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User:FishLoveHam/The Six

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"The Six" is a storyline from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. The storyline began in episode 6649, broadcast on 20 February 2023, which featured the show's first flashforward sequence at the end of the episode. The scene showed six female EastEnders characters, Denise Fox (Diane Parish), Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth), Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), and Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal) in The Queen Victoria public house on Christmas Day standing around an unidentified male body lying on the floor, seemingly dead. Events leading up to Christmas that year put each character in the frame to be the potential murderer, as well as several male characters to be the victim. The storyline was composed as a different type of Whodunit mystery. When Christmas Day 2023 arrived, the victim was revealed to be Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters), whom Linda stabbed to death with a meat thermometer in an act of defence. Following the crime, the remainder of the storyline followed The Six's attempts to cover it up.

Storyline creation and development[edit]

The storyline began its creation in early 2022, as executive producer Chris Clenshaw had been thinking of a "blockbuster story" for 2023, and noticing that there was an appetite for a new whodunit plot in EastEnders, decided to draft one. He explained that due to the success, but recency of the "Who Killed Lucy Beale?" storyline, he decided that this one would "have a very different mechanic at its core".[1] "The Six" differed from the typical format of a whodunit story, as both the killer and victim were kept under wraps. The different framing was employed as producers and writers believed it would be more interesting, with the structure being described by Clenshaw as "so much more than a 'whodunit'… It's a 'who-is-it' as well". He added that it was important to try a new format as it "can create intrigue and grip and excite our audience in new ways" while still remaining true to the heart of the show.[1]

It was first teased in December 2022, with Clenshaw teasing a never-before done storyline that would commence in February 2023, and centre around Linda Carter (Kellie Bright).[2] On 3 February, it was revealed that the upcoming story would not just focus on Linda, but also five other female characters; Denise Fox (Diane Parish), Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth), Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), and Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal), with the women later being dubbed "The Six".[3] Clenshaw explained that the reason why all of "The Six" were women was because "EastEnders has always had strong women at its heart", and that each individual character was chosen based on audience popularity.[1] Clenshaw detailed that he was convinced to commission the plot as he and the team had been "looking for a vehicle for The Six [...] to come together, and we were looking for an episode to get viewers really excited as we setup an event that they'll hopefully look forward to all year".[1]

The actresses were told that they would star in the storyline in November 2022, and were confused yet intrigued to hear about the storyline and the flash forward scene, and had a lot of questions.[1] Despite this, they were given few details and were not told who the killer or the victim were.[4][5] Taylforth commented that she was "very excited" to be part of the storyline, disclosing that "We were all quite inquisitive about what was going to happen, and who it was going to be, and all of us are still none the wiser".[6] Parish considered the idea of a flash-forward scene to be "brilliant, bold, and brave".[4] Dean commented: "I think we were all really excited about the storyline and to be a part of it".[7] Bright echoed Dean's excitement, noting that she was "very intrigued" due to the limited details the cast were given.[5] Turner was honoured to be included amongst the six, saying "this is six amazingly talented, super strong women, so I feel quite chuffed to be a part of it really".[8] Sopal hoped her character would be the killer, as, in her words: "I think it adds an extra dangerous element to her".[9]

In early February 2023, multiple trailers for the upcoming story were released, written by Daran Little.[3][10] Ahead of the flashforward scene, which was the first in the show's history and aired on the show's 38th anniversary, Clenshaw disclosed that "[The team were] all incredibly excited for [the] episode [and] what may seem like a regular day in Walford soon takes a twist and what transpires for each and every one of them is that in a flash everything changes". Clenshaw teased that the upcoming episode would "leave the audience with a lot of questions and, what may seem like the end, is only just the beginning of some very big storylines that will play out this year".[10] Phrases such as "in a flash, everything changes" and "for whom the bell tolls" were often used to market the storyline.[11][12]

Later development[edit]

After three months, Bright teased that the storyline would "ramp up" in September 2023, as the actress explained: "That's when you'll see all that stuff come to the fore again, then we'll have a big build-up to Christmas".[13] Clenshaw disclosed that the storyline would "dominate the autumn and the build to Christmas" as The Six would be thrown in the limelight and that it would keep viewers "guessing right up until the very end".[14][15] Clenshaw said that himself and the team were "thrilled" at the reaction the storyline garnered from fans, noting that it was part of the aim, explaining "we wanted people to chat, we wanted people to speculate, we wanted everyone to come up with their own theories and share those theories with one another. We wanted it to be a storyline that actually brings the fans together, so we're absolutely over the moon that it seems to be doing that and the fans are enjoying being a part of it".[15] Clenshaw further described the upcoming Christmas as "an ensemble affair", noting that usually one family is the focus of EastEnders Christmas episodes.[15]

