Twitter floods with memes as EastEnders' Denise given tea and biscuits at the job centre

EastEnders viewers were bewildered during last night's (16 May) episode after Denise Fox was offered a cup of tea and a biscuit at the Walford job centre amid her life crisis going from bad to worse.

While she has been struggling with her pride to sign up for benefits, only to get rejected, the BBC1 soap's fans had little sympathy for her after she dismissed a helping hand.

And the latest episode saw her get told that she would have to wait 10 weeks before she would receive her first universal credit cheque. Upon hearing this news, she threw a tantrum and stormed out of the job centre, despite being offered food stamps.

Viewers slammed the unrealistic portrayal of a typical trip to the E20 job centre on Twitter, with one commenting: "Job centre don't even offer water let alone sticking the kettle on for a brew n biccies lol #Eastenders #eastenders," while another put: "#eastenders writters clearly have never been in a job centre if they think tea and biscuits are provided. Staff are never that nice either".

A third added: "Not exactly "I, Daniel Blake" this. Nobody has ever been given chocolate digestives in the bloody Job Centre. #EastEnders" while a fourth tweeted: "Since when do the job centre offer you a cup of tea ..so unrealistic #eastenders is getting worse by the day".

The social media site was also flooded with memes and gifs following the benefits storyline gaffe, check a few of them out:

The episode saw Denise given a cuppa and a biscuit by a clerk who was trying to help her sign on for Universal Credit. She even formed a bond with her adviser, opening up to him about how she had slipped into poverty after he confessed that he had been made redundant three times before his current job at age 27.

Other comments on Twitter read: "Does the job centre really do tea and sympathy?! #eastenders", and "Jesus the people at the job centre aren't that nice #eastenders".

But it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for Denise at the job centre since she was left aghast after being told she would face sanctions as a punishment for quitting her job at the Minute Mart.

Some viewers were glad that that the issue of poverty had been raised on the soap, with others adding: "Thank you #Eastenders for highlighting the barbaric benefits system" and "WELL DONE BBC #Eastenders for exposing the shame and distress of a JCP/ benefits advisor trying to hand over a referral slip for #FoodBank".

EastEnders continues tomorrow night (18 May) at 7.30pm on BBC1.