The Year Was… 2023

INTRODUCTION

King Charles III was crowned. Barbie became an unexpected movie hit and Ncuti Gatwa made history as the Fifteenth Doctor in Doctor Who. The Eurovision Song Contest came from Liverpool and Oppenheimer reminded us of the human race’s past sins, as half the countries on the planet, sadly, seemed to forget them.

The year in Walford would focus on the events of Christmas Day in the Queen Vic which, thanks to a handy fun flash forward in February, we knew would be the scene of a grizzly murder. Who was the victim? We had no clue, but we did know the suspects! Enter: the Six, six powerful women, scorned by cheating and lying men, determined to band together no matter what – even if that meant covering up a murder…

EVENTS

Lola’s Battle
Before Christmas, before the murder and before chaos would erupt, the Square first had to prepare for the sad death of Lola Pearce-Brown. Diagnosed with a brain tumour the year before, it was hoped that treatment would give her more time, but sadly it was ineffective and Lola found herself a young woman, preparing to say goodbye to her daughter as she bravely fought to the end.

**Lola** tells **Lexi** about her illness

She prepared the best she could: she married childhood sweetheart Jay Brown, who made her final days as special as she wanted as she fulfilled her last wishes. She recorded video after video for her loved ones, who all had devasting reactions. Ben even flew to America to pursue further treatment, unable to say goodbye. In May, surrounded by her loved ones, Lola passed away in the early hours of the morning. A picture was placed on the bar in remembrance of her courageous fight, an example to us all.

The Six: Sharon’s Story
Keanu Taylor, recently returned to Walford, took no time at all in making his move on Sharon Watts. Much to the chagrin of both his mother Karen and Sharon’s ex, Phil, the magnetic pull between them was too strong, and they managed to start a tentative relationship. She didn’t want it to move fast though – she wanted to play this slow.

The first hurdle came in the summer when Lisa Fowler turned up, with Keanu’s daughter Peggy, claiming daughter Louise needed a break. Of course, this was Lisa, who wouldn’t know the truth if it came thudding towards her like an express train, so it turned out she was actually now a gambling addict and she needed money to resume the life she and Louise were accustomed to. However, Lisa, the best grandparent ever, decided to not inform Louise of her little jaunt, or that Peggy was going with her! As Sharon tried to help Lisa, she realised the best thing to do would be to get her help and get her home to Louise, and despite claiming otherwise, she gave Lisa her passport, which Keanu had hidden to keep his children together.

**Lisa**, back with granddaughter **Peggy**

As the pair continued to attempt honesty, Sharon found herself a hero when brother Zack was first diagnosed as HIV positive and secondly when his girlfriend Whitney lost their baby daughter Peach. When at the doctor’s with Albie, she discovered he had the lung condition ADDT, which must have been passed from parent to child – and Keanu didn’t have the gene. Which meant, Phil was really Albie’s father!

**Whitney** started to move forward with her life

Trying, but then failing to tell anyone other than a drunken Linda, Sharon hoped the truth would never have to come out: did she really want to raise another child with Phil? But Keanu was getting paranoid, especially when Sharon considered a job abroad. Unable to cope, Keanu arranged to stage a kidnapping of Albie, which would lead to him being hailed a hero when he found him. Of course, this went completely wrong and Sharon was devastated, the police were informed, and Keanu caught himself a cropper when Albie recognised his ‘kidnapper’ at a family party. Keanu showed no shame when he dropped Karen in it, and she and the rest of the family left the Square.

**Keanu** lays the blame at mum Karen’s door…

Sharon was furious and, as she had before, planned a horrible revenge. She accepted Keanu’s proposal and humiliated him at the altar on Christmas Day, informing him that he was not Albie’s father. She then fled, back to the Queen Vic…

**Sharon** and **Albie** walk up the aisle…

The Six: Linda’s Story
With Linda off and in mourning, Alfie, always the opportunist, decided to break into the Vic and open up shop. Everything was going swimmingly, with Alfie thinking he’d hit the jackpot, until Linda stormed in, thanks to a tip-off from Sharon. Linda, in full drama mode, accused Alfie and the neighbours of not caring about Mick’s death. Alfie, bless him, tried to explain he was just being a mate. Linda, touched by his words, let him keep the pub running because she couldn’t bear to do it herself after Mick’s tragic end. She then dropped the bombshell that she was planning to sell the Queen Vic.

**Alfie** is stunned when **Linda** announces she’s selling!

A bidding war soon began for the local, with Nish sensing reluctance on Linda’s plan to pair up with Sharon. In the end, Linda flummoxed the lot of them as she managed to raise her funds, thanks to her mother Elaine, who arrived in Walford shortly thereafter a) to look after her daughter and b) to find a new base of operations. She had met the most wonderful man, George Knight, in Spain, where she had convinced him to sell up his bar and start again on home soil.

