EastEnders newcomer Joel Marshall (Max Murray) has made a disgusting sexual comment about Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James) – much to Barney Mitchell’s (Lewis Bridgeman) horror.

Troubled Joel has made quite an impact since he arrived in Walford from Australia last month.

Within days of his arrival we learnt that he was responsible for $50,000 worth of debt that had forced him to leave Down Under with dad Ross (Alex Walkinshaw) and his partner Vicki (Alice Haig).

He also struck up a friendship with Tommy Moon (Sonny Kendall), proving so influential that Tommy decided to delete the AI chatbot app that he had been communicating with for months.

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Joel has also had his eye on the other Albert Square teens – flirting with Lily Slater (Lillia Turner), Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd) and Avani.

It was at Avani’s party earlier this week that he brought along a bottle of vodka, and the topic of conversation soon turned to Tommy’s lack of experience with women.

When the youngster admitted that he’d never kissed a girl, Joel introduced him to pornography.

In tonight’s episode, his disturbing behaviour worsened.

Tommy walks through the square with Joel in EastEnders
Joel has struck up a worrying friendship with Tommy Moon (Picture: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
Zack and Barney are filmed by Tommy and Joel in EastEnders

The boys have targeted Barney before (Picture: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
Joel was chatting up Avani and agreed that they should meet up to share the drugs he bought for her when Barney burst into their conversation and asked for a chat.

As viewers of the BBC One soap know, Barney has been harbouring his feelings for Avani for quite some time.

He needed a shoulder to cry on after a huge disturbance in his family – older brother Harry (Elijah Holloway) had learnt that his ex-girlfriend Shireen had been murdered.

Barney and Avani headed to his house, and as he poured his heart out, she text Joel to invite him over.

He arrived with Tommy, and with Avani out of the room, the lads began to watch porn at the dining table.

Horrified by what he saw, Barney told them to stop, and was shocked to hear Joel ask Tommy if he thought Avani would be up for partaking in what they’d seen in the video.

Joel and Avani chat in the cafe in EastEnders
Joel asked Avani about her virginity (Picture: BBC/Jack Barnes)
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Barn’ demanded they show her some respect, and went to throw a punch. Joel swerved, and Barney was left lying on the sofa.

When Avani returned, she was shocked to see that an argument had escalated and – although she didn’t know the nature of Joel’s comment – demanded Barney let her defend herself.