FOUR EastEnders characters have been left fighting for their lives in the soap’s bloodiest ever New Years Day episode.
The dramatic episode saw Nish Panesar carry out his sick revenge plan on ex-wife Suki on her wedding day to Eve Unwin.
Viewers know Nish has been hiding in a basement in the Square, helped by grandson Nugget, who was growing increasingly erratic during the wedding morning.
Denise followed Nugget and found him with Nish – dressed for a wedding.
She confronted him but Nish told Nugget how Denise attacked him last Christmas, leaving the teenager shocked.
Nugget left to go to the wedding on Nish’s instructions leaving Denise alone with Nish.
She warned him that no-one would believe a word he says and tried to leave but Nish picked up a champagne bottle and returned the favour from last Christmas leaving her unconscious on the floor.
However at the wedding Nugget broke and warned his dad and Vinny that Nish was coming and they pulled him out of the car as he arrived.
No-one noticed that Denise, Ravi and Vinny were missing from the ceremony, obviously, and that went off without a hitch
Discovering Denise’s life was in peril, Ravi left Nish with Vinny called Jack who raced over to try and save her.
Meanwhile Suki and Eve slipped out of their own wedding to go and consummate their marriage – and they found two ready poured glasses of champagne with their names on.
Toasting to themselves and kissing, things took an incredibly dark turn as Eve collapsed coughing.
In a truly shocking turn of events, terminally ill Nish overpowered Vinny and he turned up just in time to gloat about poisoning Eve.
“There’s no helping her, but it’s quick,” he told her.
“She’s gone now. There’s nothing that you can do. And in a few moments all your pain will fade away because you and I will be joining her.”
He poured some more poison into two glasses for them both.
Running onto the balcony, Nish attacked Suki as she screamed for help and Stacey went to help Eve and call for an ambulance.
“I belong to Eve,” she told him as Ravi broke down the door and ran to help her.
“Let her go,” he warned Nish.
“You’re too late,” Nish replied, dragging Suki to the edge of the balcony over-looking the other guest.
“Eve’s dead and Denise won’t be too far behind her. Nobody beats me, not her and not even you.
“So what does it feel like Ravi? As Denise draws her final breath, her last thought will be about you – ‘why isn’t Ravi here? Why couldn’t he save me?’”
But as he spoke her wrapped his hand around a strand of Suki’s gown, and continued to goad Ravi.
He continued: “You’re nothing, just a waste of space. The bastard son since the day you were born.”
The Sun’s Soap Editor Carl Greenwood celebrates the death of Nish Panesar at long last
And the award for EastEnders’ most dragged-out death, goes to… Nish Panesar.
That’s assuming he is dead, of course, because he’s been terminally ill and had ‘weeks’ to live for what feels like a decade.
A failing heart hasn’t stopped him from overpowering much stronger people – but I suppose we’ll just let that slide because finally he became the villain we could all believe.
Instead of pretending to be a physically-intimidating villain, Nish finally showed that he had a brain and decided to use it for his revenge.
Denise became the victim of a surprise bottling, Eve was poisoned and Suki found herself dragged over a balcony by Nish’s own manipulations.
But even Walford’s own Rasputin can’t survive head trauma like that, right?
Just let him die, I beg.
With explosive fury Ravi pushed Nish to his presumed death – but Suki was dragged over with him.
And with four lives hanging in the balance – was this the bloodiest New Year’s EastEnders ever?
EastEnders continues on BBC One and is available to watch on iPlayer.
