EastEnders spoilers follow.
EastEnders schoolboy Ricky Jr has his life turned upside down in today's episode (January 24), as he learns that Lily is pregnant with his baby.
Ricky Jr will be questioned by the police in scenes airing later in the week, but how old is he? And what happens next? Here's everything you need to know.
How old is Ricky Jr?
Ricky Jr was born on September 2, 2010, making him 12 years old. Lily is also 12, having been born in June of that same year.
Lily and Ricky Jr's big story kicked off on New Year's Day, when Stacey discovered that her young daughter was pregnant, as she recovered in hospital following a carbon monoxide leak at the Slaters' house.
Lily later confided in Stacey and Jean that schoolboy Ricky Jr was the father of the baby, but made them promise not to divulge this to anyone — including social services and the police.
This left Stacey in a difficult position, due to the ongoing investigations into Lily's safety at home.
Upcoming scenes will see the focus shift to Ricky Jr and the Branning family, as they learn what's happening as well.
Wanting Ricky Jr to find out on her terms, Lily tells him about the pregnancy in today's episode, and also alerts him to the fact the police are involved.
This leaves Ricky Jr fearing for his future, and he anxiously tells his mum Sam that he could be arrested.
Scenes later in the week will see Ricky Jr questioned by the police, with Jack and Sam by his side for his support.
Although Ricky Jr is Lily's age, the Sexual Offences Act of 2003 states that it's a crime for any sexual act to take place if one or both people are under 16, and this is even more serious if the participants are under 13.
Ricky Jr's backstory explained - how long has he been in the show?
Ricky Jr is the son of Sam and Jack, and has been in the show intermittently since he was born in 2010.
Ricky Jr has been played by three different actors since 2010, with Frankie Day taking over the role in 2018. Before that, Henri Charles had played the role from 2016 to 2018.
Sam was in a rekindled relationship with her childhood sweetheart Ricky Butcher when she fell pregnant, and claimed he was the biological father, hence the name.
She even claimed that a DNA test had confirmed Ricky was the dad, but a suspicious Bianca called the clinic and discovered Sam had lied about this.
When Jack was revealed as the daddy, Ronnie, whom he was with at the time, paid Sam to leave with the baby.
Sam contemplated leaving Ricky Jr with Jack, but Ronnie persuaded her to take him with her.
Sam then left to live with Grant in Portugal and changed Ricky Jr's name back to Mitchell, but her motherhood struggles were apparent when she returned six years later in 2016.
She eventually left Ricky Jr with Jack as she headed back to Portugal, and he's been in Walford ever since. But despite living under Jack's roof for the past eight years, this is Ricky Jr's first major storyline.
Sam hadn't had any contact with Ricky Jr until she returned in 2022 (with a different face to the last time we saw her), which explains why they have such a fractured relationship.
EastEnders spoilers - what happens next in Lily and Ricky Jr's story?
As we've already explained, the Branning family are about to become embroiled in Lily's story too, paving the way for an explosive new chapter.
Looking further ahead, things get tense at the Branning house when Jack discovers Ricky Jr has offered to support Lily in bringing up their baby.
Although Denise pleads caution, a horrified Jack demands a meeting with Stacey and Martin immediately.
As the families come together, Jack urges the Slaters to talk some sense into Lily, but Stacey stands her ground and insists that abortion is off the table.
With tensions escalating, Ricky Jr will end up moving in with Sam, fed up with Jack's behaviour.
Denise also finds herself at her wits' end over the situation, until Patrick suggests she find someone who can talk some sense into Jack.
Stacey and Denise join forces to get Martin to speak to Jack about coming to terms with Lily's decision, but will they succeed?
EastEnders airs on Mondays-Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer.
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Sophie is an award-winning journalist with over a decade of experience as a writer. Previously at BT.com, where she had her own Reality TV column, Sophie joined the Digital Spy soaps team in 2013 and won the Unsung Hero of the Year award at the PPA Awards in 2022.
Over the years, she has written hundreds of articles about the Carters, the Dingles and even Wellard the dog, and has created a number of the site's video franchises. Sophie hosted Digital Spy's first ever podcast 'Soap Scoop' back in 2020, where she spoke to the likes of Alan Fletcher (aka Doctor Karl) and Lisa Riley, has been interviewed on on podcasts and live radio and has represented the company on the panel of the British Soap Awards.
