Hollyoaks reports on tragic overdose of Joel Dexter

Note: This article contains discussions of child loss and drug addiction.

Hollyoaks Spoilers follow for Thursday's episode on Channel 4 streaming, which will not air on E4 until Friday.

Hollyoaks has reported on a tragic overdose of Joel Dexter.

Joel and his wife Leela have recently gone through a traumatic time following the death of their son Noah. Leela tragically lost Noah at 27 weeks pregnant.

After Noah's emotional funeral, a grieving Joel secretly turned to drugs again and was seen passed out in an alley.

In last night's episode (August 28), Mercedes helped Joel fake a drug test in exchange for him providing an alibi for Warren, who was recently arrested on suspicion of murdering his mother, Norma.

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On tonight's episode (August 29), Mercedes explained that Joel needed to give Warren an alibi because there was a two-hour window on the day of Norma's murder that Warren could not explain.

Joel was torn and didn't want to go to jail if the police found out. “I know that's a lot to ask, but he's your father and he's innocent,” Mercedes replied.

When Leela caught the two talking, she confronted Mercedes and accused her and Joel of having an affair. “Just because your boyfriend is in prison doesn't mean you can steal mine,” she said angrily.

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After Leela left, Mercedes threatened Joel that she would tell Leela about his drug use if he didn't help Warren. “Listen, Joel, I know this isn't nice. But I'm not going to play fair for Warren,” she warned.

Joel rushed after Leela and assured her that she had nothing to worry about, so she was shocked when she arrived home just as he was making a statement to the police, confirming that he was with Warren the night of Norma's murder.

When Leela realized that Joel had not told Warren about his testimony, she headed to the prison to clear up their stories.

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Warren is concerned about his son's involvement, saying, “Joel needs to know that people care about him. He needs to do the right thing, be a good provider. And if he can't do that, he won't cope.”

While Leela was meeting with Warren, Joel was seen secretly calling his dealer and asking for “something.”

When Leela returned to the village, she found Joel unconscious on the street and quickly called an ambulance. “Wake up, Joel!” she screamed.

Will Joel be able to recover?

Hollyoaks will first stream online every weekday at 7:30pm via Channel 4. Episodes will then air on E4 the following day before premiering on YouTube a week later.