Teen stabbing storyline for 'Enders

EastEnders has penned one of its most brutal and controversial storylines to date, in which schoolboy Jay Brown is stabbed by a wayward gang of hoodies.

Walford veteran Dot Cotton (June Brown) will be the gang's first target when they begin terrorising her in her own home and on the street, forcing Shirley (Linda Henry) to ward them off.

However, when Jay's home life is turned upside down as his father Jase (Stephen Lord) starts dating Dawn (Kara Tointon), temptation becomes too much for the youngster – played by Jamie Borthwick – as he begins to hang around with the group of hoodies himself.

Of the storyline, a source told DS: "The gang begin drawing Jay into the unknown when they offer him a knife. But when Jase finds it in his bedroom, he's furious and collars him. Jay falls foul of the knife himself, however, and viewers will be left wondering if he'll survive."

A show insider told The Sun: "This is easily one of the most shocking and controversial storylines EastEnders has ever done. It is not a decision bosses have taken lightly, but it is an issue that is top of the news agenda.

"We're going to tread very carefully – it won't be gratuitous. The plan is to screen the episodes in the usual slots before the watershed."

They added: "Hopefully by showing the suffering that gang violence can cause, some people may think twice about getting involved."