Why was Six afraid of Seven?
It’s the soap story we just can’t get enough of this year.
EastEnders has its fans questioning everything ever since the unprecedented flash-forward to Christmas 2023 back in February which saw six women – Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth), Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), Denise Fox (Diane Parish), Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), and Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal) – standing over a suited man’s dead body on the floor of the Queen Vic pub on Sharon’s wedding day.
In addition to speculation over who the dead man is and who the groom is, another question is, of course, which of the women are responsible for the death?
Of course, it could be any one of them, but many have wondered if the real culprit is someone else entirely…
Is there a secret Seventh leading lady for EastEnders Christmas 2023?
Of course, EastEnders does love a bit of misdirection with its big mysteries.
For the ‘Who killed Archie Mitchell?’ whodunnit from 2009-2010, the real culprit Stacey Slater was never offered as an official suspect.
Similarly, Bobby Beale was also never an official suspect promoted by the show for the ‘Who killed Lucy Beale?’ whodunnit from 2014-2015.
So, could the killer of the dead body in this case be none of “The Six” featured in EastEnders’ big flash-forward?
The women are all looking at the dead body but are also facing one side of the room. Could another woman be present and responsible for the Yuletide death?
There are certainly a few possibilities, which will also impact who the dead body is.
So could be the secret culprit in the EastEnders Christmas 2023 death?
Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins)
The comeback everyone was talking about, legendary schemer Cindy Beale strutted back into Albert Square this summer and brought a whole heap of drama with her.
Of course, Cindy has a track record with attempted murder – she famously tried to have Ian killed by a hitman in 1996 during a very bitter custody battle over their children.
Ian may have forgiven her, but the stress of her return to his life appears to have caused a heart issue. With affairs in past, it seems likely that Cindy will stray again – most likely with her second husband George Knight (Colin Salmon).
Could this trigger Ian’s death or could Cindy purposefully try to bump him off again?
Alternatively, could Cindy also crack and kill George himself if their passionate love-hate relationship escalates?
We would never put it past Cindy to get involved in the drama.
Kat Mitchell (Jessie Wallace)
An iconic character in her own right and one of the Square’s most fierce matriarchs, it felt like Kat Mitchell could have very easily been a member of the Six.
While the Slater name gets a share of the drama in the form of Stacey, Kat is one of the longest-running strong female characters on the Square and has gained an even more prominent status in Walford as the fifth wife of Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden).
However, unbeknownst to Kat who recently married Phil, he has helped hide the fact that her ex-husband Alfie Moon (Shane Richie) has been secretly battling prostate cancer and also has hidden his own infidelity with Emma Harding (Patsy Kensit), whom he subsequently threatened to leave Walford.
Kat and Phil have faced numerous issues in the past due to his criminal schemes and putting her and her children in danger, but will this be one mistake too far?
Could Kat kill Phil in the heat of the moment?
Alternatively, if the Six women band together to take down an abusive and violent man, Kat has suffered the horrors of child sex abuse and sexual assault in the past, meaning she will know all too well what it is like to be victimised by a man.
Could Kat strike out with the other ladies to protect one of the other women on the Square?
Eve Unwin (Heather Peace)
Eve Unwin has been one of the most prominent characters in EastEnders this year, not least as one half of her passionate affair with Suki Panesar, one of the Six.
Additionally, Eve is the wife and best friend of another member of the Six, Stacey Slater.
Known to have a temper when pushed to her limit – she did serve time for GBH after all – Eve could perhaps be a wildcard in striking out against a Square villain.
Eve would certainly have a motive to kill the likes of love rival and villain Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry), Suki’s villainous step-son Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara), or even Suki’s manipulative son Vinny Panesar (Shiv Jalota).
Additionally, Eve could also be poised to try and protect Stacey from the likes of her evil stalker Theo Hawthorne (William Ellis).
Whatever happens, Eve is not one to sit on the sidelines in a dangerous situation. Could she be the Seventh?
Shirley Carter (Linda Henry)
A modern icon of EastEnders, Shirley Carter walked out of Walford last December following the apparent death of her son Mick Carter (Danny Dyer).
Despite leaving Walford, Shirley has been confirmed by the BBC to be returning to the soap, but much of the year has gone by without her present.
The last we heard of Shirley was back in February – during the episode which featured the now legendary flash-forward where it was confirmed in a photo seen by former daughter-in-law Linda Carter that she had been reunited with her daughter Carly Wicks (Kellie Shirley) and, more shockingly, her previously estranged son and Linda’s rapist, Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo).
Previously, Shirley had – after a long road – turned her back on Dean after it became clear he had raped Linda and also attempted to rape Roxy Mitchell (Rita Simons). Shirley even almost killed Dean and he almost killed her in turn.
However, the trauma of Mick’s death seems to have sent Shirley back to her son. Could Shirley and Dean make a shock return to Albert Square in time for Christmas and could he be the dead body on Christmas Day?
If Dean is the one to be killed in a struggle with the Six, could Shirley finally come to her senses about her son once again and end his reign of terror?
Regardless, Shirley is a force of nature and we’re sure she would not be afraid to face a villain if needed…
Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf)
Another character who has been absent for a large chunk of the year, Sam Mitchell made a temporary exit from Walford in April, heading to Spain for a lucrative hotel management job to raise funds for parenting her now infant granddaughter, Charli Slater.
However, Charli’s birth did not bring Sam back to Walford – to the chagrin of son Ricky who also ditched her surname and officially became a Branning.
Despite this, Sam will be back this Autumn and is sure to bring some chaotic energy with her, but could it be as the Seventh woman involved on Christmas Day?
Despite two former Mrs Mitchells in the ranks of the Six (Sharon, Kathy), there is no representation by blood for the Mitchell dynasty in the line-up, meaning Sam could fulfil that role.
Sam is one of the few female Mitchells standing following the deaths of Peggy, Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell, so it would make sense to include her in the drama in some way.
Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe)
Ever since returning with a new face this summer, new Queen Vic landlady Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe) has been in the thick of the action, not least with the arrival of her beau George Knight and his family.
However, an obstacle in Elaine’s romantic bliss of life with George emerged when Cindy Beale returned to Walford in August and was revealed to be the true identity of George’s long-lost wife Rose.
If George is tempted into an affair with Cindy, could Elaine seek revenge on him?
As the landlady of the pub, Elaine has a natural proximity to whatever occurs there and her daughter Linda is already a member of the Six.
Additionally, Elaine has already established close bonds with the Six, especially the likes of Kathy Cotton.
Meanwhile, Elaine has been the most prominent wearer of the colour yellow since she arrived, a bold primary colour that is not worn by any of the other members of the Six.
Could yellow be the colour of the Seventh and could Elaine be the missing link in the chain?
Others
Of course, there are a number of other regular female characters in the cast who could also be an additional member of the group currently dubbed ‘The Six’.
- Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy)
- Yolande Trueman (Angela Wynter)
- Jean Slater (Gillian Wright)
- Honey Mitchell (Emma Barton)
- Chelsea Fox (Zaraah Abrahams)
- Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty)
- Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd)
- Kim Fox (Tameka Empson)
- Lily Slater (Lillia Turner)
- Lexi Pearce (Isabella Brown)
- Karen Taylor (Lorraine Stanley)
- Bernadette Taylor (Clair Norris)
- Gina Knight (Francesca Henry)
- Anna Knight (Molly Rainford)
We also have the upcoming new arrivals of Ravi’s ex-partner Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy) and secret daughter Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James)
So, who do you think it could be?
Read more:
- 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’ Lacey Turner on Stacey’s humiliating court fight with Theo
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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