EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw reveals epic details on Christmas episodes – and we’re counting down the days
EastEnders is renowned for explosive Christmas episodes, making it a tradition for families across the UK to sit in front of the TV and marvel at how bad the big day can REALLY get.
This year is no different, with the much publicised murder story at the forefront of proceedings.
And show boss Chris Clenshaw, like the rest of the investigating nation, couldn’t be more excited for what’s in store.
Hoping it to be one of the show’s best festive seasons ever, the producer is certainly onto a winner if the build-up is anything to go by.
And he joined Metro.co.uk for a chat recently to dish some details.
‘Absolutely. ‘We’re really thrilled with the buzz that the storyline has created,’ he enthused.
‘That’s what we hoped – we wanted people to chat, we wanted people to speculate, we wanted everyone to come up with their own theories and share those theories with one another.
‘We wanted it to be a storyline that actually brings the fans together, so we’re absolutely over the moon that it seems to be doing that and the fans are enjoying being a part of it.
‘It obviously means that there’s huge pressure to deliver, but Christmas on EastEnders is always spectacular, and I think this year is a real treat. And I think you’ll be guessing right up until the very end.’
That end is seven weeks away, and those days will be packed with drama as everything ramps up to ensure that the characters involved are at the height of their story strands in time for the colossal reveals.
‘There’s a huge amount that’s in the mix, and it dominates the autumn and the build to Christmas,’ Chris told us.
‘As we build to Christmas, all the pieces will fall into place for what I think is going to be one of our biggest Christmases. What will become apparent is who the potential bodies are.
At the moment, I think it could almost be any man in Walford, but as we head toward Christmas it will become clearer who the final line up of men it could be. There’s lots of twists and turns.’
He added: ‘It is absolutely an ensemble affair. I think sometimes there’s one family that potentially dominates Christmas. Last year it was very much the Carters.
‘It wasn’t just the Carters that we saw on Christmas Day, we saw the Mitchells and we saw the Slaters and we saw the Fox/Trueman/Brannings, but it was Mick’s last Christmas and that family dominated.
‘That’s sometimes quite usual of an EastEnders Christmas, but this year we have the six women and therefore we have six different stories which encompass pretty much the entire Square and all of the cast.
‘So it is an ensemble piece and all of those stories start to weave together, knit together and collide.’
In a flashforward episode way back at the start of the year, viewers saw an unidentified dead body on the floor of the Vic, with six shocked women standing around the corpse.
Since then, we have seen Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) marry Rocky Cotton (Brian Conley) but as his debts spiral, he will take shocking action and torch the cafe – which will be a horrific shock for Kathy, particularly as her relatives are in the centre of the peril.
Recently, Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) was hit with a ghoul from her past when Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo) returned to torment her.
Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) has been viciously stalked and attacked by sinister Theo – and we haven’t seen the last of that.
Denise Fox (Diane Parish) discovered Ravi Gulati’s (Aaron Thiara) dangerous side as their war heated up.
Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal) secretly holds a love for Eve Unwin (Heather Peace) – and killer Nish (Navin Chowdhry) is on the cusp of discovering the truth – with undoubtedly terrifying consequences.
And last but not least, Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) is being targeted with a revenge plot by Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters). For now, she has no idea that he is out to destroy her and take Albie – but what will their wedding day at the end of the year bring?
The theories are flying thick and fast between fans, with everyone gripping onto the mystery with excitement.
It has left Chris thrilled, as it’s exactly what he and his team set out to do.
‘It’s amazing that the fans are picking up on so much, on certain things.,’ he grinned. ‘It’s brilliant!’
