EastEnders spoilers follow.
EastEnders has narrowed down the candidates to die on Christmas Day.
Seven male characters face a shocking death on Christmas Day as the Six — Denise Fox, Kathy Cotton, Linda Carter, Sharon Watts, Stacey Slater and Suki Kaur Panesar — find a corpse under The Vic’s Christmas tree.
With news earlier this week that Denzel Danes and Felix Baker would survive the deadly holiday, the BBC has now confirmed the unlucky few who face the opposite of a holly, jolly Christmas.
Jack Branning is perhaps an unlikely candidate, though the Walford PD’s top detective has certainly been involved in his share of drama throughout the year.
Having kicked off 2023 by discovering his wife Denise’s near-affair with Ravi Gulati, Jack has more recently been drawn into stalker Theo Hawthorne’s campaign of terror against Stacey Slater.
One of the odds-on favourites to end up dead could be Nish Panesar since he’s spent most of the year lying and manipulating many of his Walford neighbours.
Nish is responsible for adding to Rocky Cotton’s debt problems before he staged a fire at Kathy’s Cafe. He also brutally attacked his wife Suki Kaur Panesar’s lover, Eve Unwin, and ordered her murder.
Ravi Gulati was the hapless hitman who was supposed to kill Eve, though he spared her by agreeing to let her run away from Walford instead.
He’s done his fair share of dirty deeds throughout the year, though, including trying to blackmail Denise over their affair and even selling drugs to Gina Knight.
Rocky Cotton’s mounting lies make him a solid contender to die on Christmas Day, especially as more people discover he tried to stage the Kathy’s Café fire.
The cheeky chappy also knowingly married Kathy Beale even though he wasn’t officially divorced from his ex-wife Jo. His financial debts, too, will cause him to become more desperate as Christmas draws near.
Notorious EastEnders villain Dean Wicks was rumoured to be the dead man months before he even made his surprise return to Walford as Cindy Beale’s business partner.
Dean has waged a war of intimidation against his sister-in-law, Linda Carter, by trying to force her to falsely clear his name after sexually assaulting her years ago.
Keanu Taylor emerged as a late contender in the last several weeks by working with his mum to secretly kidnap his son Albie and steal £50,000 in ransom money from arch-enemy Phil Mitchell.
Phil has since found proof that the Taylors were behind the kidnapping, leading to him calling them out in front of the entire pub in the latest episode. And let’s not forget Sharon will be wearing the infamous wedding dress on Christmas Day!
Speaking of Phil, he has his own secrets he’s been struggling to hide — including that he cheated on his wife, Kat Slater, with Lola’s mum, Emma Harding, during a rough patch in his marriage.
The notorious Walford hardman has another bombshell on the horizon because his ex-wife Sharon recently discovered Albie is Phil’s biological child, not Keanu’s.
Here’s how the soap has described the upcoming whodunit storyline: “Whilst it’s usually a happy time for many, Christmas Day in Albert Square is notoriously riddled with heartbreak and deceit, and this year will be no exception.
“Viewers know that one unlucky Walford male will find himself on the floor of The Queen Vic in the dreaded cufflinks, but two very important questions remain to be answered — who is it, and how has he come to be there?
“Whilst the exact circumstances relating to his death will remain a tightly kept secret up until Christmas Day, one thing is for certain — six of Walford’s much-loved matriarchs will find themselves embroiled in a series of events that lead up to his demise, and in a flash, their lives will be permanently changed forever…”
EastEnders airs on Mondays – Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
Read more EastEnders spoilers on our dedicated homepage
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James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
