EASTENDERS fans have spotted a huge blunder following Cindy Beale being attacked in Albert Square.
The soap icon – played by Michelle Collins – was hit over the head with a shovel by an unknown attacker.
Taking to social media, viewers addressed apparent plot errors concerning the police investigation.
One wrote on X: “There was snow so surely there’d be footprints that would give Cindy’s attacker away?”
Another added: “Surely there’s footprints in the snow !!!”
Highlighting a different angle, a third chimed in: “In big 2024 after all of the incidents that have happened in the last 40years, you’re telling me that there is no CCTV on that square ?!?”
A fourth remarked: “It’s funny to me that the Queen Vic (and the surrounding areas) don’t have any CCTV!”
“Why is there never CCTV footage in Albert Square?”
Prior to the attack, Cindy had been waiting for a cab in freezing, snowy conditions.
Her affair with Junior Knight (Micah Balfour) had been finally exposed to their respective families.
Cindy was left humiliated as a recording of her admitting everything played in the Queen Vic.
A furious Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) threw Cindy out, while Junior’s father George (Colin Salmon) – also Cindy’s ex-husband – was left horrified.
The assailant’s identity will be unmasked during the soap’s 40th anniversary special.
A total of nine characters are in the frame – including Cindy’s children Peter Beale (Thomas Law), Anna Knight (Molly Rainford) and Gina Knight (Francesca Henry).
Also on the list are Ian, George, Junior, Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa), Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorp) and Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth).
But just who exactly was responsible?
The Sun’s Soaps Editor Carl Greenwood runs down the suspects in the big EastEnders whodunnit
Anna Knight
Shall we just rule Anna out straight away?
The woman’s barely got enough about her to kill a fly, so the chances of her finally becoming worthy of being Cindy Beale’s daughter and bashing her over the head with a shovel are slim to none.
But she was watching out of the Queen Vic window so she may well know who did attack her mother.
Gina Knight
Fiery, recovering drug addict Gina is a good shout for shovel-ing her mother this Christmas.
She’s got the boxing skills of George and the temper of Cindy – so she definitely has the ability and will to take her mother down.
And she was seen sneaking out of the Vic just before Cindy was attacked.
Peter Beale
This Peter is a bit of a drip – he’s more Anna, than Gina, shall we say.
It’s hard to imagine him being able to pick up a shovel without mummy’s approval.
But having said that he was seen drowning his sorrows in tears shortly before the attack, so maybe he finally embraced his mum’s side?
Lauren Branning
Never before has a character failed to learn from her past mistakes more than Lauren.
Except Cindy obviously who appears doomed to repeat the affair cycle until the day she dies.
But Lauren’s ability to ruin Christmas is unrivalled – and it provoked explosive drama.
And it left her with a bag of pills in the car lot having lost her relationship, her family and her son – and it’s all Cindy’s fault.
So could Lauren be the one responsible?
Ian Beale
For a man whose Christmases have included the time he was nearly murdered by his wife with a killer carbonara, you’d think he’d have quite low threshold for bad days but this was something else.
Humiliated in public by a recording of Cindy saying he couldn’t satisfy her so much so she was sleeping with her former stepson, Ian didn’t have a happy Christmas.
He threw a drink over and then punched Junior, before rejecting Cindy and throwing her out onto the streets.
Last seen smashing up his own living room and storming out into the Square, he was certainly in the mood for killing Cindy.
But could he? Really?
Kathy Beale
There’s been no love lost between Kathy and Cindy since they both returned from the dead and a full-on brawl is well overdue.
But after everything that happened last Christmas, would Kathy really want to go through that again?
It’s a miracle she managed to get back into the Vic.
Elaine Peacock
The Queen Vic landlady’s scheme to get rid of Cindy once and for all backfired quite spectacularly.
She began Christmas Day convinced she was about to be rid of Cindy forever – but ended it single and alone.
Hearing George rage about Junior taking what was his pushed her over the edge and she kicked George out.
But did it push her enough to grab a shovel and try to kill Cindy?
George Knight
Cindy cost him everything.
He’s now homeless, job-less and son-less after Cindy’s affair was exposed and as a former professional boxer he’s capable of explosive rage.
He was seen working out his emotions on a punching bag, but maybe it didn’t work and maybe he needed Cindy to pay for what she’d done?
Junior Knight
The spurned lover, unwanted son, humiliated man… things aren’t looking good for Junior.
He fell for Cindy, hook, line and sinker, and worse, he fell for her lies.
Last seen trying to call Cindy after everything went down – did he want to find her to kill her or to seduce her again?
EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw revealed: “Our 40th anniversary storylines have been in the works for some time, but even at the very start of planning, we knew that we wanted to reveal the identity of Cindy’s attacker as part of this.
“Many characters currently find themselves in the line of question, but over the coming weeks, the audience can look out for clues themselves to who may be the culprit.
“Cindy’s attacker reveal is just one of many stories we have planned for the anniversary as it is set to be a week of explosive drama for the audience to remember.”
EastEnders continues on BBC One and iPlayer.
