EastEnders: Penny Branning Holds Father Jack Hostage with Blackmail After His Shocking Betrayal

JACK Branning is set

for blackmail in upcoming EastEnders scenes – courtesy of his own daughter Penny.

The pair have found themselves frequently at odds in the aftermath of August’s club crush at Peggy’s.

In upcoming episodes, Penny and her boyfriend, Harry Mitchell (Elijah Holloway), plot to blackmail her police inspector father, Jack (Scott Maslen).

Soon after, Jack confronts them at The Arches, determined to get to the bottom of things.

Tensions between Penny and Jack have worsened following a recent betrayal, straining their already fragile bond.

The fallout began when her stepsister, Chelsea (Zaraah Abrahams), admitted she was to blame for the tragic club crush.

Penny, as manager of Peggy’s, had initially taken the blame for the incident.

An enraged Jack insisted that Chelsea report herself to the police and come clean about her role.

However, on her way, Chelsea visited the hospital to check on a young man left in intensive care after the crush.

When Jack discovered the man was awake and on the mend, he began to reconsider his stance.

He called a family meeting at No.27, asking those present to vote between Chelsea and Penny.

He reasoned Penny is unlikely to face prison time – and charges would be downgraded as there were no deaths.

Jack explained, “If Chelsea confesses, she might get bail, but the aggravated circumstances make it tricky.”

These factors included her deliberate overselling of tickets and delaying her surrender to the police.

In the end, both women were deadlocked with three votes each, leaving Jack to cast the deciding vote.

He ultimately chose what he called the “least worst option” and sided with Chelsea.

Furious, Penny yelled: “What? You choose her instead of me, Dad?”

Storming out, she continued: “You know, screw you all and your stupid vote. I’m going to the police myself!”

Will Jack and Penny ever recover their father-daughter bond?