EastEnders exec producer Chris Clenshaw has promised viewers to "expect the unexpected" after tonight's surprise twist.
The end of the episode featured six of Walford's matriarchs - Linda (Kellie Bright), Sharon (Letitia Dean), Denise (Diane Parish), Kathy (Gillian Taylforth), Stacey (Lacey Turner) and Suki (Balvinder Sopal) - having a lock-in at the Vic.
The soap then jumped forward to Christmas 2023, with all six women in the Vic and a mystery man's body on the floor - posing the question of not only who committed the murder, but also who was murdered.
Clenshaw has revealed that the twist had been in the works since he took over as the showrunner at the start of 2022 in order to create a "blockbuster" plot for 2023.
"We developed the idea and thought it would be even more exciting if we didn't reveal who the victim is," he said. "[It's] much more than a 'whodunnit?', it's a 'who-is-it?' as well.
"We decided to kick the story off at a time when The Six - Linda, Suki, Kathy, Stacey, Denise and Sharon - are each involved in stories connected to the men in their lives, which fortunately happened to be around the 38th anniversary of EastEnders."
© BBC
He continued: "When doing something we as a show have never attempted before, we have to consider whether it's right for EastEnders and how the audience will feel about it.
"It wasn't a decision we made easily but, as long as we remain true to the DNA of the show, which is about family, community and love, and we bear that in mind at all times, I believe we can play with form, we can play with structure and we can create intrigue and grip and excite our audience in new ways."
EastEnders continues Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One.
Neil Wilkes
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