Zack Hudson’s (James Farrar) fate was left hanging in the balance in EastEnders after the car he was in plummeted off a bridge and into the river.

The popular character, a brother of show legend Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), was determined to exit Walford after Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) threatened his loved ones.

The chef recently discovered that Nicola’s youngest Barney (Lewis Bridgeman) is his biological son after he and the Mitchell matriarch had an affair 16 years ago.

Knowing that the Mitchells – in particularly Nicola – are dangerous, Zack resolved to get Barney out of dodge, hoping his son’s brother Harry (Elijah Holloway) would come through and help him.

Upon learning of Nicola’s true nature, Harry seemed like he wanted to help Zack but, not wanting to lose his little brother, the mechanic attacked Zack and bundled him into the boot of a car.

Teddy (Roland Manookian) intervened, giving chase and – upon catching up with him -talked sense into Harry, who relented and allowed Zack out of the boot.

But tragedy struck when Zack came to and, believing Teddy to a threat, he grabbed the steering wheel, sending their vehicle into the watery depths below.

Zack was subsequently declared dead by all those present on the night of the accident, but – as we soap fans know too well – no body can often equate to no death.

So is Zack really dead? Be warned EastEnders fans, spoilers follow for Thursday’s (May 29) episode, which is now available to stream on iPlayer.

Is Zack Hudson dead in EastEnders?

No, Zack is not dead. In fact, he’s very much alive! To our knowledge, he’s not leaving the show – especially in the wake of Thursday’s episode.

As Barney processed the revelation that Zack is his father, he shared a heart-to-heart with Teddy, who assured him that he will always be his dad – blood relative or not.

Barney subsequent sought support from Vicki Fowler (Alice Haig) and Linda Carter (Kellie Bright). As they discussed the events of the day in question, a drenched Zack entered the property!

Everyone was left in shock, believing Zack to have perished in the watery car plunge, but the chef is alive and well.

He urged Barney to reconsider having Nicola in his life and instead come away with him but confused Barney instead raced into the Square, where Nicola asked him what he wants.

Barney told her that he wants everything to go back to the way it was as he, Nicola, Teddy and Harry returned home to No. 1 to play a board game, much to the chagrin of Zack.