EastEnders Christmas 2023 flash-forward murder: Who dies?

EastEnders began its 2023 Christmas Special 10 months early with a shocking murder mystery storyline.

Stacey Slater, Suki Kaur Panesar , Linda Carter, Sharon Watts, Denise Fox and Kathy Beale have become 'The Six' - suspects in a whodunnit which began to unfold in a flash-forward episode which aired on Monday 20 February.

Fans of the BBC soap saw the six women in The Queen Vic pub at Christmas time looking down at a dead body on the floor.

Sharon, played by Letitia Dean, is wearing a wedding dress stained with blood and all the other characters are dressed up for a party as the strains of East 17's Christmas No 1 Stay Another Day plays in the background.

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Sharon kneels down and lifts up the wrist of the man, wearing distinctive amber cufflinks, and feels his pulse, before announcing, "He's dead!"

EastEnders fans must now wait all year to find out who is dead, and who did it.

Kellie Bright, who plays pub landlady Linda Carter told This Morning that even the cast don't yet know who the murderer or the victim is.

She said: "They actually made Tish film it two ways. We had a 'He's dead' and a 'She's dead'. So it was only when I watched it last night that I knew it was a man."

Bright added: "And I only just realised it must be one of us. One of us did it!."

The soap star admitted she thinks there will be "a lot of red herrings" in the soap through out the year.

In the teaser Stacey (Lacey Turner) is shown to have blood on her hands and Denise (Diane Parish) is holding a broken champagne bottle as all six women stand around the murder scene.

The flash-forward began in the current time with all six suspects having a lock-in at the pub and talking about the men in their life, before Sharon ominously raises a toast: "To men, may they get what they deserve."

So with the six suspects already identified - we have tried to find out who the victim is.

We know he is male. There were eight men mentioned in the episode before the flash-forward, making them the most likely possible victims.

Here is a rundown of who the dead body could be:

Nish Panesar

Nish, played by Navin Chowdhry, is the estranged husband of Suki (Balvinder Sopal). He recently arrived in Albert Square following a 20 year stretch in prison for murder. Nish is determined to rebuild his relationship with Suki, despite mentally abusing and controlling her during their marriage.

The ex-con dresses smartly and could quite likely own a pair of amber cufflinks.

In the flash-forward Kathy turns and looks and Suki when she sees the body - could that be a clue?

Jack Branning

Jack Branning, played by Scott Maslen, has links to several of the suspects. He has been in a relationship with Denise and Sharon in the past. He has recently clashed with Stacey when he tried to persuade her 12-year-old daughter Lily to have an abortion, after she fell pregnant by his son Ricky Jr.

Like Nish. Jack is another snappy dresser, and it's Stacy with blood all over her hands.

Dean Wicks

Dean hasn't been seen in Albert Square since 2016. He raped Linda and fled the country after being acquitted of the crime. During the lock-in Linda looks horrified when she is confronted by a picture of Dean. He also has a difficult history with Stacey after spiking her drink.

Before the flash-forward Kathy made a point of assuring Linda that if he ever set foot back in Walford there would be an army waiting to protect her from him.

Ryan Malloy

Stacey's ex Ryan just returned to Walford for the first time in seven years only to seemingly walk out again. When he asked to have their daughter Lily to stay and Christmas Stacey admitted she's quite like to kill him.

It might have seemed like a flippant remark at the time - but she literally has blood on her hands.

Keanu Taylor

Keanu has already broken Sharon's heart. Is he the man she's set to marry in that dress? And could more heartbreak mean he's the dead body on the floor?

If he is the victim, Keanu has also been close to Kathy and Linda in the past. So he might have upset one of the other suspects.

Ravi Gulati

Ravi is Suki's son, an ex-con and a former cell mate of Phil Mitchell. He killed his adoptive father Ranveer but let his mother believe it was her who struck the fatal blow. Her beloved son Kheerat ended up taking the blame for Ranveer's murder. If Suki learns the truth it could be enough for her to turn on him.

He also turned down Denise when she made a drunken pass at him. There is still a whole year ahead for the relationship to develop.

Rocky Cotton

Rocky has been in a relationship with Kathy and is one the men discusses during the lock-in. And he's also another character who would look good in those cufflinks...

Phil Mitchell

Shady Phil Mitchell has been married to Kathy and had an on-off affair with Sharon. He has already survived being shot - making him the subject of EastEnders' previous infamous whodunnit Who Shot Phil? He has been in the soap for 32 years. Could he finally be getting killed off?

Watch: The latest soap news from Albert Square