Ruby Allen’s return and subsequent rape has already caused divisions between Stacey and Martin, Martin and his friends and, of course, EastEnders fans.
But now the issue of consent will become the focus of a special upcoming episode of the BBC soap.
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Viewers know that Ruby was raped after attending a reunion party with pals Stacey and Martin.
After they went home, she partied on and consented to having sex with Martin’s friend Ross.
However, she later woke up to discover she was in bed with Matt.
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At first, Ruby blamed herself for being drunk and promiscuous.
But, after a heart to heart with Stace, she realised she’d been the victim of a serious sexual assault.
Since then, she has reported it to the police and been subjected to Martin’s doubt.
The storyline continues next week when Ruby learns that Matt and Ross have been charged.
But the news is bittersweet for Ruby, as the case also hits the headlines.
She’s shocked to discover the rape is front page news in the Walford Gazette.
During the special episode, the issue of consent will be discussed at length, with various customers in the Queen Vic offering different and often clashing opinions about the crime.
Everyone has an opinion, especially online critics who post cruel comments about Ruby on the newspaper’s website.
Some accuse Ruby of lying, others of leading the men on.
When Ruby walks into the Queen Vic, everyone seems to be discussing the case – but, at first, no one knows she is the victim of the crime.
Actress Louisa Lytton has told Metro.co.uk that her character Ruby is shocked when the story appears in the newspaper.
She said: “She panics because at that point she doesn’t even know her name hasn’t been mentioned.
“People knowing is the last thing she wanted. It must be a horrible thing to suddenly have something like that printed for everyone to have a view on what has happened to her.”
Talking about the debate it causes, Louisa added: “It’s such a great episode because that’s exactly what is happening at the moment, even with people around me.
“I’ve had so many different people giving different views and asking different questions. All we wanted to portray is that in the real world at the moment, this is what is happening.
“People have different views – different generations, men and women. Each different character has a different opinion on rape and on consent and Ruby is having to be in the situation where she can hear people talking about it without knowing it’s about her.”
EastEnders fans applauded Stacey earlier this week when she gave an impassioned speech about being a woman today.
She told a shocked Martin: “You have no idea what it’s like to be a woman in this world.
“All the shouting and whistling and leering and touching. All the time. It’s like white noise.”
Stacey and Martin have been on opposing sides of the argument, with some fans even predicting it will lead to their split.
Do you think the issue of consent is an important one for EastEnders to tackle? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think!