BY CHEMELLE RICE
The second week of February should be very exciting for Eastenders fans. Every story line is going to be colliding together in the live week of the show. This year sees Eastenders celebrating their 30 th anniversary on our tv screens- we must be prepared for a whooper! Not only do we have a new character entering the soap but we also have old stars returning. That is right! Excited?
Hetti Bywayer is returning to the screen to show us her last days as her character Lucy Beale in the lead up to her final moments. This is just to exciting!!! Its like Christmas all over again. The blonde bomb shell was amazing as Lucy Beale and the fact that the killer is finally going to be releaved is what we’ve all been waiting on. The writers said that they knew killing Lucy off would mean they would have to do a live flashback episode to show us the day she died and who was responsible. Talk about keeping us hanging onto the edge of our seats. Jamie Lomas also returns to the screen along side Hetti in the third week of February.
There has been some speculation as to whether it was Nick Cotton who killed Lucy as we all know he’s dodgy and he is never short of lingering around in the background. Jacqueline Jossa, who plays Lauren Branning, has previously gone on Maternity leave, and was not present in the trailer filmed for the killer revealing. It is unclear whether this is an indication of her guilt, one reflected in her elimination from the show , or if it simply a sign of her innocence. They sure have not at all been transparent about their intentions on this aspect of the plot. This has been well concealed. The trailer was ultra spooky as the cast stand in the square with Lucys ghost overlooking them from a rooftop with the eerie darkness around them and the squares gates opening and closing on their own, it’s very haunting. BOO!
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It could be anyone. Max branning, Ian Beale, Peter Beale, her own twin brother. It could be Denise who was engaged to Ian at the time, or could it be Lauren or innocent little Abi- Tiffany- in that line up as well? She conceivably has a motive, as she once was a victim of bullying in the hands of Lucy along with the rest of the Square, with whom Lucy got her claws into at one point in time. She was hardly Mrs popular in the square, was she? The possibilities are almost endless, it is puzzling. Eastenders have 100% made their 30th anniversary, one to remember. This has been planned out carefully for the past 2 years perfectly and its all leading up to that moment.
The month of February will also introduce us to Richard Blackwood. The rapper and actor is now offically part of the cast. If you watched the NTA you may have seen him seated with the cast. Danny Dyer and Maddie Hill, aka Mick and Nancy Carter both won awards that night. Danny Won the Best Serial Performance and Maddy took home the Newcomer Trophy.
What Character is Richard playing?…. We do not know. The secrets are securely locked away in the Eastenders writing chambers. The majority of the cast are being kept in the dark to avoid any story lines surfacing. Richard had his very own show back in 2000 and had a number 3 song in the charts with “Mama who da man”. He also appeared in the hospital drama Holby City back in 2003. It looks like the days of rapping are well behind him. Blackwood starred along side Adam Deacon in Anuvahood as the store manager Russell.
I’ve got a feeling that Richard is going to be amazing in Eastenders. Some say he is going to be Kims husband or baby daddy making him Denise’s brother in law. Either way , expect him to get caught up in some trouble, after all he is a very engaging character. It is difficult not to surmise that he will be the streets new bad boy. That makes a big change from him starring as Donkey in the Shrek Musical along side Amanda Holden and Girls Aloud star Kimberley Walsh in 2011. That’s a big transition right there, Richard going from an Ass at West end, to a Bad Boy in the East End, hahaha. Just like Danny Dyer has surprised us all, I know that the Clapham born Richard Blackwood will follow suit.
However, it is intuitive to conclude he will be under a different type of pressure, especially as he is appearing on the biggest Soap on TV. It’s no easy thing making your Debut Live on national television. Let’s hope he steps up to the plate, as he is likely to be under close scrutiny. The pressure of national television on Britain’s most watch programme is no easy thing. I was privileged to meet Richard Blackwood eight years ago at Notting Hill Carnival whilst we was all partying hard on a balcony. He came across as a nice down to earth guy. Those were good times, these are better times for him. We wish him good luck. Do you remember Max Banning’s rubbish vomiting scene when his son Bradley fell off the Queen Vics roof. He never lived that down, we all saw him stick his fingers down his throat and the sound he made wasn’t exactly rosey. Lets hope it goes better for our Rich ay.
Log February 19th into your calendars folks.
It will be epic!
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