Is Ravi Gulati the dead body in EastEnders at Christmas? All the clues and theories

So, given that the BBC soap is set to kill off one male character during the festive season, naturally, our thoughts keep going to Ravi. The hints about him read like a list of his crimes, after all!

Looking for all the clues as to why, listed together in one place? RadioTimes.com has everything you need below...

Is Ravi Gulati the dead body in EastEnders at Christmas? All the clues and theories

Almost killed Eve Unwin

Ravi has recently run into trouble with the law (again!) after Nish ordered him to kill Eve Unwin (Heather Peace) in revenge for her affair with Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal).

In a woodland area, Ravi had Eve dig a shallow grave and prepared to execute her, but a talk with Eve saw him decide not to go through with his evil father's murderous orders, instead telling her to flee and not return - or he would hurt those she loves most, including Suki and the Slaters.

However, since then, Eve has framed Ravi and Nish for her murder and made a covert return to Walford after Ravi and Nish were arrested.

The situation positions Ravi against two of the Six - Stacey and Suki - but they aren't the only ones...

Framed Suki Panesar for murder

We spent quite some time wondering whether Ravi's stepmother Suki would only find out about this secret on Christmas Day itself. But thanks to the suspicions of Denise Fox (Diane Parish), Suki is now aware that Ravi killed his adoptive father Ranveer (Anil Goutam), not her!

While Suki has already begun a revenge plan, her hopes of getting Ravi locked up, and therefore freeing her son Kheerat (Jaz Deol) who took the blame for her, have been dashed so far.

She has, however, left Ravi's son Nugget terrified by telling him the truth, leading Nugget to run away, albeit she later lied she was wrong to get Nugget to come home. Might the biggest showdown between Ravi and Suki be left until the festive season?

Blackmailed Denise Fox holds the potential murder weapon

Denise shared a few kisses with Ravi before he went on to date her daughter Chelsea. When Denise then stopped their liaison, Ravi blackmailed her, saying he would tell her husband Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) if she didn't get him the evidence that copper Jack was compiling against Ravi for his dodgy dealings.

Denise ended up confessing to Jack, but now she's back in Ravi's orbit after watching his murderous footage and using it to break up Ravi and Chelsea. Denise is full of hatred for Ravi but is wary of getting in too deep with Suki's plotting.

But with Denise in possession of a broken bottle of champagne during the flashforward scene, is she forced to strike against Ravi in self-defence, killing him?

Tore Stacey Slater and Kheerat Panesar apart

Kheerat was in a relationship with Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) before he chose to leave her, confessing to Ranveer's murder back when Suki believed she was the culprit. But when Stace inevitably learns that Ravi is the murderer, might she want to help Suki and Denise get even with Ravi?

She seemed to get the measure of Ravi when he made a pass at her while she was with Kheerat. So could Stacey, who has been killed before, take a stand against injustice, leading to Ravi's demise?

He crossed Sharon Watts

Although Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) is no longer engaged to Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters), we can't dismiss that there is bad blood between her and Ravi, after the latter attacked Keanu earlier this year. Sharon reported Ravi to the police, and it was Keanu who got Ravi out of trouble.

But if Sharon has further reason to go after Ravi - whether it's hearing about the above crimes, or through another misdemeanour - she might just be prepared to stand by her friends' sides against him. Has Ravi crossed too many Walford women to escape with his life?

HOWEVER

Ravi has proven to be a dynamic and popular character since his introduction, showing a breadth of complexity, with actor Aaron Thiara finding critical acclaim.

Additionally, Ravi has shown himself capable of redemption - being unable to kill Eve and previously protecting Suki from his father.

Finally, we have only just been introduced to Ravi's ex Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy) and their daughter Avani (Aaliyah James), so would they remove this family unit so quickly?

Read more:

• EastEnders casts Ravi Gulati's long lost love - and his secret daughter
• 6 EastEnders spoilers next week: Nugget goes missing
• EastEnders’ Lacey Turner reveals new Christmas murder mystery theory
• Is Dean Wicks the dead body in EastEnders at Christmas? All the clues and theories
• Is Phil Mitchell the dead body in EastEnders at Christmas? All the clues and theories
• Is Keanu Taylor the dead body in EastEnders at Christmas?? All the clues and theories
• EastEnders cast: Who is joining, leaving and returning to the soap?

EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer. 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 and Streaming Guide.

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