Tonight's instalment of EastEnders was a terrifying one, as the villainous Gray Atkins (played by Toby-Alexander Smith) went on the run for his terrible crimes.

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As fans of the BBC soap know all too well, Gray took the lives of his long-suffering wife Chantelle (Jessica Plummer), Kush Kazemi (Davood Ghadami) and Tina Carter (Luisa Bradshaw-White).

As the truth finally came out across Albert Square about Chantelle and Tina's untimely deaths, Gray was quickly running out of people to trust - even Karen (Lorraine Stanley) lost faith in the man she thought was a good guy.

With Gray on the run, it was Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) who spotted him and tried to alert the police to his whereabouts, before a chase up to the overground tube line resulted in one final showdown between the pair.

Whit found her inner strength and finally stood up to him, comparing him to her previous villainous exes who mentally and physically abused her.

Gray attempted to evade going to prison and flung himself over the side of the tracks, seemingly about to fall to his death, but Whitney held on tight to him, desperate for him to face the music and the full force of the law.

But it wasn't enough, and both of them began slipping further over the edge... before they fell, Mitch (Roger Griffiths) appeared from nowhere and grabbed onto Gray's arm, hauling him back up to the tracks.

The pair shared a knowing, silent exchange before the police came to cuff him and lead him back to their car, certain to be whisked off for questioning.

It seems highly likely Gray will be charged with at least the murder of Chantelle, but whether he will be found guilty of Tina or Kush's deaths remains to be seen.

Is Shirley Carter dead?

Before the train-track showdown, Gray paid visits to different members of the Square while trying to work out what to do next.

He couldn't help but pop into the Queen Vic, where he found a distraught Shirley Carter (Linda Henry) drowning her sorrows after recently discovering Gray killed her beloved Tina.

Gray didn't show any remorse and instead set about taunting Shirl for her loss - a big mistake.

Shirl well and truly laid into the villain, and knocked him to the floor with a broken vodka bottle and a chair before clambering on top of him to try and strangle him with a chair leg.

Mick (Danny Dyer) arrived in time to stop his mother from doing something she would have likely regretted and pulled her to her senses.

But the danger wasn't over as Gray leapt up with the chair leg in his hands and clobbered Shirl on the head, causing severe bleeding.

At the end of the episode, Shirley was seen in the back of an ambulance with her head bandaged up. While it's safe to assume she's probably OK, this is soapland and anything can happen...

We'll have to wait until next week to see if she pulls through.

Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch check out our TV Guide.

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Authors

Helen Daly
Helen DalyAssociate Editor

Helen Daly is the Associate Editor for Radio Times, overseeing new initiatives and commercial projects for the brand. She was previously Deputy TV Editor at a national publication. She has a BA in English Literature and an MA in Media & Journalism from Newcastle University.

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