Clenshaw noted that the characters only became "The Six" after the murder was committed, explaining: "Each of those women will become The Six from Christmas Day onwards".[16] When asked if "The Six" storyline would build towards the show's 40th anniversary in February 2025, Clenshaw responded that "there's obviously huge consequences playing into next year from the fallout of what happens at Christmas. We've got a very exciting 2024 planned. We are building to the 40th anniversary. I'm obviously not going to say too much about what we’ve got planned, it's over a year away from now! I suppose I can guarantee that it will be a huge celebration for the show".[15]

EastEnders: The Six[edit]

In late November 2023, the show announced that a two-part spin-off chat show/documentary would air in the lead-up to Christmas.[17] The show was named EastEnders: The Six (also titled EastEnders: The Six – Revealed), and would be hosted by Joe Swash, who formerly played Mickey Miller on EastEnders.[18] It was set to feature the actresses who played The Six as guests.[17] Clenshaw teased that the special would give viewers a chance to hear from the actresses, as well as to hear their theories and give "exclusive news" about the upcoming Christmas episode. It would also include recaps of each character's storylines throughout 2023.[18] Swash enjoyed hosting the special, detailing: "I absolutely loved being back in my old stomping ground, Albert Square. EastEnders holds such great memories for me, and it felt so great to be back. I loved reconnecting with Letitia [Dean], Lacey [Turner] and Diane [Parish] who I love dearly and worked with on my last stint in the show, and it was great to meet Kellie [Bright], Gillian [Taylforth] and Balvinder [Sopal] as we looked back at some of their amazing storylines from the year".[18]

The run-up[edit]

25 – 26 December[edit]

27 December – 31 December[edit]

January[edit]

Suspects and motives[edit]

The six women were treated as the suspects to the murder, with an official list of seven male characters to be the potential body being released in December 2023.[citation needed] The body in the flashforward scene was seen to be wearing a suit with distinctive amber cufflinks, which made appearances throughout the run-up to Christmas being owned by several male characters and being used to narrow down suspects.[19][20] Speculation was rife following the initial airing of the flashforward, as hints and clues were broadcasted in the show and motives were teased online.[20] Jack Branning (Scott Maslen), Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), and Tom "Rocky" Cotton (Brian Conley) were generally written off from being the potential body. While the breakdown of Jack's marriage to Denise and briefly owning the cufflinks were put forward as reasons,[1][19][20][21] Jack was generally not considered to be the victim of the murder as many of the clues were written off as being obvious red herrings.[22] Phil also briefly owned the amber cufflinks[23] and had made multiple enemies within "The Six",[23][24] but as he is considered one of the soap's most high-profile characters, was deemed too important to be killed.[21][22] Rocky hiding multiple secrets from his wife Kathy and burning down her Cafe were entertained as speculations,[25] as well as Conley's upcoming exit which would closely coincide with Christmas day,[citation needed] but he was ruled out for having few connections to the rest of "The Six" and his actions being considered undeserving of a violent Christmas murder as a comeuppance.[22] Conley admitted that, while he wanted to stay, it would be fun to be at the centre of a high-profile moment, saying: "I might only last till Christmas, and that’s the fun of it! I think as actors we all live on tenterhooks to a small degree because you could be written out in two weeks or a week. For me that makes it exciting as well, because you don't know. I think it keeps everyone's game up".[26]

Despite, like Rocky, being considered one of the last deserving suspects of a punishment,[27] Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) was a suspect through his affair with Sharon, as the flashforward scene showed Sharon wearing a wedding dress and being the one to check the man's pulse, which Clenshaw pointed out in an interview.[28][1] Speaking on his character's fate, Walters commented that Keanu would develop more relationships with other characters throughout the year, which feulled speculation.[28] However, some had doubts as leaked photos from the set showed Walters wearing a light grey suit for his character's wedding to Sharon, while the body wore a black one.[27] Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) was potentially the body because he had made many enemies throughout his generally short stint and was closely involved in criminal activities,[21][29] which Thiara acknowledged, commenting that "it's quite hard to fathom that Ravi's made so many enemies in such a short amount of time".[29] Ravi's affair with Denise,[21][30] as well as the fallout of its discovery was put forward as a potential reason for his murder.[25][31] However, when the announcement of his ex and second child to become regulars with Chistmas on the horizon, some viewers cleared Ravi of suspicions as he had become too promenant.[32] This was supported by Laura-Jayne Tyler of Inside Soap, who commented that if Ravi died: "It would be an appalling waste of the Square's big guns".[22]

Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo) and Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry) were the two characters who were the most speculated to be the victims. Speculation surrounding Dean Wicks focused on his sexual assault of Linda in 2014, and his return to the show shortly before Christmas.[21] As he hadn't received retribution for the assault, some believed he was overdue a punishment.[22] Clenshaw explained that Dean was returning as "a man on the square without any allies", making him "very dangerous", and thus a likely candidate to be murdered. He further entertained the idea of Dean being the victim as he was yet to receive retribution for his actions, explaining: "We always knew we were going to bring Dean back for Linda's storyline this year. He's a character that has such a historical connection to the show, and as we all know, he didn't get his comeuppance".[15] Nish was considered a suspect due to his violent behaviour, status as a local menace, and Suki's affair with Eve Unwin (Heather Peace).[21][25] Additionally, the amber cufflinks initially belonged to Nish, with Chowdhry announcing them as "the main clue".[19] Clenshaw teased Suki's motivation to kill Nish by saying she would "uncover truths, have her relationships tested but ultimately her biggest secret could push her to the extreme".[1] Chowdhry admitted that he was aware that Nish was considered "the number one contender" to be killed.[19] Taylforth confirmed that Nish would receive a "comeuppance" for Nish blackmailing Rocky, despite admitting that she didn't think Nish's comeuppance would be linked to it.[33]

Plot[edit]

In February 2023, after Denise Fox (Diane Parish), Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth), Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), and Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal) have a lock-in at The Queen Victoria public house, they complain about the men in their lives before toasting: "To men, may they get what they deserve". The screen then flashes forward to the pub on Christmas Day, where the women are shown surrounding an unidentifiable male body on the floor. Stacey is shown with blood on her hands, Sharon is wearing a wedding dress, Denise is holding a broken wine bottle, and Linda has a bruised lip. Sharon checks the man's pulse before declaring that he is seemingly dead.

Christmas Day
Sharon runs, Linda drinks, Denise spirals, Kathy divorces, Nish wakes
Body found and Sharon arrest
Linda frames Dean

Reception[edit]

