Tragedy looms for Nigel as his health takes a turn for the worse next week
As Nigel's friends and family visit, thinks look bleak next week
Today’s EastEnders saw Louie Beale unmasked as Vicki and Zack’s blackmailer in a surprise twist that was revealed during a visit to see Nigel.
The surprise revelation came as Ian and Kathy visited the care home, along with Louie.
As Ian and Kathy chatted with Julie, Louie was glued to his phone. As a message pinged through, Ian started to get suspicious when Louie’s behaviour changed.
Ian demanded to see the messages, and he was shocked to see it was Louie who had been threatening Vicki.
Nigel left friends and family concerned in EastEnders
As Kathy and Ian dealt with Louie back in Walford, poor Nigel was oblivious to the drama unfolding around him. With his pneumonia worsening, Julie explained that Nigel spends a lot of time asleep now.
With Nigel’s health deteriorating fast, Julie has been spending every waking hour by her husband’s bedside. However, it was revealed today that Phil still hasn’t been to see his best friend since he went into the home.
When Sam went to visit Nigel, Julie said she should be out celebrating getting the all-clear for cancer. Sam pointed out that she wouldn’t miss seeing Nigel for the world, and Julie commented that if only it were the same for her brother.
Sam could only apologise for Phil’s lack of visits… but as Nigel’s health takes another turn next week, it looks like Phil might have to visit soon, before it is too late.
The drama continues next week
Next week sees Nigel’s health continue to decline, and his friends and family brace themselves for the worst. Lexi is heartbroken when she goes to see Nigel and sees how unwell he is. But still Phil won’t visit.
Sam tells Phil that Nigel’s pneumonia is worsening, but he won’t budge. By the end of the week, Mark decides to take matters into his own hands. He tells Sam they should contact Grant… but she says it’s a bad idea as he has ignored all her calls.
As Nigel’s days look to be numbered, Sam reminisces about how close she used to be with her brothers. Mark decides that Nigel could be the one to get the Mitchell siblings talking again and secretly makes a call to Grant.
As he leaves a voicemail for his dad asking him to come to Walford, Grant’s return is just around the corner. Will he make it to see Nigel in time?
22 Kids and Counting viewers in tears as Sue and Noel Radford's son Max lays bare his health struggles
Max is 16 years old and has a diagnosis of autism.
He has huge ambitions to design aeroplanes and nuclear submarines when he's older, but there was one thing holding him back.
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Sue and Noel Radford's son Max is the main focus in this week's 22 Kids and Counting (Credit: Channel 5)[/caption]
Despite having an exceptional skill in maths and physics, Max just couldn't get to grips with English.
And with his GCSEs looming, it looked to stand in the way of him fulfilling his dreams.
22 Kids and Counting: Max Radford's struggles
Sunday night's episode followed Max in the lead up to his GCSEs. As the show unfolded, it quickly became clear how good he is at maths.
He's able to answer difficult problems with ease and writes multiple tricky equations in the sand on the beach near the family's home in Morecambe.
But English is his stumbling point. Sue and Noel knew if their son didn't get a Level 5 in English (a high C low B to the older generation among us), he wouldn't be able to go to university.
Max said: "My dream is to build huge pieces of engineering, like jets, tanks and submarines. I would like to go into a field of chemistry, like rocket fuel or something like that."
Noel treated his son to a day out to visit Concorde to inspire him. The teenager was amazed, describing the plane as "mind blowing".
But he feared he will never be able to follow his dreams.
"It's very stressful. Physics and chemistry is fun. Maths, I like it more than the other subjects," he said. "But I'm very bad at a lot of the other subjects. English, I'm horrible at that.
"With my autism, I see the world differently to everyone else. Maths is a lot better than English because there is a definitive right answer and a definitive wrong one. There isn't with English."
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Max is a whizz at physics and maths but he just cannot get to grips with English (Credit: Channel 5)[/caption]
Noel Radford 'hires' Chloe to help Max
Later in the show, Max headed to his older sister Chloe's house. There are another 14 kids at home and he was struggling to revise.
Noel also suggested Chloe tutored him in English. But it didn't go well.
Max told Chloe: "I don't understand tones. I just can't read the text and extract information."
Chloe asked him to compare two poems, but Max quickly became frustrated. He told her: "I've read it about three times now. I still don't know what the tone is and genuinely have no idea.
"I can't do this, it's not making any sense. I have no clue what is going on. I'm going."
Max left the house, slamming the door behind him. Chloe phoned Noel and told him to hire a tutor with neurodiverse experience.
Noel and Sue took her advice on board, but Max didn't respond well at first. He told them he's "given up with it" and "doesn't understand the point".
Max once again stormed off and Noel sighed: "There's no talking to him at the moment, he's just totally disengaged. We're running out of time. He needs this tutor to see sense."
Thankfully, Max came round to the idea and was seen practicing his English with a specialist tutor. And at the end of the episode, he received his GCSE results - including a 5 in maths.
Viewers 'cry' for Max
Fans of 22 Kids and Counting have now inundated Sue and Noel Radford with messages of support after watching Max's struggles play out. Many have shared their own similar experiences with the couple.
One viewer even admitted she was in tears watching.
Writing on Facebook, one said: "Loving how this series is focusing on your individual children growing up and the challenges they face. Full of admiration for your whole family being able to discuss their issues on TV."
Another added: "It's so nice to see Max's story. My son is so like him super smart but English is a struggle in the same way.
A third said: "Well done to Max, that's amazing, the world your oyster now."
And someone else penned: "Absolutely brilliant episode, I actually cried with joy for Max hearing that he had passed his English exam."
