Our round-up of everything that could make Keanu the one to watch…
Christmas is getting closer, and that can only mean one thing where Soapland is concerned – not long to wait until EastEnders unveils its whodunnit murderer – and the victim!
While the only thing we currently know for sure is that the character set to be killed during the festive season is male, there are plenty of clues stacking up.
Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) hasn’t exactly been making friends since his shock return to Walford last year, and it’s only natural that we suspect the victim to be someone who’s up to no good.
So read on as we delve into all the clues that might see Keanu meet his maker come Christmas Day…
Is Keanu Taylor the dead body in EastEnders at Christmas?? All the clues and theories
New rivalry with his ex Sharon Watts
Things have been tense between Keanu and Sharon since they split after Sharon helped Lisa Fowler (Lucy Benjamin) leave Walford with Keanu’s young daughter Peggy.
As it stands, Keanu and Sharon are now just co-parents to their son Albie – but Sharon has shown her loyalty to ex-husband Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) by threatening to cut Keanu off from Albie!
Could this lead Keanu to turn against Sharon completely? His behaviour over the course of this year has already been dodgy, and we wonder if Keanu is a wrong’un, rather than the naïve, irresponsible young man he initially seemed to be just a few years ago.
Remember, before their break-up, a desperate Keanu tried to steal Sharon’s money. How far would he cross the line, and might his actions directly lead to his murder – whether it’s at Sharon’s hands or not? The tagline was, after all: “Men – may they get what they deserve!”
Killer threat from Phil Mitchell
Keanu spilt Phil’s cheating secret to Alfie Moon (Shane Richie). But with Alfie distracted by his cancer diagnosis, he agrees to keep quiet so long as Phil protects his new wife Kat (Jessie Wallace) and the sons she shares with Alfie. But Phil later threatened to kill Keanu if he told Kat.
Now, just because there’s a group of female characters, dubbed ‘The Six’, stood over the dead body in the flashforward scene, that doesn’t mean one of them is the killer. Perhaps by Christmas, Kat has learned about Phil’s infidelity, leading Phil to hunt Keanu down and end his life out of revenge.
Leaning into this theory, Keanu is then found by Sharon, explaining our early thoughts that she is connected to the murdered soul.
Karen Taylor’s exit
Then again, we can’t forget that Phil also warned he would kill anyone else that Keanu informed of Phil’s fling. If there’s anyone Keanu is likely to spill to, it’s his protective mum Karen Taylor (Lorraine Stanley) who is soon to depart the BBC soap.
What if Karen dies, and Keanu is out for blood, believing Phil to be the culprit after his dark threat? Well, we don’t necessarily think that Phil would kill Karen, but he very much needs Keanu to believe that he would.
So whether Phil does the deed or not – and if Karen does actually lose her life – Keanu could plot to avenge his beloved mum’s demise. Only, he could end up dead himself after a violent showdown with Phil, or an altercation with someone else he suspects is guilty (say, one of The Six?) ultimately bringing about his own fatality.
History with dangerous Ravi Gulati
Earlier this year, Keanu was badly beaten up by Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara), because Ravi thought Keanu might grass on his dodgy dealings. Keanu and Sharon were then threatened by Ravi’s father Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry), who later appeared to drop his vendetta against them.
But might this history be revisited in the coming weeks, leading to a vicious new row involving Keanu, Nish and Ravi that coincides with the festive wedding at The Vic?
Ravi’s killer status has also now been exposed to the likes of stepmum Suki (Balvinder Sopal) and Denise Fox (Diane Parish) two of the women present at or after the Christmas murder. Could they have a confrontation with Ravi which turns violent, leading his old enemy Keanu to step in and save the day?
It would certainly be a twist for Keanu – who hasn’t endeared himself to us at all lately – to play the hero, only to end up killed by Ravi. Or perhaps Suki or Denise try to stop Ravi in his tracks, only to kill Keanu by mistake?
Read more:
- EastEnders casts Ravi Gulati’s long lost love – and his secret daughter
- 6 EastEnders spoilers next week: Nugget goes missing
- EastEnders’ Lacey Turner reveals new Christmas murder mystery theory
- Is Dean Wicks the dead body in EastEnders at Christmas? All the clues and theories
- Is Phil Mitchell the dead body in EastEnders at Christmas? All the clues and theories
- Is Ravi Gulati the dead body in EastEnders at Christmas? All the clues and theories
- EastEnders cast: Who is joining, leaving and returning to the soap?
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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