Episode 4926 (16 September 2014)

Alfie watches as the cigarette starts to smoulder in the bin. At Phil’s house, Mick’s worried by Alfie’s prolonged absence. Alfie flees No. 23, grabbing the photo of Nana Moon, oblivious to Kat’s red handbag on the stairs. In the Square gardens, Alfie wraps the photo-frame in newspaper and leaves Kat a voicemail, telling her he loves her. Inside No 23, the living room fills with smoke as the fire takes hold. Upstairs, Kat dozes in the bedroom. When Alfie returns to Phil’s with beer, Mick smells smoke and realises what Alfie’s done.

Later, Mick catches him dialling 999 and advises that he can’t report a fire he hasn’t discovered, warning him to get his head straight. Alfie grabs the photo-frame and heads out. At No 23, Kat wakes and listens to Alfie’s voicemail. Touched, she rifles in a drawer for some sexy underwear and phones Alfie just as he’s stashing the photo-frame under the tarpaulin at Kat’s stall. Kat purrs she’s waiting for him at home. Horrified, Alfie races across the Square. Alerted by the smoke, Kat opens the bedroom door and starts to scream, flames now filling the landing.

Alfie tries to open the front door but is blown backwards by a sudden explosion that rocks the whole Square. Alfie comes to on the pavement as people pile out of the Vic, Roxy, Stacey and Mo among them. Alfie cries that Kat’s in the fire. Stacey hurries to the Butchers’ – what if Kat had the kids with her?! Alfie rushes into the fire, followed by Peter and Johnny. Stacey discovers the kids are safe. On the Square, Mick races over from Phil’s. Roxy holds him back as Johnny and Peter emerge from the fire, coughing, explaining Alfie got upstairs but they couldn’t get past. The Square’s residents watch helplessly as the fire engulfs the house.

Finally, Alfie staggers through the flames, clutching Kat wrapped in a blanket. As Kat’s taken from him, Alfie slumps to the ground, Mick supporting him, muttering he’ll never let Kat go. In the Vic, Roxy tells Carol Dot’s house has been sealed off and suggests she, Charlie and Fatboy stay with her. Tosh tells the gathered crowd Alfie and Kat have been taken to hospital but doesn’t know if Kat will be okay. In hospital, Alfie fights off a nurse as she tries to tend to his burnt hands. Mo and Stacey assure him he saved Kat but he staggers off in search of her. A nurse walks past with Kat’s dress in her hands. Frantic, Alfie ducks into a room to find Kat lying on a bed, badly burned and unconscious, fighting for life.

The rowdy hens are unimpressed Phil is their entertainment instead of a stripper. A flustered Linda covers Sharon’s absence. Mick finds Sharon sat on the stairs in Phil’s house. Sharon insists she can’t marry Phil. At the Vic, Linda waylays Phil from returning home with a hen party game. Smirking, Shirley guesses all of Phil’s answers. Meanwhile, Sharon confides in Mick she thought if the wedding was perfect things would be different, but it’s all a lie. Sharon shows Mick a wedding RSVP - Michelle and Ian aren’t coming. Sharon thinks she and Phil bring out the worst in each other. Mick thinks if Sharon loves Phil she should take a leap of faith.

In the Vic, Shirley wonders to Phil if Sharon’s had cold feet. Sharon returns to the hen party just as the Vic is rocked by the explosion from No 23 and instinctively grabs hold of Phil. Later, Phil tries to convince Sharon that the fire wasn’t an omen. Sharon admits she was considering leaving but loves Phil too much to lose him. Phil squeezes her hand, watched by Shirley.

At Max’s house, Nancy and Johnny entertain Dean and Tamwar with family anecdotes. Lauren’s bored. Dean’s unimpressed when Peter arrives after all. Nancy thinks the testosterone levels have rocketed. Lauren protests it’s nothing to do with her. When Johnny and Dean ask for alcohol, Peter admonishes Dean for being tactless – Lauren’s a recovering alcoholic.

Dean wonders what happened between Peter and Lola. Tense, Lauren insists he drop it. Dean whisks Lauren off to a club in Dalston. Later, as Johnny and Peter are treated by paramedics in the Vic after the fire, Lauren arrives, frantic with worry, and rages at Peter for being so stupid – he could’ve died!

On seeing the fire at No. 23, a shaken Tamwar slips off home without a word, clocked by Nancy.