Has Sharon killed Ian? 9 huge EastEnders questions after the Christmas Day special

EastEnders spoilers follow from the Christmas Day special.

A killer secret exposed, two big mysteries solved, two big returns, a baseball-bat meltdown (spoiler: it wasn’t Phil this time), and a questionable Christmas pudding – EastEnders’ annual festive special came and delivered. And as always, has left us with more questions than answers.

Ian’s attacker might finally have been unmasked but there’s so much more still to uncover. All will soon become clear, but for now we’ve been left to wonder…

1. Has Sharon killed Ian?

Kieron McCarron/Matt Burlem/Amy SharpBBC

Come on, there are no prizes for guessing this one given it’s been so glaringly obvious since the get-go. But yes, Sharon was indeed the mystery culprit responsible for Ian’s attack, and as we predicted, she had a little help from her ex-husband Phil. Boom.

As many fans had speculated, Sharon and Phil have known about the incriminating voicemail which exposed Ian’s role in Denny’s tragic death for months now – and have been biding their time before they exacted their revenge. Sharon was the brains behind the bashing and Phil was the muscle but he wasn’t actually able to finish the job after becoming disturbed by Peter’s spray painting (more on that to come).

Fed up with having to pretend to be the doting wife, Sharon met with Phil at Denny’s grave tonight and insisted she wanted Ian dead – today. Phil was prepared to do as he was told but had a delayed conscience over their deadly plan after a conversation with his son Ben.

Realising that killing Ian wasn’t the answer here (bingo), Phil told a furious Sharon that he was out – leaving her to fly solo with a Christmas pudding.

The closing moments of the episode subsequently saw Sharon secretly drug Ian’s festive dessert, before sitting back and watching the fallout. But the big question is: has Sharon really killed her oldest friend, or will he stay another day?

2. Is Peter facing charges?

EastEnders might have unmasked Sharon as Ian’s attacker, but there was actually another culprit behind his troubling torment of late – Peter.

Peter’s involvement in Ian’s ordeal became apparent merely a few minutes into the episode, when he was taken away by the police for sending the Christmas Eve death threat.

As a result, Peter was forced to admit that he did send the threats to mess with Ian’s head, but wasn’t the person responsible for the attack. He was telling the truth – he wasn’t – but Peter did, unknowingly, play a crucial role in Ian’s fate that night, because he was the reason Phil couldn’t carry out the job.

A flashback later showed Peter spray painting the hate message onto The Vic, which ultimately disturbed Phil’s violent beating, thus allowing Ian to survive. But is Peter facing charges for the threats he sent his dad?

3. What are Chelsea and Lucas up to?

We knew it was coming but Chelsea and Lucas’s festive return is still a mystery regardless. Denise was horrified to come face to face with her serial killer ex at the Christmas church service she was attending with Raymond, and her ordeal got even worse when she realised Chelsea was in tow.

As a horrified Denise read her daughter the riot act, Chelsea was resolute in her decision to rebuild a relationship with her dad – but a question mark still loomed as to what was really going on here.

Nobody’s fool, Denise was suspicious and correlatively fearful of what Lucas was doing back. Unfortunately, it seems she had good reason to be as his too-familiar inner anger threatened to rear its ugly head when Patrick threatened him later on.

Aware they would never be welcomed back as a package, Chelsea ultimately told her dad that they ‘were wasting their time’ in Walford – but what is really going on here?

4. Does Martin still have feelings for Stacey?

Kieron McCarron/Jack BarnesBBC

Big gaping cracks started to appear in Ruby and Martin’s marriage tonight, as they spent the big day apart.

Martin found himself drawn back to his ex-wife Stacey and the vibrance of her chaotic family, in a controversial move that infuriated his new wife Ruby.

An added complication also saw Martin make a blunder with his Christmas presents – giving Stacey renewed hope that their relationship could be rekindled. Ruby, on the other hand, was left hurt that their marriage didn’t mean much to him at all.

However, the biggest telltale sign came when Stacey took a chance on love and kissed Martin – believing that his earlier gift was an indicator of his true feelings. Martin was forced to let Stacey down gently, before heading back to Ruby, but is she the one he really wants after all?

5. Could Lucas have his sights on Ruby?

Hands up who spotted this eerie blink-and-you’ll-miss-it scene? Ruby and Lucas crossed paths when their disastrous days collided and left them alone in the Square.

The fleeting moment has left us to wonder whether this was merely an inconsequential coincidence or a bit of festive foreshadowing. Could she be in danger of becoming his next victim?

6. Will history repeat itself with Gray?

Tina continued to make herself fiercely unpopular with evil Gray tonight, when she, once again, refused to march to his ever-controlling beat.

Tina is becoming increasingly aware of Gray’s true colours, but made the ill-advised move to confront him about his marriage to Chantelle at the dinner table. Perhaps spurred on by the festive tipples, Tina told Gray that she knew Chantelle was planning to leave him in her final days, but her outburst was overheard by his young son Mack.

Although Gray managed to hide his fury, a sinister scene later on hinted that history could be about to repeat itself. When Tina was loading the dishwasher, Gray commanded that she rearrange the knives so they were facing upwards – the exact same demand he issued Chantelle in the months before her grisly death.

Could history be about to repeat itself in the Atkins household and who could the unfortunate victim be this time?

7. Has Jean’s cancer returned?

Kieron McCarron/Jack BarnesBBC

Jean was left paralysed with fear when she found a lump in her breast tonight, nearly a year after getting the all-clear from the doctors.

Viewers know that Jean was diagnosed with ovarian cancer back in 2019 and underwent treatment in the year that followed.

Jean chose not to confide in Stacey, or anyone else, over her worrying finding – instead, urging that her daughter to hang onto as much happiness as possible. Has Jean’s cancer returned?

8. Will Linda leave with Max?

It was a lonely Christmas for both Linda and Mick tonight, as their marriage seemingly reached the point of no return.

Linda was left devastated in last night’s episode, when Mick confirmed that he knew about her affair with Max, but inexplicably, didn’t appear to care.

The Carter couple spent Christmas Day separately as a result, but further heartbreak awaited Linda when Mick told Shirley that his wife meant nothing to him. This left a distraught Linda to agree to Max’s offer of going to New Zealand with him – but is this really the end for her and Mick?

9. What will happen next?

Kieron McCarron/Jack BarnesBBC

As the dust settles in Albert Square, Boxing Day is shaping up to look equally dramatic.

The official synopsis teases says ‘with so many questions still to be answered, one thing is for sure, the residents of Walford will be looking forward to seeing in 2021’. But if these new spoilers are anything to go by, we are not sure everyone should be.

Looking further ahead, the focus will shift onto Mick’s harrowing story as New Year approaches, while Ruby takes action over the Martin and Stacey fiasco, Kush goes missing, and Patrick strikes up a shocking deal with Phil.

EastEnders continues on Saturday, December 26 at 8.45pm on BBC One.

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