Truth behind Keanu 'death twist' as pictures appear to show 'he's not dead'

28 December 2023 , 15:35

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Truth behind Keanu 'death twist' as pictures appear to show 'he's not dead'

Keanu Taylor met his maker with the help of Linda Carter during EastEnders' dramatic Christmas Day offering - or did he?

Millions tuned into BBC One on Monday to finally discover just who would be killed inside the Queen Vic, and which member of The Six would responsible for ending the life of one of Albert Square's male residents, following the soap's groundbreaking flashforward episode back in February.

Despite it looking like Denise Fox was the murderer at one point, after whacking Nish Panesar over the head with a bottle, it was actually Keanu who died at the hands Linda thanks to the pub landlady intervening to save her friend Sharon Watts' life as Keanu tried to strangle her.

But many EastEnders fans aren't convinced Keanu is actually dead, thanks to the character's actor Danny Walters being spotted filming scenes earlier this year that are only due to hit our screens in 2024.

Danny Walters was spotted seemingly filming scenes with Jacqueline Jossa earlier this year (ISO IMAGES LTD)

But the scenes aren't due to air until next year - confusing many EastEnders fans (ISO IMAGES LTD)

"I’m confused at these leaked images though, Keanu was seen at a funeral with Lauren and then at an airport looking to flee the country… so could there be another twist," one soap fan wrote on Twitter after the Christmas Day reveal, sharing a snap of Danny seemingly filming a scene with Jacqueline Jossa, whose character is only due to return to Albert Square next year.

EastEnders' Jake Wood's snap of son has fans pointing out the pair's likeness

So what is actually going on? Is Keanu dead or can soap fans expect another unexpected twist in the new year? The bosses at EastEnders employed some super sneaky tactics to keep Keanu's shock exit top secret - using loads of tricks to make sure no one knew what was going to happen in the Christmas episodes.

Ahead of the explosive murder going down inside the Queen Vic on Christmas Day, Chris Clenshaw, the soap boss, explained how the EastEnders team were keeping things under wraps. "We've had several methods in place throughout the entire year to keep the storyline a secret and to ensure that the Christmas Day episode and the big reveal of who's on the floor plus who does it remains under wraps until the 25th December," Chris teased. "Sadly, I can't reveal what those methods are as that would give everything away, but it would be a real shame if anyone spoiled the surprise as we know how much the audience love watching the drama unfold in real-time."

The long-running soap actually managed to conceal the thrilling secret from fans until the episode aired on Christmas Day, with one of Chris and the rest of team's methods to keep the reveal secret to throw fans fans off the scent being some cleverly timed staged photographs and fake leaks.

Luckily for Sharon, Keanu is definitely dead (BBC)

Keanu actor Danny was spotted in character seemingly filming scenes which were predicted to air in January and onwards prior to the Christmas Day reveal. The actor was seen chatting with Jacqueline Jossa, who plays Lauren Branning and is making her return in the New Year. Despite seeming 'proof' he was still alive in January - it turns out that he wasn't.

Further confounding fans, he was also filmed at an airport, clutching his passport and getting ready to fly out of the country after the drama with Albie. But as viewers know now, this was another 'fake' scene - with many taking to social media to praise EastEnders bosses with going to such lengths to keep the Christmas Day episode a surprise.

"THE KEANU PAP PICS AT THE AIRPORT WERE RED HERRINGS I CANT DEAL #EastEnders," one delighted fan declared on Twitter (X) on Christmas Day, with another adding: "We should’ve all seen this coming of course Mr clever Mr Chris Clenshaw! Set up pap pics of Keanu in a funeral suit and at an airport we should’ve seen it #EastEnders."

"If anything, this outcome has led to more questions and story possibilities, so I LOVE IT! Those pap shots of Keanu at the cemetery and the airport were all planted to throw us off the scent! Why *do* Lauren and Penny come back if not for Jack's funeral? #EastEnders," a third questioned after realising EastEnders bosses had managed to trick them.

Zoe Delaney