SHOCKING NEWS!! EastEnders spoiler: Lauren gets desperate and turns to Mark

The Brannings learn that vintage vehicles from the car lot have been found burned in a quarry. Mark denies any knowledge and Sam helpfully gives him a false alibi, so Lauren starts to suspect Max.

With Lauren’s financial pressures growing, Mark manipulates her into the possibility of dealing with illegitimate cars. Things come to a head when Peter reveals that Jimmy’s nursery has a place they can’t afford. Lauren urges Mark to call his contact about the stolen cars.

Meanwhile, Oscar struggles with his growing attraction to both Josh and Jasmine. Before long, he shares a charged moment with Josh but pulls away.

Elsewhere, Gina expresses her concerns about Eddie, but George avoids having the conversation.

EastEnders spoilers follow for Thursday’s (March 12) episode, which is now available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

Desperate to free himself from a life of crime, Mark Fowler Jr (Stephen Aaron-Sipple) took shocking action as he staged a car theft, putting Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) in serious danger in the process.

The newcomer, as viewers know, has been working for a criminal gang, who tasked him with tracking down and exterminating the informant that has been operating within their organisation.

Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) was the informant in question, working on behalf of Jack Branning (Scott Maslen), who offered him the opportunity to dish the dirt on the gang in exchange for his freedom.

Doing so, however, had a massive impact on his mental health, with Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy) worried sick about him over the past few weeks.

Mark had his suspicions about Ravi, which Ravi confirmed during a heated showdown in the woods earlier this week.

Feeling trapped by his bosses, Mark felt compelled to do as he was told and eliminate Ravi once and for all, much to the horror of Vicki (Alice Haig) who – much like the viewers at home – was quick to point out that such actions aren’t in Mark’s nature.

She urged Mark to stay away from Ravi and his family but, fearing he might actually follow through and kill him, she sought help from Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden).

While Phil prefers to stay away from crime these days, he still has influence and he used said influence to secure Mark’s freedom, meaning that he’s no longer part of the drug dealing gang.

Mark was relieved but he soon learned that he needs to pay off what he owes, with his freedom set to cost him a whopping £100,000.

Determined to secure such funds, he manipulated Lauren – who was desperate for a sale at the car lot to prove controlling Max (Jake Wood) wrong – into letting him take one of the motors for a test drive.

But when they pulled over, Mark revealed that he didn’t actually have the money to buy such a thing. Offering Lauren lunch for taking up so much of her time, he went to a shop nearby. In horror scenes, Lauren was attacked by a man who was lurking in the corner as he grabbed her keys and made off with the car.

In grim scenes at the end of the episode, it was revealed that Mark had orchestrated the whole thing in order to get his hands on the car. The question is: will he be found out?

Fans have suspected for months that Mark and Lauren will embark on an affair following the flash-forward episode at the beginning of the year, which appeared to indicate Lauren’s infidelity and a closeness of sorts to Mark.

Whether or not any relationship ensues remains to be seen, but will Lauren uncover the depths of Mark’s villainy and that he was responsible for her ordeal?