A killer unmasked
There’s another chance to see the hour-long special that led to the truth about who murdered Lucy
oap is a notoriously fast-moving genre. A couple madly in love on Monday can be loathing one another by Friday. Miss a couple of episodes and suddenly nothing makes sense.
But in 2014, Eastenders embarked on a murder-mystery storyline that required a certain amount of patience from its loyal fans. On Good Friday, Ian Beale was visited by police and given the grim news that his 20-year-old daughter Lucy had been found dead on Walford Common.
A murder investigation was launched, and it wasn’t until 10 months later – after practically everyone in Albert Square had been touted as a suspect – that we finally found out whodunnit.
As the show continues its run of classic episodes, this week there’s a second chance to see the hourlong special that first aired on 19 February 2015 – Enders’ 30th anniversary – in which Ian edged closer to discovering the truth about his daughter’s demise.
Viewers were led to believe that Ian’s wife Jane – Lucy’s stepmum – was the guilty party. But in a flashback episode airing the same evening, Lucy’s little brother, Bobby, was unmasked as the killer. It was something of a U-turn on the part of the soap’s then story producer Alex Lamb, as he told TV Times shortly before the big reveal.
‘Before we even started penning the storyline, there was another person who was going to be the killer. But it didn’t sit quite right with me,’ admitted Alex. ‘What’s important about our show is making it relatable. The story we’d come up with was a bit cerebral, so we changed it to make sure it was really heart-affecting.’
Then executive producer Dominic Treadwell-collins would later reveal that Jane Beale was the original killer, while the team also flirted with having teen Cindy Williams – Lucy’s half-sister – as the contrite criminal. Remember her?
SThe ‘Who killed Lucy?’ storyline has not only become iconic, but it is, in many respects, still ongoing. Bobby – now with a new face – has done time for his crime, but there remains an underlying resentment toward him from big brother Peter, who also now bears a new head.
A six-year-long storyline. Now that’s what we call a slow burner!
THERE WAS ANOTHER PERSON WHO WAS GOING TO BE THE KILLER