EastEnders showrunner Chris Clenshaw has revealed bosses have taken drastic new steps to keep their explosive Christmas Day special under wraps.
After months of anticipation, fans are just weeks away from the blockbuster episode, which will answer the questions first teased in a historical flashforward in February.
Bringing together The Six – Sharon, Stacey, Suki, Kathy, Denise and Linda – a male member of Albert Square will find himself dead on the floor of the Queen Vic, and fans will finally learn their identity after months of theories and diversionary maneuvers.
Ahead of the hour-long episode, Chris has hinted that new steps have been taken to ensure the episode's outcome remains a closely guarded secret.
He said: 'We've used various methods throughout the year to keep the storyline secret and ensure that the Christmas Day episode and the big reveal of who's on the floor – plus who's doing it – remains a secret until the 25th of December.
EastEnders showrunner Chris Clenshaw has revealed bosses have taken drastic new steps to keep their explosive Christmas Day special a secret
“Unfortunately, I can't reveal what those methods are because that would give everything away, but it would be a real shame if someone spoiled the surprise because we know how much audiences love to see the drama unfold in real time.”
Ahead of the Christmas episode, viewers have seen how several storylines involving The Six came together, culminating in the dramatic festive showdown.
Explaining where each character is in the run-up to Christmas, Chris said: 'Stacey struggles in the wake of Theo and her desperation to find out the truth about Eve's whereabouts sees her connect with someone who takes her away. surprise.
“Suki is very concerned about Eve and she will do her utmost to risk everything to find out if her husband, Nish, is behind Eve's sudden disappearance.
'Linda is further tormented by Dean Wicks and his actions cause old habits to die a hard death for our landlady.
'Sharon plans to marry Keanu Taylor on Christmas Day, hiding the truth from him that their son Albie is in fact Phil Mitchell's, but this is not a secret Sharon can comprehend and secrets never stay in the square long secret. …
'Denise's marriage to Jack has been on the rocks since her fallout with Ravi Panesar earlier this year, but things come under even more strain when, this side of Christmas, one of them breaks his wedding vows.
'Kathy is heartbroken after discovering that her husband Rocky Cotton was behind the arson attack on her beloved cafe, which left both her grandsons in hospital and Peter fighting for his life. Robbed of all her savings, Kathy had no choice but to sell her pride and joy just before Christmas.”
After months of anticipation, fans are just weeks away from the blockbuster episode that will answer the questions first teased in a historical flashforward in February
Bringing together The Six – Sharon, Stacey, Suki, Kathy, Denise and Linda – a male member of Albert Square will find himself dead on the floor of the Queen Vic
The storylines have been praised by many viewers for breathing new life into the soap this year, and the fallout is expected to continue well into 2024.
“We are incredibly pleased with the positive response to the Flash-Forward and The Six storyline since February,” said Chris.
'It has been a long time in the making and the reveal on Christmas Day is truly an episode to watch live on Christmas Day.
'We are happy with the buzz around The Six. It's exactly what we hoped for; we hoped people would chat, we hoped people would speculate, we hoped everyone would come up with their own theories and share those theories with each other.
“We wanted it to be a storyline that brings viewers together as well, and we're ecstatic that it seems to be doing that and that audiences are enjoying being a part of it.”
EastEnders airs on Christmas Day at 9.45pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
