Are his days numbered?
Another day, another chance to go over the clues for the EastEnders Christmas whodunnit. A male character will be killed during the festive season, and we’ve been speculating over it for months.
While our list features all kinds of characters at this point, one of the frontrunners for the victim has to be vile Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry), who is as controlling as he is menacing. And he does it all while portraying the charming family man to everyone outside his home.
So, is Nish set to meet a grisly end at The Queen Vic? Let’s examine the evidence…
Is Nish Panesar the dead body in EastEnders at Christmas?
Cufflinks
We always had a hunch that Nish might own the amber cufflinks seen on the lifeless body – and we were later proved correct. But since then, Nish has lost the cufflinks in a poker game, and they ended up first in Jack Branning’s (Scott Maslen) possession, and now Phil Mitchell’s (Steve McFadden).
But given that the most recent appearance of this fashion accessory included a mention that they belonged to Nish, does this hint that the cufflinks may be back with him by the end of the year? We can’t rule this out…
Music – Heart of Glass
Heart of Glass by Blondie was playing in The Vic when ‘The Six’ toasted to the men in their lives “getting what they deserve”.
The lyrics to this song really point to the kind of toxic, abusive relationship Nish shares with wife Suki (Balvinder Sopal).
“Soon found out I was losing my mind” and “Love is so confusing there’s no peace of mind” suggest that one of ‘The Six’ is trapped in an endless cycle, and Suki is suffering coercive control from Nish.
While the song was playing, we also heard Suki toasting to “the ones who try to keep us in the shadows”. Does all this imply that Nish could be the victim, while Suki may or may not be his potential killer?
Suki and Kathy’s reactions to the body
When the camera pans to Suki during the EastEnders flash-forward, she looks a mixture of shocked and conflicted. If Nish is the dead man, this would make sense, since she loved him once.
There’s also another, possibly even more notable, moment – Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth) looking particularly alarmed as she looks at Suki. This hints that either Suki is responsible for the murder, Suki knows the victim – or both!
And with Kathy also a victim of coercive control, to the point where her ex-husband Gavin Sullivan (Paul Nicholas) forced her to fake her own death for years, this could be why Kathy is standing next to Suki – and why this moment makes us suspect Nish is the character with a shelf life ending on 25th December.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can visit Refuge for more information and contact 0808 2000 247 for support. Help can also be found at The Hideout.
Read more:
- Is there a secret Seventh leading lady for EastEnders Christmas 2023? Theories, clues
- Is Rocky Cotton the dead body in EastEnders at Christmas? All the clues and theories
- EastEnders’ Lacey Turner reveals new Christmas murder mystery theory
- EastEnders cast: Who is joining, leaving and returning to the soap?
- EastEnders casts Ravi Gulati’s long lost love – and his secret daughter
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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