EastEnders fans ‘work out’ who will die in flash-forward as 10 theories revealed
SIX of Walford's most beloved matriarchs are set to be involved in a massive murder mystery teased last night.
EastEnders fans have been trying to figure out who is set to be killed on Christmas 2023, as the flash-forward showed a man's body, but kept his identity a secret.
Christmas started early for fans of the BBC One soap as Monday's instalment ended in a sinister flashforward scene involving Sharon Watts, Denise Fox, Stacey Slater, Suki Panesar, Linda Carter and Kathy Beale.
The six beloved characters were seen stood over a dead body, next to a copiously-decorated Christmas tree in The Vic.
Many clues were dropped, and eagle-eyed fans couldn't help but notice one extra detail confirming another heart-breaking death.
Since then, viewers have been trying to figure out who will be involved in the death, and have come up with ten theories.
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They also have ten months to work out who the victim, an unknown man wearing cufflinks, could be.
Potential victims
Keanu Taylor
The six Albert Square ladies were all gathered in The Vic afterhours, sharing their troubles with the men in their lives.
Prior to this, Sharon (Letitia Dean) was tempted into giving her former flame Keanu (Danny Walters) another chance as the pair had a steamy reunion in the iconic pub.
Hopes of them reuniting once and for all were dashed when Sharon finally found out Keanu had a fling with her long-term foe Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf).
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However, in the flashforward scene, Sharon was seen wearing a wedding dress, prompting viewers to believe there could still be a chance for her and Keanu.
The hunk is thus at the top of the list of potential victims.
"Sharon is wearing a wedding dress doesn't this bring Keanu into this", one Walford Web user penned.
Many fans of the London-based drama theorised the male victim could have a major part to play in Sharon's potential wedding as he was shown wearing cufflinks.
Keanu was brought back to Walford in late 2022 as Phil Mitchell's feud with DCI Samantha Keeble took an explosive turn.
Nish Panesar
Another handful of EastEnders fans are convinced Keanu could be a red herring, particularly as his reunion with Sharon ended on a sour note.
These soap fans opted to guess Nish could be the unknown man laying on The Vic floor.
The criminal portrayed by Navin Chowdhry was brought to Walford after being released from prison, where he spent two decades for murdering a man he was convinced seduced his wife Suki (Balvinder Sopal).
Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) was also seen glancing intensely at Suki in the flashforward scene, almost as if she was expecting a reaction from the businesswoman before turning her gaze away.
Prior to his release from behind bars, Nish was said to be a controlling and abusive husband to Suki, which was only confirmed by his most recent actions.
The villain has been determined to expand the Panesar empire and made it clear he wants to buy Mick Carter's half of The Vic with a counter-offer.
Sharon had the same intention and confronted both Nish and Suki during last night's episode.
Could he potentially try to marry Sharon in an attempt to get his hands on the pub following Suki's inevitable reunion with Eve Unwin (Heather Peace)?
The theory seems plausible to some viewers.
But one fan was still sceptical and believes soap bosses have another trick up their sleeve.
"I think Nish will probably be killed off before Christmas in a shocking twist meant to make us wonder who the body actually is", they wrote.
Which brings us to another potential victim...
Phil Mitchell
Christmas 2022 proved to fans that no iconic character was safe from the chop, even if mystery still shrouds their departure.
Viewers have been keeping this in mind when spotting clues that Phil Mitchell could be another potential victim.
The Walford tough man portrayed by Steve McFadden has been roaming free in the streets of the fictional London borough for several decades.
Could Christmas 2023 give him the dramatic exit he deserves?
Phil is another former flame Sharon Watts was hoping to reconnect with last year but her plans were thwarted when he decided Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) was the one for him.
Will he have a change of heart? Ten months will surely give him time to think about it.
"Sharon in a wedding dress is intriguing", one user wrote, "personally I hope she’s just jumped into Kat’s place and is marrying Phil."
A framed photo of another popular EastEnders character seemed to confirm this theory for another viewer.
"The photo of Lola on the bar makes me think it’s a Mitchell wedding."
However, another fan argued it would be too early for bosses to even think about killing off Phil.