**Knights** in shining armour: **Anna**, **Gina**, **Elaine Peacock** and **George**!

Linda was not completely happy with her new living arrangements, especially when the readies from George’s sale of his bar in Marbella were stalled. His daughters Gina and Anna had their own lives: Anna was carefree and hopelessly naïve and her sister Gina was a recovering (apparently) coke addict with a bit of a wild streak. Both had been traumatised by their mother Rose walking out on them and disappearing with no trace nine years before. This left Linda curious, but she opened a can of worms that would once again affect the whole Square. More on that later…

Linda was horrified in October when Dean Wicks returned to Walford as part of a co-business with the returning Ian Beale. Most of the Square knew exactly what type of man Dean Wicks was, but since he had never been convicted for the rape of Linda eight years before, there was nothing she could do but tolerate it as he wandered around the Square, holding events in the Vic, talking to Ollie, making himself comfortable, all the while winding Linda up. She took to drinking again to cope, never a good sign and on Christmas Day she barely held it together as he approached her alone in the Vic. This time she got away from him and he left the Vic. Which was good, as Sharon, on the run from her wedding, was at the door…

**Linda** has a shock when she hears someone enter the kitchen…

The Six: Suki’s Story
Suki Panesar was stuck in her marriage from Hell. Her controlling and bullying husband Nish respected himself above all else and the family followed his every order. With Ravi and Davinder (who used his nick name ‘Nugget’ for some reason) now under the same roof, it wasn’t long before Suki was turning to Eve more and more, and Nish, unaware, kept sending them on business meetings to give them time away.

**Eve** and **Suki**‘s affair continued…

Ravi’s past caught up with him when Nugget disappeared, but turned up with his mum Priya and a daughter he didn’t know existed, Avani! They also proved a headache for Suki as she tried to navigate her new circumstances, determined to be free of Nish and be with Eve. Eventually, she decided to poison him, but he had discovered the truth and savagely attacked Suki. He ordered Ravi to kill Eve and, for a week, it looked like he had done just that – until Eve returned, determined to bring Nish down. With Ravi switching sides and Suki at the head of the family, Nish was thrown out onto the streets, alone due to his intense manipulation of the people close to him.

**Priya** makes an instant first impression…

Suki was traumatised by the attack though and come Christmas Day, she found herself all dressed up, drink in hand, in the Queen Vic…

**Nish** is booted out by his own family!

The Six: Denise’s Story
Jack Branning and Denise Fox’s partnership was looking like the life had been oozed out of it at the start of the year. Amy’s self-harming was under control, but was still preoccupying Jack’s mind and he started to neglect everything around him, including his wife. Denise got attention from Ravi Gulati and was extremely tempted, to the point where she went to an hotel room with him. Nothing happened, but the damage was done, and Jack finally learned the truth. They tried to stay together, especially when Sam interfered and they were determined to prove the Mitchell Madame wrong. Ricky also became a teenage father to Charli with young Lily Slater, which put more and more pressure on the couple. Jack even spent a night with Stacey! Finding out Chelsea was dating Ravi was the last straw for Denise, who hit the self-destruct button.

Staying with Jack for Amy’s sake and for the sake of Raymond and Ricky and the new blended family, Denise turned to drink for solace, and, after watching Sharon ditch Keanu at the altar, she headed to the Queen Vic to comfort her friend…

The Six: Stacey’s Story
Stacey’s year was eventful to say the least. She knew all about Eve and Suki and spent some of her time helping them cover up their affair. With Kheerat gone and Martin working away, Stacey was struggling to bring money in and decided to set up an adult only account online, to bring some quick cash in.

**Stacey** reassures **Lily** about her mothering skills

Freddie Slater, reeling from the truth about being the product of sexual assault, decided that he needed to track down his birth father, Graham Foster, but was completely horrified by what he saw. He became more and more agitated, his ADHD causing mania in Freddie’s head.

**Freddie** is horrified by an unrependent **Graham Foster**

The teacher who had helped diagnose Freddie, Theo Hawthorne, did not help. He had started home schooling pregnant Lily Slater, which was obviously not the ideal situation for a family about to be on the poverty line. Stacey stepped up her adult only work, progressing into racier images and texts, but it got spooky when she started being followed and stalked by a creep online, who sent her presents and seemed to know personal data. In the end, this turned out to be Theo who broke into the family home, intent on raping Stacey. Freddie interrupted, nearly killing Theo with a blow to the head.

**Theo** makes his move and moves in on **Stacey**…

Theo was eventually found guilty of his crimes and Freddie fled the Square to come to terms with his life. Apart from a brief fling with Jack, Stacey could, in theory, now relax, especially now that baby Charli had been born ready for Christmas. However, Stacey and Jack were caught out at Christmas and Stacey headed to the Queen Vic where her friends were already drowning their sorrows…

**Stacey** always had an eye for the **Branning** men!

The Six: Kathy’s Story
Kathy had a classic mix-up when she thought Rocky Cotton’s romantic gesture was a proposal. Rocky, hesitant but game, agreed to marry her. But plot twist! Our boy Tom was still married to ex-wife Jo Cotton! Sonia, Reiss and Rocky decided to track Jo down so he could get a divorce, but she showed up in Albert Square, knocked on the Beale front door and asked if her husband was home! After months of blackmail and false starts, Kathy and Rocky eventually tied the knot in the summer. They had no savings left, but they had each other.

