EastEnders fans stunned as FOUR axed characters return during explosive Christmas Day episode
It came as the festive murder plot, which has been rumbling for 10 months, reached its gripping conclusion
EASTENDERS viewers were last night treated to the return of some of the show’s favourite characters.
A parade of stars who fans never expected to see onscreen again either popped up or were referenced in the explosive Christmas plot.
Last night millions of EastEnders viewers watched as Keanu Taylor was brutally stabbed while trying to kill Sharon Watts – while Nish Panesar was bottled over the head.
But before that there were a few familiar faces to enjoy with Karen Taylor and Mitch Baker – who quit Walford earlier this month – making a surprise return.
They appeared in a video call to struggling Bernie, who begged the pair to come home from Spain.
However, the couple, who fled with Phil Mitchell’s £50,000, insisted that wouldn’t be possible until he was “six feet under”.
There was also an appearance from I’m A Celeb star Danielle Harold’s character Lola, who died of cancer in May this year.
She also appeared in a video that was recorded before her death and played out to the Mitchells on Christmas Day.
While some fans insisted they were tired of seeing her in clips, others found it a moving addition, as she announced Jay’s London Marathon plans.
One wrote: “Genuinely love these Lola scenes. The two big storylines of the year linking up. It’s beautiful storytelling.”
Perhaps the most surprising former character to pop back into the script was Shabnam Masood, who hasn’t been seen on the soap since 2016.
She left Walford with her daughter Jade, after her relationship with Davood Ghadami’s Kush came to an end.
While not appearing on screen, Dean spoke to her on the phone about the present Jade had left him – only to be corrected by her that the gift wasn’t for him at all.
The brief mention did get fans thinking the character could be reintroduced, with one tweeting: “Wonder if Shabnam might return, the original one and the best.”
The BBC soap has been teasing the Christmas Day episode for ten months, starting in February with a flash-forward showing a dead body surrounded by six Walford women.
Sharon Watts, Linda Carter, Denise Fox, Suki Panesar, Stacey Slater and Kathy Beale all took centre stage in one of the biggest storylines the soap has ever done.
