EastEnders Christmas murder victim ‘exposed’ – lyric clue, family ties and ‘killer’ past
EastEnders teased the death of a major character this Christmas – and the fan theories are coming in thick and fast.. Daily Star takes a look at who’s rumoured to be killed off
EastEnders has had its fans on the edge of their seats with a blood-soaked Christmas flash forward, leaving them guessing about the identity of the murder victim.
The BBC soap has been building anticipation for a dramatic festive storyline in which one resident of Albert Square will meet a tragic end. Adding to the intrigue, six prominent Walford matriarchs have been suggested as potential culprits in the whodunnit mystery.
This year, EastEnders decided to kick off the Christmas countdown earlier than ever by airing a flash forward episode on February 20. This unique approach gave viewers a 10-month period to speculate on who might be involved in the gruesome plot.
The flash forward hinted at a murder involving a group of women known as “The Six,” who reside in Albert Square. The list of suspects includes Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), Suki Kaur Panesar (Balvinder Sopal), Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), Denise Fox (Diane Parish), and Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth).
In a tantalising Christmas scene, Sharon is seen wearing a blood stained wedding dress, bending over the lifeless body of a man, while the other women surround her in the Queen Vic, dressed in festive party attire. With the weeks counting down to Christmas, the speculation among fans continues to intensify. Let’s take a look at the current fan theories…
Nish Panesar
Suspicions surrounding Nish Panesar’s ownership of the amber cufflinks found on the lifeless body have been confirmed – leading fans to wonder if he is the victim. The cufflinks have since changed hands through a poker game, landing in the possession of Jack Branning and, more recently, Phil Mitchell.
During a pivotal moment at The Vic, “The Six” raised their glasses to the men in their lives, alluding to them “getting what they deserve”.
The song Heart of Glass by Blondie playing during this toast has drawn attention due to its poignant lyrics, hinting at a toxic and abusive relationship between Nish and his wife, Suki.
Suki’s toast to “the ones who try to keep us in the shadows” further fuels speculation – with many believing his controlling ways will be the catalyst that causes his demise.
Theo Hawthorne
Fans believe that creepy Theo Hawthorne, played by William Ellis, is the victim of the Christmas murder storyline after he made a series of enemies in the square. Fans will remember him worming his way into Stacey Slater’s life after he offered to tutor Lily for free.
He began stalking Stacey and sending her money for sexually explicit videos online, all while remaining anonymous and posing as her pal. Since being discovered for his actions and avoiding arrest, Theo has moved in next door to Stacey – and now fans believe he is at the mercy of many of the square’s residents.
“My guess to whose dead body is on Christmas Day is… @bbceastenders Theo! Eve, Suki, Stacey all out for blood!” said a fan. “Theo is a dead man this Xmas – he has too many enemies and everyone wants him gone,” Penned another.
Ravi Gulati
Ravi Gulati is tipped to be killed off amid new drama involving Denise Fox, Jack Branning, Chelsea Fox and Nish Panesar. When EastEnders dropped its latest clue about the big event and revealed a brand new flashforward clip, it focused on Denise on the fateful night, and teased her feelings and actions on that day.
The fact it was released just after Ravi tore Denise and Jack’s marriage apart, and after his rows with Jack and Nish, suggested to many that he could be the victim. While viewers took it as meaning her arch of the storyline had begun, others believed there were links between the new clip and the episode that had just aired.
After the body was shown wearing cufflinks in the original flash-forward, some fans also thought they spotted Ravi wearing them in a recent episode. Posting on Instagram, one viewer said: “When Ravi punched Jack in the head I saw some cuffs on his wrists too…”
Another agreed: “So we all think that it’s Ravi’s body on Xmas?” as a third added: “It’s Ravi killed by Denise.” Ravi was also revealed the be Ranveer’s real killer, causing fury from Suki and Denise. He also called in hits on Kheerat who is serving time for the murder – giving him one more enemy to fear.
Martin Fowler
A fan of the BBC soap shared a theory on TikTok, suggesting that the long-serving character Martin Fowler might be the shocking casualty during the Christmas episode. The theory gained traction, amassing 257.9k views since its upload. In the TikTok video, the user revisits the flash-forward scene, highlighting the presence of a fire and the background music, Stay Another Day, by East 17.
Interestingly, this same song played at the end of a Christmas episode in 2019, which concluded with Martin seemingly causing harm to another character and staring into a burning fire. This connection raises the question of whether the 2019 scene could have foreshadowed the events of 2023.
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The theory also notes that Martin has ties to most of the women in the flashforward, and he would likely be present at Sharon’s wedding. The theory speculates that the six women may not be the perpetrators but instead witnesses to Martin’s death at the hands of someone else, possibly Stacey’s stalker, Theo.
Keanu Taylor
It has been confirmed that Karen Taylor will be leaving the Square behind, with actress Lorraine Stanley heading for the exit on the BBC soap; and some are convinced that will be due to Keanu’s “death” at Christmas.
Also, Keanu was “killed off” on Christmas Day back in 2019. The character was supposedly shot dead by Martin Fowler in this episode after being kidnapped, on the orders of Phil, Ben and Louise who were blackmailing Martin.
Of course it later emerged on New Year’s Day that Keanu was alive and Martin, with the help of Linda Carter, had faked his death. Keanu fled and his fate was only confirmed to the Mitchells two months later, when he returned for revenge before fleeing again. But in a twist of fate, could Keanu die on Christmas Day for real this time?
