EastEnders Christmas 2023 review: Event television in every way

Six women were shown in the Queen Vic at Sharon Watts’s (Letitia Dean) wedding reception standing in shock over a mystery male dead body. The killer and victim being kept a secret for 10 months of densely plotted and highly eventful weeks is no easy feat to pull off.

Soaps in the modern day remain a difficult beast of a machine to keep ticking over every week with so much content to put out and with more competitors than ever.

Despite this, EastEnders has been at the height of its powers for over a year now but fans were waiting with bated breath for the Christmas crowning glory. Would it live up to expectations when almost every scenario was being considered by obsessive viewers?

The Christmas episode written by the talented Lauren Klee was already a classic festive instalment outside of the murderous climax - full of heart, humour (Kim Fox's wedding reactions alone), family, camp, high drama, and Yuletide aesthetics that utilised the whole cast. Whether it was the Beale/Knight dinner, the Mitchells’ message from the late Lola, or Sharon’s explosive wedding with the epic guest list, there was something for everyone. The entire outing truly sits among the very best of EastEnders Christmas episodes.

A special standout moment also occurred for the Six before the murder as Suki came out to the other ladies in an amusing but empowering set of exchanges - a warm scene before the chaos unfolded minutes later.

That was before the finale and its execution more than lived up to expectations. The theatrical entrance of Nish Panesar (played to pathetic perfection by Navin Chowdhry) and the showdown with the Six would have felt like a satisfying and logical result - even with Denise Fox (a steely Diane Parish) turning killer with the champagne bottle shown in the flash-forward.

Yet, the epic twist of Nish being saved by estranged wife Suki Panesar (the ever-magnetic Balvinder Sopal) and then Keanu’s last-minute entrance and showdown with Sharon over Albie, turned expectations on its head at the last moment, leaving us all perennially on the edge of our seats.

Then, in the biggest shock of all, the most unlikely killer in Queen Vic landlady Linda Carter (the vibrant Kellie Bright) emerges to save her beloved best friend Sharon from a broken Keanu’s chokehold by stabbing him dead in front of the other ladies.

With Nish hanging on to life, Keanu dead, Denise a near-killer, and Linda now a murderer with the rest of the Six now bonded in blood, the stage is set for a dramatic tangled web of stories to follow.

It’s almost sad to lose the ten months of theorising fans and the press had with this storyline but the potential with the aftermath offers even greater drama - especially if Boxing Day is anything to go by.

Special shout-outs are due to the Six leading ladies, of course, all putting in some of their best work in the show, while natural performer Danny Walters bows out in true style as Keanu succumbs to his worst impulses and loses his life in the process. A heartbreaking but logical conclusion to a character who started as a sweet hero and ended up a desperate villain no longer worthy of Walford icon Sharon Watts.

The story and script team along with the rest of the crew, all led by executive producer Chris Clenshaw, pulled off an absolute blinder with the Christmas story - one that many naysayers said was doomed to disappoint. With no last-minute off-screen killer or body that was never in the running, EastEnders delivered a true twist-filled piece of event television and showed soap at its finest.

In a flash, everything changes and we already can’t wait to see what comes next.

Read more:

• EastEnders spoilers: Whitney Dean heartache in tragic fostering story
• EastEnders must give tragic heroine Whitney the happy ever after she deserves
• EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw previews Christmas 2023 and The Six aftermath
• EastEnders' Letitia Dean on whether Sharon can forgive Keanu for kidnap secret
• EastEnders' Gillian Taylforth on Kathy and Rocky: "She can’t live with the constant lies"
• EastEnders' Diane Parish teases "heartbreak" in Christmas episode
• EastEnders' Lacey Turner on whether Stacey will kill again: "She will do whatever it takes to protect Eve"
• EastEnders' Balvinder Sopal: "People will be on the edge of their seats"
• EastEnders' Kellie Bright: "The body wasn't who I thought it would be"

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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