EastEnders' Christmas murder: No-one is safe and everyone is a suspect

As EastEnders fans await the big 'whodunnit' reveal in its Christmas special, the stars at the centre of the action have promised some "fascinating" twists are on the way.

In February, a flash-forward scene showed a mystery man pronounced dead in The Queen Vic. We've been waiting all year since to find out which male Walford resident is to be murdered — and which woman turns killer.

Those present for the chilling moment were dubbed 'The Six': Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal), Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), Denise Fox (Diane Parish) and Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth).

The potential victims have now been confirmed as Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo), Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters), Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry), Jack Branning (Scott Maslen), Rocky Cotton (Brian Conley) and Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara).

EastEnders' executive producer Chris Clenshaw said: "The events of Christmas Day lead to The Six — Stacey, Suki, Linda, Sharon, Denise and Kathy — being bound together and it’s safe to say that none of their lives will ever be the same again."

Sound ominous enough? Well, Balvinder Sopal has given us an exciting teaser: "It’s epic drama and it is fascinating. I think the story, the way it unravels is really thrilling and fascinating."

The star's alter ego, Suki, has been controlled by abusive husband Nish and framed for murder by stepson Ravi. Meanwhile, her soulmate Eve Unwin (Heather Peace) has been attacked and run out of town by the same two men.

"Tish [Dean] said something really interesting and true," added Sopal when asked how Suki could end up a killer come Christmas.

"She said every man is an obvious choice depending on who the woman in question is. So for Suki, the obvious choice would be Ravi and Nish. I don’t know who else could have potentially crossed her, I mean she has had beef with Ian [Beale] before," she laughed.

Speaking about Kathy's possible motive, Gillian Taylforth explained: "I think it’s safe to say that Rocky is firmly in Kathy’s bad books.

"He set fire to her café, put two of her grandsons in hospital, and then he had the brass nerve to convince her to sell the café to Nish so that he could get away scot-free with his crimes. Kathy has forgiven him time and time again, but this time it’s one time too many."

Perhaps proving that this is one soap whodunnit we'll never be able to predict, the actor has urged us to "expect the unexpected!"

Sharon's Christmas Day wedding to Keanu will be interrupted by her ex, Phil. And Sharon is keeping both men in the dark about the recent discovery that Phil, not Keanu, is the biological father of her son Albie.

"We all know how Phil can react when he’s burnt by those closest to him," warned Letitia Dean. "Phil will do anything for his kids, as will Sharon, so it could be disastrous for them both if the truth were to ever come out."

Meanwhile, deceitful Keanu faked Albie's kidnapping — could Sharon turn on him? "Family is everything to Sharon, and the idea that Keanu would purposely play with her emotions in such a cruel way would absolutely break her. I don’t think she could forgive him for that."

As for the twist? "It was easier not knowing as now I’m scared to open my mouth in case I say something I shouldn’t!" the actor exclaimed.

Pub landlady Linda is being tormented by the recently returned Dean, who raped her several years earlier. "She’s at breaking point," Kellie Bright revealed. "It was always going to be a difficult time of year because of what happened last year and now she’s got this added stress which comes in the form of Dean.

"He is the epitome of a monster, he is a dangerous man and I think as long as he is around she’ll never feel at ease or calm. I think she’s teetering on the edge."

Asked to describe the Christmas special for fans, Bright teased: "My three words would be, old-school EastEnders."

Diane Parish explores who alter ego Denise has been most wronged by. "Well, for obvious reasons Ravi is up there. Not only did he almost wreck her marriage with Jack, he then wormed his way into her daughter’s life and almost ruined hers.

"You’ve got to remember that Denise has also witnessed Ravi killing a man on CCTV, so she’d soon rather send him to Mars than let him anywhere near her daughter again.

Denise's other half Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) has turned himself into a potential victim with his volatile behaviour. "It’s going to get a whole lot messier for them both," Parish warned.

For Stacey, the missing Eve could be key to the narrative. "She’s obviously got a connection to Nish through Eve, and she suspects that he might have had a part to play in her disappearance," said Lacey Turner.

"Ravi is also linked to that storyline so god knows how Stacey would react if she found out about their showdown in the woods. Stacey and Eve are like sisters and she will do whatever it takes to protect her and vice versa."

EastEnders reveals all the answers on Christmas Day with an hour-long episode at 9.45pm on BBC One.

Viewers affected by the issues raised in this article can find help and support via Refuge or by calling the 24 hour helpline on 0808 2000 247. You can also visit Rape Crisis, or call their 24/7 Rape & Sexual Abuse Support Line on 0808 500 2222.

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Relive the EastEnders' flash-forward scene that started it all