Laura Denby of Radio Times praised the flashforward scene, calling the decision "inventive and refreshing" and that "this brand new 'whodunnit' may have officially restored the long-running serial drama to its former glory".[34] Nicole Vassell of The Independent reported that viewers had generally reacted favourably towards the scene, opining that: "It's giving Big Little Lies. It's giving "Cell Block Tango". It's perfect".[35] Angie Quinn of MyLondon reported that fans were "gripped" following the airing of the flash-forward.[36] Charlotte Tutton of Daily Mirror described the scene as "special" and "explosive".[37] Dan Seddon of Digital Spy called the flashforward scene "chilling".[32] Stefania Sarrubba of Radio Times described the plotline as "Knives Out meets How to Get Away with Murder", considering it to be the show's "most ambitious storyline to date".[38] Sue Haasler of Metro called The Six "the biggest whodunit in soap", adding that the flashforward scene was "special and genre-busting".[26] Clenshaw noted that since the airing of the flashforward scene, "there has been an overwhelming amount of speculation around the body in question and which one of our six Walford matriarchs might be responsible".[18]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Dainty, Sophie (20 February 2023). "EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw explains shock flashforward story". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 19 January 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  2. ^ Knight, Lewis (25 December 2022). "EastEnders boss teases story "not done before" for February anniversary". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 3 April 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b Knight, Lewis (3 February 2023). "EastEnders airs dramatic trailer for "not done before" anniversary story". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 3 April 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  4. ^ a b Knight, Lewis (20 February 2023). "EastEnders' Diane Parish on Christmas whodunnit: "I'm really scared it's me"". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 22 November 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  5. ^ a b Knight, Lewis (20 February 2023). "EastEnders' Kellie Bright predicts dead character is someone we've not met". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 3 April 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  6. ^ Knight, Lewis (20 February 2023). "EastEnders' Gillian Taylforth says flash-forward left cast "stunned"". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 16 January 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  7. ^ Knight, Lewis (20 February 2023). "EastEnders' Letitia Dean on flash-forward mystery: "I think it's so open"". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 16 January 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  8. ^ Knight, Lewis (20 February 2023). "EastEnders' Lacey Turner predicts "accidental death" in Christmas whodunnit". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 16 January 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  9. ^ Knight, Lewis (20 February 2023). "EastEnders' Balvinder Sopal on Christmas killer: "I would like it to be Suki"". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  10. ^ a b Knight, Lewis (17 February 2023). "EastEnders boss reveals "twist" anniversary episode will raise more questions". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 3 April 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  11. ^ Harp, Justin (19 April 2023). "EastEnders first-look trailer revisits flashforward mystery after Denise confession". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 27 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  12. ^ Patterson, Stephen (19 April 2023). "EastEnders spoilers: Time's up for Denise as the bell tolls on flash-forward death in chilling new trailer". Metro. Archived from the original on 27 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  13. ^ Iona, Rowan (2 June 2023). "EastEnders star Kellie Bright promises new clue to Christmas death story". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 6 September 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  14. ^ Tutton, Charlotte (17 October 2023). "BBC EastEnders boss teases when fans will find out who dies at Christmas as new clue revealed". Mirror. Archived from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  15. ^ a b c d e Lindsay, Duncan (30 October 2023). "Christmas death clues, Cindy scandal, three exits: EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw reveals all". Metro. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  16. ^ Dainty, Sophie (30 October 2023). "EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw shares big Christmas spoilers and show future". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 27 February 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  17. ^ a b Knight, Lewis (22 November 2023). "EastEnders: The Six - Revealed confirms date and time for behind the scenes show". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 3 April 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  18. ^ a b c d "BBC Three and BBC iPlayer to air EastEnders festive interview special hosted by Joe Swash". BBC Media Centre. 1 December 2023. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  19. ^ a b c d Harp, Justin (13 July 2023). "EastEnders teases possible Christmas flashforward death victim". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  20. ^ a b c Tutton, Charlotte (21 September 2023). "EastEnders Christmas death clues: Cufflinks twist, real victim and new hints you missed". Mirror. Archived from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  21. ^ a b c d e f Denby, Laura (20 February 2023). "Who dies in EastEnders at Christmas 2023? Flash-forward shows bloody death". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  22. ^ a b c d e Tyler, Laura-Jayne (23 December 2023 – 5 January 2024). "Survival of the fittest!". Inside Soap (Report). No. 51. p. 11.
  23. ^ a b Denby, Laura (20 September 2023). "EastEnders airs cryptic Christmas murder clue in early BBC iPlayer release". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  24. ^ Spackman, Maisie (23 August 2023). "EastEnders fan unearths very telling clue that Phil Mitchell is the Christmas Day death". Metro. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  25. ^ a b c Lindsay, Duncan (2 November 2023). "EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw reveals epic details on Christmas episodes – and we're counting down the days". Metro. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  26. ^ a b Haasler, Sue (14 July 2023). "EastEnders star Brian Conley reveals who we should worry about in Christmas murder as he teases exits". Metro. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  27. ^ a b Denby, Laura (18 October 2023). "Has one potential EastEnders Christmas murder victim just been ruled out?". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  28. ^ a b Body, Jamie (4 July 2023). "EastEnders star Danny Walters drops new clue on Christmas flashforward mystery". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 18 July 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  29. ^ a b Alexander, Susannah (6 June 2023). "EastEnders star Aaron Thiara fuels Ravi Gulati death fears". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  30. ^ Spackman, Maisie (12 March 2023). "EastEnders spoilers: Denise's murderous revenge after Ravi kills Jack?". Metro. Archived from the original on 27 May 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  31. ^ Tutton, Charlotte (19 April 2023). "EastEnders fans 'work out' Ravi dies at Christmas as new flashforward scene drops". Mirror. Archived from the original on 27 May 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  32. ^ a b Seddon, Dan (22 September 2023). "EastEnders fans 'rule out' one character from Christmas death mystery". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  33. ^ Knight, Lewis (13 July 2023). "EastEnders star confirms Nish Panesar comeuppance amid Christmas theories". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 25 December 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  34. ^ Denby, Laura (21 February 2023). "EastEnders' flash-forward twist felt like a return to the glory days". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 21 May 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  35. ^ Vassell, Nicole (21 February 2023). "EastEnders is about to enter its White Lotus era". The Independent. Archived from the original on 21 May 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  36. ^ Quinn, Angie (21 February 2023). "BBC EastEnders viewers all make the same plea as soap is 'back on top form'". MyLondon. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  37. ^ Tutton, Charlotte (1 March 2023). "EastEnders Christmas death: All the clues Dean dies from 'return' to Kathy scene". Mirror. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  38. ^ Sarruba, Stefania (6 March 2023). "EastEnders 2023 storylines: Lola's death to Christmas flash-forward". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 27 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.

Category:EastEnders storylines Category:2023 in British television Category:2024 in British television Category:Whodunit storylines in soap operas

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