EastEnders Christmas murder twist revealed — but is it a red herring?

The women all stare at the body in shock in EastEnders flash forward episode
EastEnders filming pictures may have given away a big hint about the Christmas murder. (Image credit: BBC)

The EastEnders Christmas murder outcome may have been revealed after filming pictures gave a huge clue as to who the victim could be — but could it be a red herring?

Back in February, a special flashforward episode showed six Walford women — Stacey Slater, Suki Panesar, Linda Carter, Sharon Watts, Denise Fox and Kathy Cotton all stood over the body of an unknown male corpse at The Queen Vic.

Sharon was wearing a blood-splattered wedding dress, while Stacey could be seen with blood on her hands. Denise, meanwhile, was holding a broken bottle of champagne, Linda had a split lip, and the sleeve on Kathy's dress was ripped.

As Sharon stooped over the man's body, she revealed, "He's dead" as the murder victim was shown to be wearing a pair of amber cufflinks.

Fans have been desperately trying to work out who the Christmas corpse could be, with many suggesting that Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) could be the one to meet a grisly end after his evil antics.

Keanu Taylor has made a big mistake!

Keanu Taylor is on the cards to be the Christmas murder victim after his wrongdoing. (Image credit: BBC)

Keanu is set to marry Sharon on Christmas Day, but she remains oblivious to the fact that he staged Albie's kidnap to stop Sharon from taking him out of the country.

The mechanic soon regretted his plan and got his mum Karen Taylor (Lorraine Stanley) involved, who went to reunite Sharon with her son after getting ransom money from Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden).

Keanu then rekindled his relationship with Sharon, while Karen has taken Phil's money for herself. 

However, Keanu is unaware that Sharon is also keeping a huge secret from him after she discovered that Phil was actually Albie's father and not him.

With Keanu at the centre of the drama, it's possible these secrets may explode on Christmas Day and make it a very likely possibility that he could be the dead man.

Although, recent pictures have seemingly ruled out this theory as actor Danny Walters was snapped filming at the airport making a quick getaway.

Sharon Watts has split from fiance Keanu Taylor

Sharon Watts and Keanu are set to tie the knot on Christmas Day. (Image credit: BBC)

Danny was also spotted filming at a funeral with co-star Jacqueline Jossa, who plays Lauren Branning, as the pair chatted outside a church.

This hints that Keanu may still be alive after Christmas as the soap films several months in advance. But could it be a clever ploy to put fans off the scent?

It wouldn't be the first time that EastEnders have done this as they previously had Lorna Fitzgerald appear on location during the filming of her character Abi Branning's funeral so that fans couldn't work out that she was set to die and to keep the storyline under wraps.

EastEnders airs Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 7.30 pm on BBC One — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on episodes on BBC iPlayer now. 

Grace Morris
Staff Writer

Grace is a digital writer with WhatToWatch.com, where she writes series guides, recaps and features for must-watch shows and delivers all the latest soap news and reactions. She graduated from Anglia Ruskin University in 2020 with a degree in Writing and Film Studies, which only made her love for creative writing, film and TV grow stronger.

You'll usually find her watching the drama unfold in the latest reality series or much-loved UK soaps (usually with chocolate by her side!). She's an expert in EastEnders, Emmerdale, Coronation Street and everything reality-related from Selling Sunset and Married At First Sight UK to 90 Day Fiancé UK. Plus Netflix megahit Virgin River!

Grace also likes to explore new places with her friends and family and, of course, watch and read about the latest films and TV series.