How EastEnders has revolutionised the classic soap comeback

It's fair to say there has been plenty of shock value and nostalgia, but it's important to note that those initial gasp-worthy moments have never overshadowed the storylines.

Take the late Roxy Mitchell's (Rita Simons) reprisal last year. As her daughter Amy (Ellie Dadd) sought help for her mental health struggles, she longed for the love and comfort she missed from Roxy, and so the woman herself appeared to Amy in her imagination.

What followed was a heartfelt two-hander, with exquisite performances from Dadd and the much-missed Simons that maintained character-driven storytelling throughout.

The talk of 2023 was, undoubtedly, Cindy Beale's (Michelle Collins) return from the dead, a whopping 25 years after she was said to have died.

It was every bit as chaotic as expected, but still EastEnders never faltered, linking Cindy to Walford newcomer George Knight (Colin Salmon) and revealing that she had been in witness protection.

We were treated to a special flashback episode, taking Cindy back to 2014 and the news that eldest daughter Lucy (Hetti Bywater) had been murdered.

As EastEnders expertly intertwined scenes from the archives with newly filmed footage, Cindy hotfooted it back to Albert Square, only to unknowingly meet an old pal of Lucy's, Arthur 'Fatboy' Chubb (Ricky Norwood), years before his own apparent demise.

From that delightful Fatboy cameo to seeing Cindy's grief in real time and Collins' superb portrayal, each plot twist somehow made total sense.

Of course Fatboy would have been going about his business, and of course he would have spotted the car Cindy was hiding out in - brilliantly contrasting soap land's long history of airing covert conversations while no one bats an eyelid!

And of course Cindy would rush to son Peter's (now played once more by Thomas Law) side.

Cindy's resurrection soon had the most authentic backstory possible, even allowing Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) to rejoin the Beales in the process.

The 10-year saga that started with Lucy's accidental killing at half-brother Bobby's (Clay Milner Russell) hands reached its final chapter when his adoptive mother Jane (Laurie Brett) sought reconciliation.

The rare happy ending as Jane took Bobby away for a fresh start was truly satisfying, as was the almighty clash between Jane and Cindy!

As much as we didn't want to see rapist Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo) torment Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) yet again, his reappearance ultimately led to justice at last, as he finally confessed to his sickening crime.

This darkness was also offset by Yolande Trueman's (Angela Wynter) wonderful return as a much-needed pillar of the community.

Lucas Johnson (Don Gilet) got a surprise visit from traumatised ex Denise Fox (Diane Parish), who wanted constructive advice on how to live with the act of murder!

Once again, this was a comeback that happened for a reason, and Lucas later raised the alarm that Denise was not a well woman.

We never thought we'd see Chrissie Watts (Tracy-Ann Oberman) again, but after her dramatic showdown with Sharon (Letitia Dean), there was closure for both women over the love and loss of Den (Leslie Grantham).

Chrissie went on to reunite with lover Jake Moon (Joel Beckett), and facilitate the return of the equally fiery Ruby Allen (Louisa Lytton), solving the open mystery of whether or not Ruby had been pregnant by Martin Fowler (James Bye).

David Wicks (Michael French) pitched up to support fragile daughter Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer), who had originally popped back for the sake of Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) and Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy).

After getting the shock of his life over Cindy, David accidentally helped set up her incoming festive twist, before we all nearly fell off our chairs watching his video call with son Joe (Paul Nicholls).

Though the latter's cameo was mere seconds long, it was heartening enough to showcase that Joe was now doing well after a turbulent youth.

Add in the delightful, unannounced Mickey Miller (Joe Swash) return, as the cheeky chap came to the aid of the market traders, and EastEnders is certainly keeping us on our toes.

This could have been gratuitous, but it absolutely was not. A wealthier Mickey was here to help, and to reunite with old sidekick Mo Harris (Laila Morse).

That loyalty felt genuine, and left a warm glow in the lead-up to what promises to be a problematic Christmas for the locals!

Any show on television can draw from its history and bring back old favourites. But to utilise each one to their full potential and link them across multiple plots, all while delivering strong storylines week after week, is a triumph that EastEnders should be proud of.

Read more:

• How will Nish Panesar exit EastEnders? All the theories
• EastEnders Christmas and New Year spoilers: Your day-by-day guide as Cindy Beale's secrets explode
• EastEnders' Joe Swash reveals which soap legends he felt so lucky to work alongside
• EastEnders airs dangerous twist for Phil Mitchell in early iPlayer release
• EastEnders' Heather Peace promises New Year chaos at Suki and Eve's wedding
• EastEnders' Michelle Collins teases 'classic Christmas episode' as Cindy's affair is revealed
• EastEnders' Balvinder Sopal on Nish's New Year vendetta and "high-intensity wedding drama"

EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday 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.