‘Neighbours' spoilers for July 8: Steph’s ex-girlfriend is back in town; Madison chooses between keeping her job and protecting Amy’s secret

It may be the last day of the week, but “Neighbours” promises to deliver an explosive episode that will keep fans craving for more. On Friday, Stephanie Scully (Carla Bonner) gets an unexpected visit by a ghost of her past: Belinda Bell (Nikki Shiels), her ex. Things are going smoothly in terms of Steph’s relationship with Mark Brennan (Scott McGregor), but Belinda’s return may lead to another stumbling block between the couple.

Meanwhile, Madison Robinson (Sarah Ellen) finds herself caught between a rock and a hard place. She has to file her juicy story about a shady cleaning contractor, but it would mean exposing Amy Williams’ (Zoe Cramond) dark past. Other “Neighbours” cast members who will also appear on the July 8 episode include Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis), Aaron Brennan (Matt Wilson), Tom Quill (Kane Felsinger), Terese Willis (Rebekah Elmaloglou), Piper Willis (Mavournee Hazel), Tyler Brennan (Travis Burns), Brad Willis (Kip Gamblin), Lauren Turner (Kate Kendall), Jarrod “Toadie” Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney), Sonya Rebecchi (Eve Morey), Paige Smith (Olympia Valance), Jack Callahan (Andrew Morley), Ben Ian Kirk (Felix Mallard), Xanthe Canning (Lilly Van Der Mer), Gary Canning (Damien Richardson), Sheila Canning (Colette Mann), Susan Kennedy (Jackie Woodburne), Karl Kennedy (Alan Fletcher) and Jimmy Williams (Darcy Tadich).

Spoiler Alert! This article contains "Neighbours" spoilers. Read only if you want to know more about it.

Channel Eleven posted a sneak peek of Friday’s episode. The clip shows Aaron as he begs Madison not to pursue her story about the sexy maids business. “You could hurt some good people,” he warns her. Meanwhile, Ryan flirts with Terese, telling her that she’s incredibly attractive. Piper and Tyler are also seen on the preview video, enjoying their relationship. The last scene shows Belinda, Steph’s ex-girlfriend, appearing on her doorstep. “Surprise,” Belinda says.

Digital Spy reports that an anonymous benefactor has hired Toadie to assist Belinda in getting her nurse’s registration. She’s floored when Toadie told her that Steph has went over to the other side and is now dating a man. Belinda decides to check in on her ex-girlfriend, but her visit confirmed her worst thoughts: Steph has now moved on and living happily without her. Belinda has another shock coming: she learns that Paul was her benefactor and he want her back in Erinsborough to come in between Steph and Mark.

“Neighbours” recap

On Thursday, Paige was surprised when Jack appeared at the barbeque, even though the other guests have already left. She called Brad who wanted to talk to him. Inside, Paige shared with Lauren what Father Vincent told her. Paige said she felt humiliated being painted as an evil temptress, but she got the message loud and clear. She vowed to avoid Jack at all costs since she can’t think straight when he’s around. However, when the two ladies went outside, Brad said Jack would be helping with the outreach program, which means they’ll be seeing a lot more of Jack.Later, Lauren told Brad that working with Jack would be a tricky situation for Paige. Lauren said that a recent development made Paige want to keep her distance from Jack. While Brad said the outreach program would benefit a lot of kids, he promised to keep Jack’s presence minimal for Paige.

Over at the Rebecchi’s, it seemed Sonya realised that the barbeque was a ploy for Brad to get on her good side. She began to regret granting permission in principle for Brad to use Off Air as the meeting place for the youth group.When Sonya and Brad checked out the venue, she told Brad there are some concerns that need to be checked out like the insurance and maintenance. While she said she’ll back him up in the council, she added she can’t promise him anything. Later, Sonya said the council agreed to let Brad lease Off Air but only for a few months. He also had to let Jack be the head counselor to seal the deal.

Elsewhere, Madison opened up to Amy about her work issues. Apparently, someone new got on board and the newspaper is steering toward the direction of being a tabloid. This meant that Madison has to churn out steamy, scandalous stories, otherwise she could lose her job. Paul showed up and tried to flatter Madison, but she brushed him off. Amy also made an excuse and left.

Alone, Paul chose to tablehop and went over to Aaron and Tom, who mentioned that he hired a new cleaning company to work at Lassiters. Paul walked away, looking pensive.To get to her niece’s good side again, Paul gave Madison a scoop about Lassiters’ new cleaners. Paul digged up information about the company, and he found out that it had a reputation of providing cheap and nasty services to its clients. It turned out that the company offers sexy maids wearing lingerie while the clients watch them as they clean. Paul dangled the story to Madison: it either means Lassiters failed to do a proper background check on the company, or perhaps they’re offering that new, sleazy service in their hotel. Madison was hesitant at first, concerned about Terese, but Paul said it would actually make Terese the hero.

Later, Madison sought Amy’s advice if she should go for Paul’s scoop. Not knowing it’s about her former employer, Amy encouraged her to go for it. Madison didn’t waste any time and made an ambush interview with Tom, asking him whether Lassiters is hiring sexy maids as a new service. Tom denied it and Aaron asked her to leave. This did not discourage Madison at all and she sought her own resources. While browsing through the files sent over to her, she chanced upon Amy’s photo as Anika, dressed up as a sexy maid. When Amy asked her what’s wrong, Madison made an excuse and said nothing major.

Meanwhile, Aaron’s big mouth fired off again. This time, he revealed to Jack that Paige planned on seducing him to get things going. Jack was infuriated and went to Paige to confront her. Paige defended herself and turned tables on Jack, telling him about her conversation with Father Vincent. Paige said Jack has nothing to worry anymore – she’s given up on trying anything with him. However, sparks flew between them when he helped her untie her apron. “This is the problem,” Jack said before walking away. “Whenever I’m around you, I can’t think straight.” Feeling flushed, Paige was left alone with a smile on her lips with what she heard.

Growing her confidence back, Paige told Lauren about her new plan: instead of avoiding Jack, she’ll do the exact opposite and be around him more. Lauren was not sold with the idea. Meanwhile, Jack lashed at Father Vincent for being rude to Paige. However, Jack’s anger simmered when the priest told him about his health condition. It appeared that Father Vincent has not been well and is thinking of retiring. He wanted Jack to replace him.

Find out what happens next on “Neighbours,” which airs Monday to Friday at 6.30pm on Network Eleven in Australia. In the UK, “Neighbours” airs during weekdays on Channel 5.