6 EastEnders spoilers for next week: Max surprises Linda and Bernie has a dangerous addiction

Here are all your EastEnders spoilers for 28th June – 2nd July 2021.

Max surprises Linda

We all love that thrill of receiving a surprise birthday present from the postman, unless you're Linda and you get a gift from your heartbroken ex-lover who's kidnapped his granddaughter and gone on the run - and still has no idea he's going to be a dad again as a result of their affair.

Max Branning (aka Walford's most wanted) reaches out to L on her special day and she clocks the postmark is from Croatia. It could be a random Amazon warehouse, or it could mean that's where he's taken little Abi - leaving the Carters with the dilemma of whether to tell Rainie Highway (Tanya Franks) and Stuart Highway (Ricky Champ), and the police, or keep quiet so as to avoid Max coming back into their lives and having to tell him - and the rest of the world - about Linda's pregnancy. What will they do?

Bernie addicted to pills?

Desperate to lose enough weight so she can be the Highways' surrogate and bail out her debt-ridden family, Bernie has resorted to dodgy diet pills best mate Tiffany Butcher-Baker (Maisie Smith) has started flogging. The teen faces an agonising 24 hour wait for the undertakers' to decide whether she's the womb that they want, so Bern begs Tiff to give her stronger tablets to speed up the weight loss.

The redhead reluctantly agrees and Bern is over the moon when Stu and Rainie finally confirm her as their surrogate. It's all systems go as the insemination is arranged (there's an image), but Bernie challenges Rainie when her first payment is below what she was promised - and Mrs H is forced to admit money is tight as she's shelling out for a private detective to track down Max and Abi. What if, after all this, Bernie puts herself at risk by carrying a kiddy and doesn't even get the cash she needs?

Isaac confronts Ruby

With his schizophrenia taking hold since he elected to stop his medication, Isaac grows increasingly fixated on his late brother Paul's death. The troubled teacher's mind is spiralling out of control as he becomes consumed with paranoia, and struggles to cover up in front of worried girlfriend Lola Pearce (Danielle Harold).

Continuing his obsessive research in secret about the links between Ruby's dead dead Johnny's link to Paul's demise leads Isaac down some dangerous roads and he begins to make all sorts of assumptions. So when he bursts into the club while Ruby and Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) are chatting, he's full of agitation and obviously hasn't come for a friendly chat…

Ruby's baby dilemma

While Isaac reminds her of the less happy memories of her father, Ruby is also delivered another blow in her attempts to become a mum this week. Having only just miscarried, Rubes is told she needs to have a further procedure ahead of her planned laparoscopy.

Opening up to Jean (more of their touching interactions on screen, please), Ruby admits she feels the odds are stacked against her thanks to her medical history and plain old bad luck and thinks she doesn't deserve to be happy. After some wise words from her mate's mum, Ruby tells Martin Fowler (James Bye) she's adamant she wants to keep trying for a baby - despite the risks…

Elsewhere on EastEnders

• Phil has a bit of swagger back in his step as him and Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) prepare to open their new joint business, relaunching the laundrette and the cab firm. Tomorrow, the world! Kat is stunned when her fella confesses he wants to tell Raymond he's his dad, and warns Denise Fox (Diane Parish) is unlikely to go for it. Just as the meathead Mitchell wades in, Kat advises him to play the long game and prove to Dee what a good dad he is rather than antagonise her and risk wrecking everything. Will Phil listen?
• It was always going to be a long road back for Mila Marwa (Ruhtxjiaih Bellenea) and Iqra (Priya Davdra), but the locals are pulling all the stops out to get the girls to reunite. Rocky Cant (Brian Conley) has the bright idea of stealing both their phones then tricking them into talking to each other, but much like his attempt to woo Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) it doesn't work. It's Kaff herself who points out to Mila that her Iqra ditched the chance of going to see her sister Habiba and meeting her newborn to help her gain guardianship of Kioni Marwa (Florisa Kamara). This makes Mila forgive Iqra and the couple are reunited, but will social services let them look after Kioni officially?

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