purely innocent, however, as she was explaining to him about her asexuality.

Despite Jacob accepting the news, Maya's interference could be a big setback for the pair. It's not long before Jacob finds out that Maya sent Aaron round and he's not happy. He wants to cut all ties with her, but a desperate Maya threatens to tell David about their affair. Realising she's losing control, she decides to leave the village, but a serious accident befalls her while she packs. Cain's run-ins with the law continue when he is arrested yet again.

While he hopes that the investigation is done, he grows anxious to see the police searching Butlers. History repeats itself when Cain resists arrest after refusing to come to the station. The situation grows even more dire when DS Sanders tells Cain that he has evidence that Cain was at Home Farm the day Joe disappeared.

Cain is flustered, and all hope lies with Graham corroborating his story. Graham, meanwhile, has had his hands full undoing Nicola's scam. Jimmy knows what his wife has been up to and isn't in the mood to talk to her. Thinking it's Nicola, he ignores a call from the school. Nicola receives the same call and is informed that Elliot has disappeared. She frantically searches for him and finds him outside on the street.

He's worried that her and Jimmy's fight will be the end of their relationship, but she promises otherwise. With renewed energy, she heads off to sort things out with her husband. 

On being different

Hollyoaks Mon-Fri / Channel 4

Mandy and Darren disagree over what's best for their unborn child. When the option for Mandy to undergo surgery that could minimise the baby's spina bifida symptoms comes up, she's all for it. Darren isn't so sure and worries that the procedure poses too great a risk to the baby.

Later, Mandy finds Brooke upset after being teased by Juliet about her autism. Mandy comforts her and tells her that's she's fine just as she is, before confiding in her about the baby's diagnosis. Mac tells Donna-Marie that she has to go back to prostitution to scrounge up more cash. She happens across a drunken Darren and wastes no time plying her trade.

Juliet, who is besotted with Darren, finds him asleep and takes a selfie, using it later to try and break him and Mandy up. Elsewhere, Nancy organises a disability awareness day. Oscar takes part in the choir, but when the time comes to perform, he suffers from a bout of stage-fright.

No such thing as a free lunch

Ros na Rún Tues & Thurs / TG4

Feeling flush, Sorcha uses a €50 euro note to pay for lunch, but it backfires when Cóilí recognises a marking on it. He accuses Adam of stealing it from him.

Sorcha comes clean to Adam, but he debates whether or not to grass her up. Caitríona isn't satisfied with her spy cam and sends Vince to check on Sonia. Sonia grows suspicious when Caitríona seems to be aware of what's being said behind her back. It's not long before Colm and Sonia find the device and decide to have a little fun of their own.

It's not all fun and games as Bobbi Lee makes plans to leave. Vanessa stops her and convinces her to speak to Niall one last time, but Niall may not forgive her. 

Loving Elly

Neighbours Mon-Fri / RTÉ One & RTÉ 2

Sonya's cancer treatment gets under way, but Toadie's finding it difficult to cope. It shows when he snaps at Yashvi for a minor mistake, but his worries are compounded when he receives a letter from Andrea's lawyer.

He takes his frustrations out on an innocent Karl, who he thinks diagnosed Sonya far too late. At Elly's hen do, she tells Chloe to try and make a go of things with Mel.

Chloe is still madly in love with Elly, but she turns to Mel in an effort to dampen her feelings. Mel is all too eager to assist and they share a kiss - but what will Mel think when she spots a letter from Chloe professing her love for Elly? 

All roads lead to Bella

Home & Away Mon-Fri / RTÉ One & RTÉ 2

Robbo's worst fears come true when it is confirmed that Tori had a miscarriage. Tori is understandably devastated, but she is keen to try again. However, Robbo confides in Jasmine that he isn't sure he can handle any more grief. After last week's revelation about Colby's parents, he's keen to find Ross. When he gets a lead, he follows it and finds his sister Bella.

She's clearly not happy to see him as she greets him with a loaded crossbow. Ziggy grows suspicious when it seems her husband Brody and Simone are growing closer. She's upset when she later finds the pair locked in the storeroom at Salt, but is there more to it, or is Simone intent on stealing her man?