We\u2019ve been delving into all the possibilities to try and figure out just which character might be heading for death at the end of the year, and Ryan Malloy (Neil McDermott) is a strong contender.<\/p>\n
He made a surprise return to Walford earlier this year, and his timing was certainly intriguing. So, is Ryan the murder victim? Read on as we explore all the clues.<\/p>\n
Is Ryan Malloy the dead body in EastEnders at Christmas? All the clues and theories<\/strong><\/h2>\nTiming of his comeback<\/h2>\n ![\"Neil]( "\\"eastenders-ryan-neil\\"\/")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div> Neil McDermott as Ryan Malloy in EastEnders.<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nJust before EastEnders gathered together a group of wronged women, including Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), Ryan made a brief but eventful return<\/a> to Albert Square.<\/p>\nThe timing of this, and the fact that Ryan\u2019s behaviour was appalling \u2013 as his nasty side was witnessed by Lily (Lillia Turner), the daughter he shares with Stacey \u2013 only made us suspect Ryan as the potential murder victim by the time that flash-forward aired\u2026<\/p>\n
Stacey\u2019s murderous comment<\/strong><\/h2>\n ![\"Lacey]( "\\"Lacey")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div> Lacey Turner as Stacey Slater in EastEnders.<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC\/Kieron McCarron\/Matt Burlem\/Amy Sharp<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nDuring the same episode that aired the flash-forward, Stacey was heard saying that she\u2019d \u201clove to throttle\u201d Ryan, after he demanded to have Lily over this Christmas \u2013 despite his attitude upsetting Lily.<\/p>\n
At the time, Kat Mitchell (Jessie Wallace) planned her wedding to Phil (Steve McFadden) for 25th December, so that Lily would be able to stay in Walford.<\/p>\n
But with the nuptials going ahead already, Ryan could get back in touch and insist on picking Lily up. Could a fight between him and Stacey turn physical, seeing her act on her earlier remark?<\/p>\n
Blood on Stacey\u2019s hands<\/strong><\/h2>\n ![\"Balvinder]( "\\"flashforward")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div> The EastEnders Six stand over a dead body at the Queen Vic.<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC\/Jack Barnes\/Kieron McCarron<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nWe\u2019ve already considered that the blood on Stace\u2019s hands during the flash-forward could link her to her stalker Theo Hawthorne (William Ellis). But after recent events<\/a>, might Theo still be around by Christmas?<\/p>\nTherefore, the blood could instead be a hint that Stacey is connected to a different character \u2013 and with Stacey and the rest of \u2018The Six\u2019 toasting that men should \u201cget what they deserve\u201d, we can see Ryan fitting the bill if he turns on Stacey once more.<\/p>
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Whitney\u2019s New Year exit<\/strong><\/h2>\n ![\"Shona]( "\\"Shona")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div> Shona McGarty as Whitney Dean in EastEnders.<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC\/Jack Barnes\/Kieron McCarron<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nStar Shona McGarty is definitely exiting EastEnders next year<\/a>, but what if Whit\u2019s departure ties in with the possible death of her big brother Ryan? She wasn\u2019t impressed to witness some of his vile behaviour back in February, but we know she is still in touch with him.<\/p>\nStill, RadioTimes.com<\/a> has been speculating that there could be a seventh lady<\/a> on the scene of the murder, and Whit could be present, and find herself involved in an altercation after witnessing far too many evil men in her time.<\/p>\nIf she\u2019s not there, though, the possibility of Ryan being murdered could still play a part in her exit, with it being one bad memory too many for her to stick around for.<\/p>\n
Suit of armour<\/strong><\/h2>\nThere\u2019s a suit of armour behind Stacey during the flash-forward that we\u2019ve been pondering over rather a lot, as it hints at a saviour for an in-distress Stace.<\/p>\n
With this placing Stacey central to the story, it\u2019s yet another clue that Ryan could be the one to end up murdered at Christmas, with Theo perhaps being too obvious a choice.<\/p>\n
With Ryan absent for several months, it would be quite the twist, yet believable, to see him make another volatile cameo, with fatal consequences.<\/p>\n
Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- \nIs there a secret Seventh leading lady for EastEnders Christmas 2023? Theories, clues<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n
- Is Rocky Cotton the dead body in EastEnders at Christmas? All the clues and theories<\/a><\/li>\n
- EastEnders\u2019 Lacey Turner reveals new Christmas murder mystery theory<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer.\u00a0<\/strong>Visit our dedicated\u00a0EastEnders<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0page\u00a0<\/strong>for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers.\u00a0<\/strong>If you\u2019re looking for more to watch, check out our\u00a0<\/strong>TV Guide<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Streaming Guide<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\nTry Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only \u00a310, PLUS a \u00a310 John Lewis and Partners voucher delivered to your home \u2013\u00a0subscribe now<\/a>. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to\u00a0The Radio Times Podcast<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Has Ryan set himself up for a shock demise? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":37531,"template":"","categories":[1,2,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/is-ryan-malloy-the-dead-body-in-eastenders-at-christmas-all-the-clues-and-theories.jpg",620,413,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/is-ryan-malloy-the-dead-body-in-eastenders-at-christmas-all-the-clues-and-theories-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/is-ryan-malloy-the-dead-body-in-eastenders-at-christmas-all-the-clues-and-theories-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/is-ryan-malloy-the-dead-body-in-eastenders-at-christmas-all-the-clues-and-theories.jpg",620,413,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/is-ryan-malloy-the-dead-body-in-eastenders-at-christmas-all-the-clues-and-theories.jpg",620,413,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/is-ryan-malloy-the-dead-body-in-eastenders-at-christmas-all-the-clues-and-theories.jpg",620,413,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/is-ryan-malloy-the-dead-body-in-eastenders-at-christmas-all-the-clues-and-theories.jpg",620,413,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Has Ryan set himself up for a shock demise?","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/37530"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Neil](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2023\/02\/eastenders-ryan-neil-fb4951f.