EastEnders confirms Joel’s fate after brutal attack in dramatic Barney twist

With Joel rushed to hospital, the Walford teens were soon brought into the police station to give their statements about what happened.

However, the episode ended with Barney making a desperate plea to Harry, asking him to help get rid of the weapon. But has Barney really got something to hide?

Joel survived the attack in EastEnders iPlayer release

After finding Joel lying unconscious after the attack, the Walford teens were left terrified that they could have discovered him too late.

Amy quickly warned everyone not to touch Joel as it could interfere with evidence before the police arrived. However, Avani ignored her warning and checked on him.

She soon realised that Joel was bleeding from the head, with Denzel checking whether he was still alive. Thankfully, he was.

The police then arrived as a shaken Avani explained who Joel was and how the group had found him.

The teens were taken to the station to provide their witness statements, with their parents joining them. Avani also agreed to hand over her jacket so the blood on her hands could be examined by forensics.

Meanwhile, Ross remained by Joel’s hospital bedside as he woke up and tried to work out where he was.

Barney asks Harry for help as questions are raised over his innocence

Back at the garage, the teens regrouped after speaking to the police. However, before they could discuss what had happened, Harry arrived and questioned why the light was still on.

He urged them all to go home, warning that staying together was not a good idea after everything that had happened.

Once everyone had left apart from Barney, a major twist unfolded. Harry was seen uncovering a hammer that Barney had asked him to retrieve.

As Barney broke down, Harry demanded to know exactly what he had done.

The moment appeared to suggest that Barney could be responsible for attacking Joel. He had been unusually quiet while the group discovered Joel and seemed to keep himself away from the others. Could he have been hiding a secret?

However, Barney previously looked too frightened to even take part in tying Joel up, making it seem like a huge leap for him to then attack him with a weapon.

Could Barney have been helping someone else cover their tracks instead? Or is he the person responsible for Joel’s attack? And now that Joel is awake, will he be able to reveal who really hurt him?

Read more: Who’s leaving, joining and returning to EastEnders? Complete list of cast exits, arrivals and returns

EastEnders usually airs weeknights on BBC One at 7.30pm.