EastEnders' Christmas murder storyline has had fans gripped throughout most of 2023, with the soap first teasing the plot twist back in February in a shock flashforward episode.
Fans have been eagerly searching for clues and hints ever since, with it having been confirmed that one Walford man will lose his life at Christmas in the iconic Queen Victoria pub. The storyline sees six of Albert Square's iconic matriarchs team up, but it's not yet been revealed what exactly draws them to one another. However, links between the six characters have started to be unveiled over recent weeks.
Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal), Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), Denise Fox (Diane Parish) and Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) make up 'The Six', as they are now known.
The actresses, along with EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw, have opened up about the storyline, having shown OK! and other press a redacted version of the Christmas Day episode in a sneak preview.
Executive producer Chris, 37, revealed that the Christmas storyline has been in the works since 2022, and the show has gone to great lengths to ensure all details of the plot remain entirely secret until the episodes air.
"It's to ensure that the storyline remains a secret right up until it airs, as well as kind of giving you the opportunity to watch for yourselves on Christmas Day without knowing the outcome," he told OK! and other press.
Chris said he thinks it's "incredibly rare" for things to be kept a secret until they air nowadays, and hinted that there's so much more to come for The Six before Christmas Day.
All six of the actresses involved in the 'Whodunnit?' storyline are thrilled to be involved, especially Kellie Bright, who portrays Linda Carter. Linda has been mourning the loss of her soulmate Mick (Danny Dyer) since Christmas 2022, when he dived into the sea to save her, unaware she had already found safety. His body was never recovered and has since been presumed dead.
Kellie, 47, opened up about being part of The Six, saying she felt "excited" to take a new storyline following Mick's departure, as she'd been left wondering what was next for Linda.
"So for me, the meeting came about a month after Danny had left, and I definitely felt a little bit like, 'Oh, I don't know what I'm gonna do now, I wonder what the future holds for me'," Kellie said, before adding that while she and Danny had some "separate storylines" it was still a "strange time".
She continued: "I really did feel excited about it and I think for me, a bit like what the ladies have said, it was just so nice to do it all together. But honestly, these women are beyond brilliant in every way, not just at what they do on screen, but holding each other up behind the scenes because it has been a lot, and I really do feel like we have stood shoulder to shoulder and really looked after each other and that has been amazing."
The star also hinted that the Christmas storyline could continue for months. She added: "I don’t know when it’s going to come to an end, but I don’t want it to end is what I would say. I miss them when I’m not with them."
Kellie's co-star Lacey, 35, who plays Stacey Slater, has also loved being part of such a huge storyline. She added: "I think for me the Christmas story, The Six and the build up to all the different stories of the six characters, sort of leading up to it for me has just been amazing to watch and amazing to be a part of and to play out."
So far, all fans know that is that a male character will wind up dead on the Queen Vic floor on Christmas Day, with The Six all present when Sharon confirms he is dead. We also know that Sharon's wedding to Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) will take place on Christmas Day.
It seems that the pair's nuptials don't quite go to plan though, with Gillian, 68, revealing that Kathy has to give Sharon a new wedding dress after her original gets ruined. So, the dress Sharon is wearing in the Christmas promo shots is not actually the bridal gown she chose.
Gillian revealed: "Well, the wedding dress gets caught in a load of mud and everything. So Kathy has bought two wedding dresses, one she bought in the sale in the garage.
"So she bought that and then she buys another one that she likes better, so she’s got the spare wedding dress. When Posh Sharon’s dress gets caught up in all this mud and everything else, Super Kath walks in with the wedding dress that she wears on Christmas Day…"
Kathy has been at the centre of recent drama thanks to her husband Tom 'Rocky' Cotton's (Brian Conley) gambling and money-making schemes, with saw him set fire to Kathy's beloved cafe in a bid to claim on the insurance. Kathy eventually found out about everything, and has since ended things with her husband.
With actor Brian confirmed to be leaving EastEnders after Christmas, many fans have been left convinced that Rocky could be the man to end up dead. Gillian remained tight-lipped about what's to come, but did reveal that there are some "upsetting" scenes ahead for Kathy and Rocky.
"The trouble is she's given him so many, you know, chances. And she's given up with him now. I think to find out that he was gonna actually let her take the blame for the cafe fire, and also for almost killing her grandchildren. That is, you know, despicable," Gillian said.
However, Kathy's feelings for Rocky are still firmly there, despite his wrongdoings. Gillian continued: "She still loves him. She still does love him. And there's that awful thing – that love and hate thing. You know, she loves him, but she hates what he's done. But deep down she still really loves him."
When questioned about what's in the pipeline for the couple, she added: "Things will happen with Rocky, and it's gonna be very upsetting."
Rocky and Keanu are both firmly in the frame, as well as villainous Dean Wicks, Nish Panesar and Ravi Gulati, but some EastEnders fans are convinced it will be the man everyone least expects – Jack Branning (Scott Malsen).
Jack doesn't have many enemies on the Square currently, so it seems unlikely anyone would want to kill him, but his marriage to Denise Fox (Diane Parish) is quickly falling apart and he's found himself seeking comfort in the arms of Stacey Slater. Jack and Stacey shared a very passionate kiss in Thursday's (14 December) episode, following weeks of tension between them.
Actress Diane, 54, has confirmed that Denise will find out about Jack and Stacey soon. She hinted that explosive scenes could be coming, as Denise sees her husband's affair as "total betrayal".
"I think once Denise finds out, I think it's total betrayal," she stated. "I think it's the it's total betrayal, not just from from Jack, but from somebody that really is considered as a friend."
Despite Stacey and Denise never being super close, they've never had an issue with one another – something which Diane is keen to highlight. However, that looks set to change once Denise finds out Jack and Stacey have gotten close.
Yet, Diane has hope that Jack and Denise could work things out, but is keen not to let too much slip about what's in store.
"But I think that you do get those fractured families that just keep on making it back somehow. And maybe there is a way back.I don't know if they're in it, but I, I don't know. I would like to think that there's a way back for them as a family because what I've loved about this family is you've got everything in there," she said.
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