EastEnders' flash-forward twist felt like a return to the glory days

The show has been on top form recently, following the arrival of new executive producer Chris Clenshaw. The new era has been a resounding success, and now this brand new 'whodunnit' may have officially restored the long-running serial drama to its former glory.

We're all familiar with a soap murder mystery; and EastEnders is particularly famous for this tradition. So you'd be forgiven for wondering if the team could outdo previous shockers, like 'Who Killed Lucy?' and the saga of Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb). But they've achieved that goal.

In fact, while much of the same elements remain this time around - like guessing who the killer is and spotting all the clues - there's much more to this story than the usual features. While the murder of Lucy Beale (Hetti Bywater) also kept us in suspense for almost a year, now we seemingly have to wait the same length of time to find out just who has met their untimely demise.

It's an inventive and refreshing decision, because although there might seem to be obvious choices for this death (looking at you, Nish), we've still got 10 months left to find out, meaning there's every chance an entirely different Walford fella will head on the path that ultimately cuts their journey short.

We've also got the surprise of Sharon's festive wedding, the mystery of the groom and the added question of whether said groom might also be the dead man! So, a lot to consider and plenty to look out for.

And yet, despite the fact that this twist has genuinely 'never been done before', this is not the first time the BBC soap has gone down such an ambitious route and had it pay off.

Let's go back to that Archie Mitchell murder - also airing at Christmas. Back at the end of 2009, evil Archie had burned all bridges. He'd controlled, conned and abused his way around Albert Square, before being fatally bludgeoned by the Queen Vic bust. The list of suspects was so long that EastEnders chose to film a series of alternative reveals ahead of the live 25th anniversary episode the following February.

At the time, Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) - also seen in the flash-forward with blood on her hands - made a secret confession that she had been the one to end Archie's life after being raped by him; with only father-in-law Max Branning (Jake Wood) knowing the truth for several months afterwards.

The live episode meant that the cast had to film the aftermath scenes before they shot that big bombshell - before any of them even knew who Archie's killer was.

With no idea why, co-stars Turner and Wood had been instructed to act awkwardly around each other as they each grieved the death of their beloved Bradley (Charlie Clements), who fell to his death from the roof of the pub while protecting guilty wife Stacey.

The live instalment blew us away, with talented Turner coming in for huge acclaim. But what also made for fascinating television was spotting all those significant moments that the actors portrayed without prior knowledge, like Stacey turning away from Max as she arrived to visit Bradley's body.

Fast-forward to the present day, and we'll once again be looking for every key moment we can.

The actors don't know who the Christmas killer is, with Denise Fox legend Diane Parish saying she's scared it could be her alter ego, while Gillian Taylforth, who plays legacy character Kathy Beale, revealed that the six women at the centre of this story have been meeting up to discuss their own theories.

Earlier this month, a vague spoiler declared that Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) and Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) would move their wedding to Christmas 2023. At the time, it seemed strange to be contemplating December so soon - but of course, this isn't the case if you're a member of the EastEnders story team.

It looks like said team have a full game plan for the rest of the year, all aiming towards that massive cliffhanger. It's a big commitment, but with EastEnders' rich history serving in its favour, the soap's latest plot twist could cement Clenshaw's reign as truly iconic.

Read more:

• EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw spills epic Christmas flash-forward secrets
• EastEnders' Kellie Bright predicts dead character is someone we've not met
• EastEnders' Lacey Turner predicts "accidental death" in Christmas whodunnit
• EastEnders' Balvinder Sopal on Christmas killer: "I would like it to be Suki"
• EastEnders' Letitia Dean on flash-forward mystery: "I think it’s so open"
• EastEnders' Gillian Taylforth says flash-forward left cast "stunned"

Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide or Streaming Guide, or visit our Soaps hub.

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