It’s going to be a winter to remember for the residents of Walford (Picture: Metro.co.uk/BBC/Getty)

With EastEnders packing another twist in the form of Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo), the unstoppable soap continues to keep the nation talking.

There is so much more to come in the build up to a spectacular Christmas, and we sat down with boss Chris Clenshaw, renowned for breathing life into show, and he enthusiastically discussed what’s to come, and his thrill at how ongoing plotlines like ‘The Six’ and CIndy’s return are going down with fans.

Judging from what he says, it’s only just the beginning.

Here, he talks Dean’s comeback, the Christmas murder mystery, Suki and Eve’s future, a miracle for Whitney, and even teases the imminent 40th anniversary.

Why is Dean back and how nervous should Linda and the rest of the Square be?

He returns on Monday night, which is Halloween, which is a very important time of year for Linda, she always celebrated it with the Carters around her.

This year she doesn’t have Mick by her side, but Elaine encourages her to celebrate, and she’s determined to look forward, but then she’s faced with her past as Dean turns up.

On Tuesday night, as the Halloween party goes on downstairs around them, Linda and Dean are set to have a tense showdown in the Vic kitchen, and we discover the real reason that Dean’s back in Walford, which is for his daughter Jade – who we might remember has cystic fibrosis.

I think what you’ll discover is that he’s not remorseful, he’s still insistent that Linda was lying and therefore that makes him incredibly dangerous, and Linda is therefore understandably going to really struggle in the wake of his return.

Dean has zero remorse and will make Linda’s life hell (Picture: BBC)

He returns as Cindy’s secret business partner. He’s gone into business with Cindy and Ian with Beale’s Eels and Cindy very quickly realises the mistake she’s made, but the contracts have been signed so there’s no going back now.

He’s therefore a man on the Square without any allies, and that makes him very dangerous, and it will therefore probably come as no surprise that Dean is a potential body at Christmas.

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.

Are there any plans for Shirley to return as part of this story?

Linda Henry is currently taking a break from the show but I think it’s safe to say it’s not the last we’ve seen of her. When she walked out of Walford last year with Lady Di, that won’t be the last you’ll see.

Are you glad that the Christmas murder has continued to capture fans’ attention?

It seems that EastEnders will be firing on all cylinders in coming months. With winter underway and an explosive 2024 promised beyond the spectacular Christmas, what better time to be a fan?

MORE : Jacqueline Jossa gifted ‘unreal’ EastEnders themed birthday cake and it’s quite something

MORE : EastEnders icon unrecognisable in iconic Harley Quinn Halloween fancy dress

The EastEnders producer reveals spoilers on Christmas, a big miracle and teases the 40th anniversary. ‘ preload=”none” playsinline>

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Absolutely. We’re really thrilled with the buzz that the storyline has created. That’s what we hoped – 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.

It obviously means that there’s huge pressure to deliver, but Christmas on EastEnders is always spectacular, and I think this year is a real treat. And I think you’ll be guessing right up until the very end.

How much does the Christmas storyline ramp up in the next two months?

A nation investigates! (Picture: BBC)

There’s a huge amount that’s in the mix, and it dominates the autumn and the build to Christmas. As we build to Christmas, all the pieces will fall into place for what I think is going to be one of our biggest Christmases. What will become apparent is who the potential bodies are.

At the moment, I think it could almost be any man in Walford, but as we head toward Christmas it will become clearer who the final line up of men it could be. There’s lots of twists and turns.

I do think you’ll be guessing right up until the very end.

We’re obsessed with it. One of my team has a detective board on her wall…

It’s amazing that the fans are picking up on so much, on certain things. It’s brilliant!

More: Trending

Is it fair to say that the majority of the cast will have an involvement in Christmas, even if they’re not directly related to The Six story?

It is absolutely an ensemble affair. I think sometimes there’s one family that potentially dominates Christmas. Last year it was very much the Carters. It wasn’t just the Carters that we saw on Christmas Day, we saw the Mitchells and we saw the Slaters and we saw the Fox/Trueman/Brannings, but it was Mick’s last Christmas and that family dominated.

That’s sometimes quite usual of an EastEnders Christmas, but this year we have the six women and therefore we have six different stories which encompass pretty much the entire Square and all of the cast.

So it is an ensemble piece and all of those stories start to weave together, knit together and collide.

Are you pleased with how Cindy’s return is going and what direction are you planning to take Cindy in? Should Ian be worried about how stable this partnership is?

Ian should be very worried! (Picture: BBC)

He should be worried. Is he worried? Probably not! We know that he was quite fearful of returning to Walford knowing that Cindy’s ex-husband George ran the Queen Vic, and he obviously found that out before she knew.

I think he’s very confident with his relationship with Cindy, but I don’t think he should be confident. I think we all know who Cindy is, and I think she could give into temptation at any moment.

There’s definitely huge chemistry at Christmas between her and George. We have the Beales and the Knights come together at Christmas to have Cindy’s first Christmas in ten years with her daughters and Peter, but what becomes quite apparent is her and George’s connection when they actually start to reminisce about Christmases of the past, of them together in Marbella – which is not what anyone, especially Ian or Elaine, want to hear on Christmas Day.

We’re really thrilled with the reaction to bringing Cindy back, we really are.

Priya is proving popular! Can you tease a bit about where she is going from here?

A breath of fresh air! (Picture: BBC)

It’s great to see that the fans are enjoying Priya. Both Priya and Avani are a breath of fresh air. They bring a very different energy into the Panesar family. They’re from a very different world to the Panesars, and therefore that creates a lot of fun in that household.

What I think is quite unique about Priya is that she doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her. She’s a real survivor, and she’s had to be. She’s brought Avani up on her own, she’s always put her daughter first, and there’s been a really tough ride for them.

And now she has stability and a roof over her head where she hasn’t got to worry. She has stability for the first time in her life and she’s determined not to mess that up. I think she’s one of the best mums on the Square, I think she’d sacrifice anything for her children.

We’ve already teased that Nish will discover the truth about Suki and Eve’s affair. Expect hell to break loose when he does. I think I can say that Priya plays some part in how Suki’s affair is uncovered.

Is there hope for the future for Suki and Eve?

I can say that all hell will break loose. Is there a future? I think one would really hope there’s a future for the two of them. I think it’s really clear that they are destined to be together. I think we see a very different Suki when she’s with Eve, and I think we’re all rooting for them to be happy. But this is EastEnders…

Is there anything you can tease about Whitney, Karen and Rocky over the coming months given they are leaving the show?

We’re currently staying quite tight-lipped about the exact circumstances leading to Karen’s exit, as we are with Rocky’s exit as well. I think there’s a lot of speculation about who the potential body might be at Christmas, but we obviously really don’t want to spoil anything for the fans.

Whitney, I can’t give too many details around her storyline, but there’s a lot left to come for her. I can confirm that she will be leaving next year, into 2024. She and Zack have a big story, and they kind of get a little Christmas/New Year miracle.

Given the aftermath will be huge, could The Six storyline build into the 40th anniversary?

What’s interesting about The Six is that, at the moment, they don’t know they’re The Six! They’re not The Six until Christmas. So, 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.

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