The world of Walford is set to be rocked yet again with news that the long-dead Cindy Beale is set to return to EastEnders. After 25 years dead, this is another now-typically bonkers plot twist in soapland.
Many have reacted to this news with derision and dismissal, branding Cindy’s return from beyond the grave as “ridiculous”. However, as a soap fan who’s been watching EastEnders since… well, the first time Cindy died, I’m all for her return.
(Dirty) Den of the Dead: EastEnders’ most famous return
To be clear, Cindy’s return shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has been paying attention. It’s certainly not new to EastEnders, who popularised the soap resurrection with its shocking ‘Dirty’ Den Watts plot twist.
Originally shot dead by a hitman in 1998, it was revealed that Den actually faked his own death and had been living it up in Spain for the past 14 years. Enlisting lovechild Vicky, he reunited with Sharon in one of the soap’s most memorable storylines, spawning an iconic line in the process. Altogether now: “Ello, Princess.”
(Nasty) Nick of the Living Dead
EastEnders’ other famous soap villain, Nick Cotton, also fashioned a fake-out death of his very own in 2014. This led mum Dot to believe that her rotten son had finally died.
However, he returned that year, revealing to mum Dot that he’d faked his own death. He would stick around for a while after that to torment Dot, before finally being killed off for good… in a drug overdose overseen by Dot herself.
Death in the Dales
Nick and Den are far from the only fakers in soapland either – Emmerdale icon Kim Tate also faked her own death in 1997, as part of a demented scheme to send husband Frank into a grave of his own. Popping up a few months later, Kim’s shock return had the desired effect – giving Frank a heart attack and killing him outright.
G…g…g…ghosts
Beyond the fake-out death, our favourite soaps have also revealed that the afterlife – and specifically ghosts – happen to be real. In one of my favourite peculiarities to soapland, a number of actors have reprised their roles, even after their characters have been killed.
A recent episode of EastEnders saw Roxy Mitchell return from beyond the grave to visit daughter Amy. Prior to that, Weatherfield legend Vera Duckworth paid a visit to husband Jack as he himself died, while Pat Butcher popped up to say farewell to old nemesis Peggy Mitchell as everyone’s favourite pub landlady shuffled off the mortal coil.
Dead and loving it: Cindy Beale returns to EastEnders
While some may argue that frequent resurrections and ‘shock’ comebacks cheapens the effect of death in soapland, this particular viewer is all for it. As someone who loves soap stories at their most camp and, yes, positively Shakesperian (lest we forget Hamlet also faked his own death) I love a soap resurrection.
What better form of drama than a notorious soap villain back to haunt former enemies and neighbours? Who can forget the shot in the arm that Dirty Den gave EastEnders with his shock return? Or Val returning to haunt hubby Eric on Emmerdale?
This also nets viewers another chance to see the scenery-chewing antics of Leslie Grantham at his grubbiest, the machinations of Kim Tate and, of course, soap icon Michelle Collins. Why should we deprive ourselves of such fun in the name of realism and plausibility?
Who’s next?
With the bar set, the door remains open for all manner of resurrection. Following her recent appearance, Rita Simons teased the possibility of a more permanent return for Roxy.
Meanwhile, landlord Mick Carter’s body has yet to be found. And surely I can’t be the only one hoping to see Barry Evans come back to haunt his villainous wife? The possibilities are endless and, for me, the sillier the better.
Read more: Complete EastEnders cast list for 2023 right here!
EastEnders usually airs Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One
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