All EastEnders spoilers for next week as Denise has hope at last after big breakthrough

A desperate search for a medical intervention, a husband dedicated to lifting his wife and a young girl falling deeper into the trap of a creepy copper in next week’s EastEnders.

Denise Fox’s (Diane Parish) brave battle with cancer rages on next week, though it soon becomes clear that without a stem cell donor, she’s on borrowed time. As Kim Fox (Tameka Empson) discovers that Denise has a half-brother, Darnell Larson Jr (Christopher Colquhoun), leading Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) to press him to see if he’s a match for Denise. As Denise remains on borrowed time, could Darnell be the key to recovery?

When Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace) is left saddened by footage found in the twins school project, husband Alfie (Shane Richie) decides to throw an enormous party to lift her spirits, but when chaos rips through the Square as his party gets rowdier, will he wind up causing even more trouble for his beloved?

Elsewhere, Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd) falls deeper under the influence of Craig Ingram (Matthew James Bailey), Eve and Suki Panesar-Unwin (Heather Peace and Balvinder Sopal) are hit with awful news and Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy) and Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) search for the truth.

That whet your appetite? Let’s tuck in…

Monday, August 24

As the effort to find a stem cell match for Denise continues for the Fox-Trueman’s, her condition worsens, forcing doctors to place her into a medically induced coma, though there’s a glimmer of hope when Kim discovers that Denise has a half-brother from an ancestry website.

Despite her initial determination to manage things by herself, Penny Branning (Kitty Castledine) reluctantly accepts Vinny Panesar’s (Shiv Jalota) help in preparing for the baby’s arrival, though her guilt deepens further when Vinny also ropes in Harry Mitchell (Elijah Holloway) for help.

Meanwhile, Priya and Jean try to snag DNA samples from Max Branning (Jake Wood) and Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) in pursuit of a DNA test, while Amy learns of a development in Joel Marshall’s (Max Murray) assault case.

Tuesday, August 25

As the Fox-Truemans desperately search for Denise’s half brother, Darnell, Kim hits paydirt and he agrees to meet with them, though when they reveal the real reason for getting in contact, he’s left reeling and upon meeting Denise for the first time, flees after becoming overwhelmed.

A warning from Howie Danes (Delroy Atkinson) puts an end to Denzel’s (Jaden Ladega) plan to ask Amy out, and when she makes a move, he turns her down, sending her away to seek solace in the arms of Craig.

Elsewhere, Eve and Suki are floored to learn that Ria Virdi’s (Aaria Sharma) mother could potentially seek custody of her, leading Suki to force a bitter clash with Vinny, while Alfie worries about Kat when footage from Bert and Ernie Moon’s (Cody and Elliot Briffett) school project visibly upsets her.

Wednesday, August 26

The initial relief of the doctors bringing Denise out of her coma is short-lived when the doctors tell the family that the treatment still isn’t working as well as they’d hoped and that the search for a stem cell donor is as urgent as ever. As Denise is happy to hear of Darnell, Jack tracks him down, leading to a clash between him and Darnell’s daughter, Grace (Krysstina Frempong), after which he’s forced to deliver the bad news to the family.

In an effort to lift Kat, Alfie plans a Benidorm-themed party, and despite the Slaters questioning him over why he hasn’t addressed the issue with her directly, Alfie is overjoyed to see Kat moved by his efforts.

Also, Max is left unnerved when Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) asks Oscar Branning (Pierre Counihan-Moullier) to organise his stag-do with Jack preoccupied.

Thursday, August 27

Chaos erupts in the square as the community come together to enjoy Alfie’s party, before a community support officer intervenes and shuts the entire thing down, threatening the Moons with a fine.

As Alfie tries to settle Kat, things get worse when Ria is injured and, with a potential custody battle weighing on her, Suki threatens legal action against them.

Meanwhile, Priya and Ravi reaffirm their love and pledge their future to each other.