"I don't see them killing off Phil 18 months out from the 40th anniversary."
Ravi Gulati
The hunky gangster's name was thrown into the mix due to his appearance on Monday's episode.
Kathy Beale's glance at Suki could be a subtle hint as the latter was involved in another murder plot with Ravi (Aaron Thiara) in late 2022.
Ten months will be enough for Suki to talk more about Ravi's involvement in Ranveer's death.
However, two other minor details could point to Ravi.
Denise Fox (Diane Parish) is seen holding a broken bottle of bubbly in the flashforward scene and is desperate to deny her budding feelings for Ravi to save her marriage with Jack Branning.
Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), on the other hand, flirted with Ravi upon his first arrival in the Square, when she was still in a relationship with Kheerat Panesar - before he took the blame for Ranveer's murder.
To make matters worse, Stacey's hands are covered in blood in the flashforward.
Which brings us to yet ANOTHER name.
Ryan Malloy
Neil McDermott recently reprised his role as bad boy Ryan Malloy.
The hunk returned to Albert Square after finding out his daughter Lily was pregnant at the age of 12 from his sister, Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty).
Viewers were then told Ryan had big plans for Lily which involved taking her away from her mother Stacey.
To top it all off, and as one fan noticed on Monday, "the only reference in dialogue we got to Christmas involved Ryan."
Could Stacey snap in an attempt to keep Lily?
Dean Wicks
Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) received shocking news on Monday as she found out Shirley Carter (Linda Henry) reconnected with her rapist son Dean.
Could this be a hint that Dean may return to the Square, much like Ryan before him?
Dean fled Walford in 2016 after being acquitted of Roxy Mitchell's rape.
Prior to this, he admitted he had raped Linda, his sister-in-law, and she has been trying to cope with the lingering trauma of her attack ever since.
However, Linda can be seen joining Sharon, Suki, Kathy, Stacey and Denise in the flashforward scene, hinting she may not even have been present for the unknown male's death.
An unknown character
As mentioned above, Linda will be part of the six women involved in the whodunnit.
This led her to share her own theory on who the male victim could be.
"This is all guesswork on my behalf, but in my mind, I haven’t done it", she told about her character.
"I had a very strong feeling, or more of an idea that the victim was going to be a really big player in this show and I’ve slightly changed my mind, and I think it might be someone who is not in the show yet.
In other words, Kellie believes the victim is "a character that we’re yet to meet."
Lacey Turner agreed with Kellie's theory: "When we first had the meeting about the storyline, I immediately thought it was someone who wasn’t in Albert Square yet. I don’t think it’s a character that is actually on the show at the moment."
Ten months gives room for more introductions.
Now on to our main suspects.
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Potential suspects
Denise Fox
In terms of motive, all six women could have a reason to strike for blood with the potential exception of Kathy Beale who has been standing on the side-lines from all the drama in recent months after her son Ben was raped.
Yet, everything seems to suggest Denise may be a killer.
Actress Diane Parish is even convinced her on-screen alter ego is the culprit, despite her fears.
"In terms of whodunnit, I don’t know why but I think it’s me. I’m really scared it’s me, so I might have to make some plans, because I might be going down. If anyone out there can help me, help me", she told .
As mentioned above, Denise is seen with a broken bottle of alcohol in hand during the flashforward scene.
Could she be holding the murder weapon?
Stacey Slater
Only one detail points to Stacey being guilty of murder - the blood on her hands.
Actress Lacey Turner, who plays the owner of Stacey's Baps, isn't certain her character is the only one to blame for the crime.
However, she is almost certain the entire group has something to hide.
A group effort?
The storyline paves the way for some heated drama involving six of Walford's most iconic women.
What if they were all in on the murder?
Lacey Turner shared her theory with Radio Times: "the more that time goes on, and the more the six of us have chatted away, I feel like it’s an accidental death."
"I don’t think it has been done on purpose, and I think that it’s more of a group effort rather than one sole person, and if it is one individual, then I think all of the women are covering for them."
"I think we all might know something we shouldn’t know and we’re all covering for each other, and maybe the person hasn’t been killed?"
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The countdown to Christmas has officially begun.