Liv’s on the sauce again – thanks to her mum...

With Kim Tate having undergone one of those weird soap personality transplants — going from evil, meddling vixen to unnervingly doting granny and fiancée — it’s falling on Sandra to pick up the villainess baton. Played by Joanne Mitchell, she’s disturbingly good as the hardnosed salon worker out to ruin the lives of whoever she holds a grudge against (that’ll be the entire village then), including her own daughter Liv.

Her mission to destroy Liv’s happiness and break up her marriage to Vinny gathers pace this week as Sandra decides she’s going to get her recovering alcoholic daughter back on the booze (above). She switches Liv’s drink for an alcoholic one and then suggests the two of them go on a girlie break abroad. Thank goodness Sandra is too old for an 18-30 holiday is all I can say.

Never has anyone been more inappropriately named than Chas (short for Chastity) Dingle. She cheated on Paddy with Carl King when they were dating years ago and, now they’re married, she’s at it again with Al.

What started as a no-strings fling takes a turn this week when Al declares he’s in love with Chas. Having, strangely, forgotten all about the time he tried to steal her pub and make her homeless, is Chas also in love with Al?