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"eastenders-ryan-neil\\"\/")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>Just before EastEnders gathered together a group of wronged women, including Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), Ryan made a brief but eventful return<\/a> to Albert Square.<\/p>\n The timing of this, and the fact that Ryan\u2019s behaviour was appalling \u2013 as his nasty side was witnessed by Lily (Lillia Turner), the daughter he shares with Stacey \u2013 only made us suspect Ryan as the potential murder victim by the time that flash-forward aired\u2026<\/p>\n During the same episode that aired the flash-forward, Stacey was heard saying that she\u2019d \u201clove to throttle\u201d Ryan, after he demanded to have Lily over this Christmas \u2013 despite his attitude upsetting Lily.<\/p>\n At the time, Kat Mitchell (Jessie Wallace) planned her wedding to Phil (Steve McFadden) for 25th December, so that Lily would be able to stay in Walford.<\/p>\n But with the nuptials going ahead already, Ryan could get back in touch and insist on picking Lily up. Could a fight between him and Stacey turn physical, seeing her act on her earlier remark?<\/p>\n We\u2019ve already considered that the blood on Stace\u2019s hands during the flash-forward could link her to her stalker Theo Hawthorne (William Ellis). But after recent events<\/a>, might Theo still be around by Christmas?<\/p>\n Therefore, the blood could instead be a hint that Stacey is connected to a different character \u2013 and with Stacey and the rest of \u2018The Six\u2019 toasting that men should \u201cget what they deserve\u201d, we can see Ryan fitting the bill if he turns on Stacey once more.<\/p> \u00a0<\/p>\n Star Shona McGarty is definitely exiting EastEnders next year<\/a>, but what if Whit\u2019s departure ties in with the possible death of her big brother Ryan? She wasn\u2019t impressed to witness some of his vile behaviour back in February, but we know she is still in touch with him.<\/p>\n Still, RadioTimes.com<\/a> has been speculating that there could be a seventh lady<\/a> on the scene of the murder, and Whit could be present, and find herself involved in an altercation after witnessing far too many evil men in her time.<\/p>\n If she\u2019s not there, though, the possibility of Ryan being murdered could still play a part in her exit, with it being one bad memory too many for her to stick around for.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a suit of armour behind Stacey during the flash-forward that we\u2019ve been pondering over rather a lot, as it hints at a saviour for an in-distress Stace.<\/p>\n With this placing Stacey central to the story, it\u2019s yet another clue that Ryan could be the one to end up murdered at Christmas, with Theo perhaps being too obvious a choice.<\/p>\n With Ryan absent for several months, it would be quite the twist, yet believable, to see him make another volatile cameo, with fatal consequences.<\/p>\n Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer.\u00a0<\/strong>Visit our dedicated\u00a0EastEnders<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0page\u00a0<\/strong>for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers.\u00a0<\/strong>If you\u2019re looking for more to watch, check out our\u00a0<\/strong>TV Guide<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Streaming Guide<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only \u00a310, PLUS a \u00a310 John Lewis and Partners voucher delivered to your home \u2013\u00a0subscribe now<\/a>. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to\u00a0The Radio Times Podcast<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n Has Ryan set himself up for a shock demise? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":37531,"template":"","categories":[1,2,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/is-ryan-malloy-the-dead-body-in-eastenders-at-christmas-all-the-clues-and-theories.jpg",620,413,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/is-ryan-malloy-the-dead-body-in-eastenders-at-christmas-all-the-clues-and-theories-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/is-ryan-malloy-the-dead-body-in-eastenders-at-christmas-all-the-clues-and-theories-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/is-ryan-malloy-the-dead-body-in-eastenders-at-christmas-all-the-clues-and-theories.jpg",620,413,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/is-ryan-malloy-the-dead-body-in-eastenders-at-christmas-all-the-clues-and-theories.jpg",620,413,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/is-ryan-malloy-the-dead-body-in-eastenders-at-christmas-all-the-clues-and-theories.jpg",620,413,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/is-ryan-malloy-the-dead-body-in-eastenders-at-christmas-all-the-clues-and-theories.jpg",620,413,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Has Ryan set himself up for a shock demise?","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/37530"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Stacey\u2019s murderous comment<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Lacey](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2023\/09\/eastenders-stacey-slater-lacey-turner-3c6f47e.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"Lacey")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>Blood on Stacey\u2019s hands<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Balvinder](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2023\/02\/flashforward-eastenders-2023-e551e40.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"flashforward")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>Whitney\u2019s New Year exit<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Shona](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2023\/08\/440774-3a708d6-e1692805516642.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"Shona")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>Suit of armour<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"