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.

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).

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.