Hollyoaks' Eric Foster kidnaps Joel Dexter in sinister new storyline

Hollyoaks spoilers follow.

Hollyoaks newcomer Eric Foster is taking centre stage in a sinister new storyline on the soap as Monday night's E4 first-look episode saw Eric take extreme action against love rival Joel Dexter.

Tonight's (May 9) episode of the Channel 4 soap took a sinister turn for Joel Dexter, who found himself drunk and locked in The Loft office.

For Eric Foster, however, it was an act of sabotage made in the name of love.

Lime Pictures / Channel 4//Lime Pictures

As the episode began, Eric was trying to find the perfect opportunity to get close to Cleo McQueen, all while she and Joel were basking in the glow of their rekindled love.

Although the pair had previously gotten back together in secret, Joel finally convinced Cleo that they should tell their friends about their romance.

"Everyone knows we’re supposed to be together," Joel told Cleo, before cheekily adding: "And it's getting a lot more difficult to keep my hands off you in public."

Channel 4//Channel 4

As the group prepared to celebrate Zoe's birthday at The Loft, Eric was left frustrated when he was unable to find a moment alone with Cleo.

His fragile mental state later became even more apparent as his frustration led to a momentary episode in which his sister's face suddenly appeared hazy and distorted and her laughter boomed as the atmosphere turned momentarily sinister.

His discovery of a spicy text from Joel on Cleo's phone – reading "missing you sexy" – a few minutes later did not help matters.

Channel 4//Channel 4

Later, a desperate Eric set his sights on a new goal, and it was later revealed that he did not even make it to his job interview as he decided instead to go straight to Zoe's party to be close to and keep an eye on Cleo.

To his dismay, it was there that Cleo and Joel announced the news of their rekindled relationship to their friends – gaining favourable reactions.

"Well, from what I’ve heard, it's about time," said Zoe.

As the episode went on, Eric's paranoia heightened as his vision became more static by the minute.

Channel 4//Channel 4

Desperate for any kind of leeway, Eric later approached Cleo and accused Joel of cheating when he witnessed Joel touching another girl's arm with familiarity, though the girl ended up having a girlfriend of her own.

However, it was later on that things took a truly ominous turn. Joel was left inebriated, vulnerable and alone in the care of Eric as only the two of them remained at the end of Zoe's party.

While Joel started looking for his phone, Eric just stared at him blankly.

Channel 4//Channel 4

In the next scene, Eric arrived back at the house to meet the girls but appeared sans Joel. While Cleo asked about Joel's whereabouts, Eric responded that he had "bumped into" the girl from earlier and the two had vanished together.

However, in a sinister flashback, Joel was seen getting up to look for his phone presumably at the lost and found check, before he was shoved into a room by Eric and locked inside.

In a post-credits scene, Cleo was desperately calling Joel's number to get in touch with him, but the soap revealed that Eric had taken Joel's phone too. Smiling gleefully as his new plan unfolded, Eric dropped the device in a glass of water.

Will Eric be found out?

Hollyoaks now streams first on All 4, with new episodes dropping each weekday morning. The show airs Mondays to Fridays at 6.30pm on Channel 4, and at 7pm on E4.

Selected omnibus episodes are available via Amazon Prime Video.