‘Neighbours' spoilers for July 1: Paul uses Madison’s article for his revenge plot; Ben and Gary get busted about their deal

Hidden motives and devious schemes seem to be the central themes of the upcoming episode of “Neighbours.” On Friday, Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis) is determined to put his evil plans in action, with the help of his niece. Madison Robinson (Sarah Ellen) has no idea that his uncle is using her to get revenge against Erinsborough folks, and it looks like Terese Willis (Rebekah Elmaloglou) and Brad Willis (Kip Gamblin) will be his biggest victims.

Meanwhile, Ben Ian Kirk (Felix Mallard) is eaten up with guilt over the deal he made with Xanthe Canning’s (Lilly Van Der Mer) dad. It won’t be long before their secret comes out, and fans wonder how Xanthe would take this devastating act. Other “Neighbours” cast members who will also appear on the July 1 episode include Gary Canning (Damien Richardson), Sheila Canning (Colette Mann), Aaron Brennan (Matt Wilson), Tom Quill (Kane Felsinger), Father Jack Callahan (Andrew Morley), Paige Smith (Olympia Valance), Tyler Brennan (Travis Burns), Piper Willis (Mavournee Hazel), Susan Kennedy (Jackie Woodburne) and Karl Kennedy (Alan Fletcher), Stephanie Scully (Carla Bonner), Mark Brennan (Scott McGregor), Lauren Turner (Kate Kendall), Jarrod “Toadie” Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney), Sonya Rebecchi (Eve Morey), Amy Williams (Zoe Cramond) 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 trailer shows Madison as she goes around Ramsay Street to interview Brad, Jack, Sheila and Karl. Tom also offers Terese her job back at Lassiters. Digital Spy reports that she’ll accept and Paul asks Madison to talk to her as well. Madison then proceeds to write her article, but somehow Paul manages to get his hands on the draft and revises it.

Meanwhile, Xanthe is ecstatic when Ben finally asked her to the school’s formal. However, Sheila gets suspicious on what triggered Ben to change his mind. It seems Piper gets wind of the deal he made, and lashes at him. Piper warns Ben: he can’t tell Xanthe what he did. Digital Spy spoilers say that Ben regrets accepting the deal, and Gary comes clean to Sheila about the agreement.

“Neighbours” recap

On Thursday, Amy went over to Aaron’s to confront him about Ryan’s flyer, which depicted her as a sexy maid. Aaron thought he was able to get through with Ryan, but it seemed he made things worse by telling Amy’s former boss where she worked. Later, Aaron saw Tom, who shared that he’s the new general manager of Lassiters. Tom invited him for drinks and Aaron agreed, but clarified that it’s not a date.

The two talked about Amy’s problems, and how Aaron attempted to help her but it backfired in a big way. Tom said the cleaning contract at Lassiters is up for grabs, and he brought out the possibility that they could offer it to Ryan so he’d get off Amy’s back. When Aaron asked about his motive, Tom said he wanted to make it up to him after everything he did. Aaron immediately shared Tom’s plan with Amy. Feeling like she had no choice, she and agreed.

Tom didn’t waste any time and called Ryan up. The two made a deal, which impressed Aaron. He asked to see Tom again soon. Meanwhile, it looked like the plan worked – Ryan sent a text message to Amy thanking her for the gig, and saying it’ll be the last time she’ll be hearing from him.

Meanwhile, Xanthe complained to Gary and Sheila how oblivious Ben is, despite her dropping a million hints. She really wanted him to ask her to the school’s formal. Gary suggested that Xanthe should ask Ben out. Heeding her father’s advice, Xanthe went over to Karl and Susan’s house to talk to Ben and invite him to take her to the dance. However, Ben said no since he didn’t have money. He also said he couldn’t ask his grandparents, believing that they’re broke. Xanthe went home crying over Ben’s rejection.

To make matters worse, Sheila set up Xanthe with a nerd-looking kid named Brinsley. He asked Xanthe to the ball, but she rebuffed the idea of being on a pity date. Her confidence sank even lower. Feeling guilty over his daughter’s heartbreak, Gary talked to Ben and offered him $300 to be Xanthe’s date to the dance. Ben accepted the deal.

Jack went over to Paige’s house to talk. He said he’s back in town for good, brining a smile to her face. However, she got upset when he said he’s still not decided whether he’s going to continue his profession as a priest. Jack asked her, “How do I choose between two things that I love?” Paige said she won’t pressure him, but she won’t be waiting around forever. Their talk turned to Simone, his ex-girlfriend, his only one before becoming a priest. Later, Paige told her mum that she’s willing to wait for Jack to make up his mind. She decided to brush up on the Bible while biding her time.

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.