In a cruel twist, Thursday’s episode of EastEnders saw troubled Hayley Slater hit by a minibus.
Fans of the show were less than sympathetic of the mother’s plight, despite fears the crash could be fatal.
Earlier in the evening Hayley (Katie Jarvis) had fought with the rest of the Slater family over the future of her infant daughter, Cherry.
She then passed out drunk while running a bath for her child before being awoken and fleeing out into the street and into the path of the bus.
“What the..?” #EastEnders pic.twitter.com/OckA3E2NLj
— BBC EastEnders (@bbceastenders) January 17, 2019
Hayley, the mother of Alfie Moon’s (Shane Richie) child, had turned on the former Queen Vic landlord after he suggested he look after Cherry with Kat (Jessie Wallace), his wife and Hayley’s cousin.
They begged her to seek help for what appeared to be postnatal depression and said they would look after the baby in the meantime.
But the offer sent Hayley into a paranoid spin and she accused them of trying to steal Cherry before running into the road.
Unforgiving fans, however, labelled her behaviour self-indulgent, with the cruellest suggesting EastEnders would be better off without her.
One ill-tempered viewer said Hayley had been “getting on my nerves”, declaring her a bad mother.
Hayley is getting on my nerves she cry’s for this baby day and night phone in hand and when she does get her back you head two a bottle so yea baby shouldn’t be in your care if that’s the crap you are doing #EastEnders
— Chantel 👠 (@hutchinsonchan2) January 17, 2019
Some labelled Hayley “the most irritating character in the history of storytelling”.
Hayley must be the most irritating character in the history of storytelling #EastEnders
— JonnyHarvey3 (@jonny_harvey3) January 17, 2019
Another exasperated viewer lamented that fact Hayley was still taking up so much of the soap’s screen time.
Still the Hayley Slater show 😴😴 #EastEnders
— Michael (@Michael62831890) January 17, 2019
However, there were some more sympathetic voices.
One fan of the troubled mother asked the show’s script writers to stop tormenting her.
eastenders, PLEASE stop hurting hayley, okay? thank you x
— ellie ♡ (@teamshannis) January 17, 2019
A final viewer suggested it was fate that Hayley’s child ended up being cared for Alfie and Kat.
Poor Hayley, oh well that's one way for Alfie & Kat to get her baby #eastenders
— Arlene Woollard (@Arlene_HWycombe) January 17, 2019
It is unclear whether Hayley will survive the crash.
EastEnders continues on BBC One.