Kathy was also hoping a mix-up had happened when a familiar face turned up at her back door! But to explain this one, we have to go back to that can of worms Linda opened earlier, when she began searching for Rose Knight, George’s missing wife…

**Linda** has suspicions about **George**‘s ex wife **Rose** and her whereabouts!

Interlude: The Shocking Identity of Rose Knight
Linda eventually managed to wrangle Phil’s help in tracking down George’s ex-wife, convinced the guy was shady. When Ritchie Scott found an old phone number for Rose, who seemingly hadn’t existed, Linda gave it to Anna, who at this point was desperate for her mother’s affection. Anna sent a text, got nothing back and George rang the number, letting it ring to prove a point.

**George** had raised his girls solo since Rose walked out on him

At a pool in France, ‘Rose’ looked at her phone and revealed herself to be none other than Cindy Beale!

Cindy had witnessed some crime in prison and had faked her death, going into witness protection. Whist under the false identity of Rose, she had met and fallen in love with George, having two girls, Anna and Gina with him. Despite some tension with her boredom, the pair seemed happy, until Cindy received the phone call telling her that daughter Lucy had been killed nine years before.

**‘Rose’** and **George** in Spain, in 2014

She had hightailed it to Walford, watched Ian break the news of his twin’s murder to Peter, got confused by a wandering Fatboy and was hustled into the back of a police car and driven away.

The night the **Beales** discover the death, **Cindy** watches!

When the criminal party after her had died recently, Cindy had gotten her life back and had somehow found Ian Beale, alone after leaving the Square. They had even settled into a loving relationship together in a villa, where son Peter and on occasion Lauren Branning and grandson Louie joined them too!

Having no clue that Bobby was at home, dating Anna (his father’s wife’s daughter by another marriage – keep up), Ian suffered a panic and a heart attack in quick succession. Cindy soon discovered that her other family were living in London, in Walford of all places, and the Beales returned to Kathy, money in hand and needing to re-establish the family name. Kathy was stunned and wasted no time in slapping Cindy. But, it did seem that with age came wisdom, and Cindy seemed devoted to Ian.

**Cindy** has a lot of explaining to do for the **Knights**…

Right. Back to Kathy’s Story…
Rocky, on the other hand, was soon to be in the doghouse. After gambling away his money, he found himself in debt to Nish Panesar. He hatched a plan to stage a fire at the café to get the insurance money, but it backfired when Bobby tried to put the fire out, endangering his life. Peter and Rocky rushed in to save him, but the roof collapsed on them. Luckily, they all survived and were taken to the hospital. Kathy was arrested on suspicion of causing the fire.

By Christmas, Kathy grew suspicious after Rocky and his mate Harvey Monroe had a month-long fallout. Harvey spilled the beans about Rocky’s gambling and debt to Nish. Kathy asked if Rocky started the café fire, and he was forced to confess. An emotional Kathy told Rocky she never wanted to see him again and headed to the Queen Vic to join the rest of the wedding party…

Christmas Day

With the six women in the pub Christmas Day, all bets were off. Each one of them had had a rough year at the hands of violent and lying men, but there was a twist to come. Nish interrupted the women’s evening, gate-crashing his way into the closed pub and mouthing off at the ladies. As he grabbed Suki, Denise swung a bottle and Nish fell lifeless to the floor. Keanu, seeking the truth about Albie from Sharon stormed in at that exact moment, and looked on as the women desperately tried to stop Keanu from spilling the beans.

**Nish** confronts the women and attacks…

Keanu had other things on his mind. As Nish started breathing in the bar, Keanu, angry at Sharon for her manipulation and his pride wounded, refused to believe that Albie was not his. When the truth finally hit home, he lost it, strangling Sharon in the hallway. The other women tried to pull him off her, but Linda grabbed the nearest object and thrust it in Keanu’s direction. It turned out a meat thermometer had been nearby and Keanu dropped to the floor, dead.

There was nothing for it. Nish was alive and coming around and they needed to call an ambulance. Knowing they would be looking at all kinds of problems, the women agreed to protect Linda and cover up the crime. They wrapped Keanu in a tarpaulin, carried his body over to the burnt out café, threw him into the hole and filled in it, hoping against hope that no one apart from the Six of them would ever know. They came up with a story for the police and the rest of the Square and Rocky, who had seen them the night of the murder, went to prison on Kathy’s orders, mainly to stop him from implicating them in Keanu’s disappearance.

Could they keep the secret? It’s Walford! What do you think?

The Other Stuff
Phil and Kat finally get married in September, but unbeknownst to Kat, Phil has cheated on her with Emma Harding. Kat also begins helping Alfie Moon through his prostate cancer treatment (when he tells her the details, mind). Kat cut her ties with Phil, but keeps the Mitchell name… Amy Mitchell begins to self harm, causing distress amongst the family. She recovers with counselling (and imagines Roxy in her moment of need, in a tear-jerking special scene)… Yolande returns needing help after leaving her partner. Patrick reunites with her and convinces her to stay in Walford.