BBC Share By Laura Morgan Dec 26 2025 By Laura Morgan Dec 26 2025 EastEnders Christmas births and deaths: all the most surprising festive arrivals and tragic exits in soap history All the Walford residents who were born and died at Christmas Features Keanu's Murder In EastEnders Mick Carter Nish Panesar Share By Laura Morgan Dec 26 2025 By Laura Morgan Dec 26 2025 Christmas in EastEnders is always guaranteed to deliver epic drama, shocks and surprises. And it’s also the time of year in Albert Square when the birth and death rates soar. New lives have been welcomed into the world, and other residents have met untimely – and often grisly – ends. So let’s revisit the Christmases of Walford past and remember all those hatches and dispatches… EastEnders Christmas births: Steven Beale Steven Beale was the first Walford babe to be born at Christmas, arriving on Boxing Day 1989. Article continues below Read all the latest spoilers He was the spawn of Cindy Beale and her secret lover/brother-in-law Simon Wicks, but Cindy allowed her husband Ian to believe he was the baby Steven’s father. The truth came out the following year when Cindy and Simon resumed their affair and decided to leave Walford with their son. She returned to Ian in 1992 and he raised Steven as his own. However, Steven was rotten to the core, just like his mum. He made Ian’s life hell for years, before being killed off in 2017. Jasmine O’Brien Jasmine’s mum Disa O’Brien gave birth to her daughter alone in an abandoned building on Christmas Day 1990. Unable to care for the tot (who she originally called Billie), Jasmine left her in a cardboard box on Diane Butcher’s doorstep. Baby Billie was soon discovered by Diane and Mark Fowler. The pair tracked Disa down and brought her back to Walford. With the help of Diane and Dot Cotton, Disa started to bond with Billie, who she renamed Jasmine. It was later revealed Jasmine was the product of abuse and her father Disa’s stepfather Ken Raynor. He was sent to jail and Disa took Jasmine to live in Sunderland. Liam Butcher Bianca and Ricky Butcher’s bundle of joy, Liam, arrived a lot earlier than scheduled. He was born on Christmas Day 1998 after Bianca went into labour during a row with nemesis Grant Mitchell. Ricky was nowhere to be found and a power cut meant local telephone lines were down (these were the days before mobile phones – imagine!), so Bianca was forced to stay put at The Vic. Grant then acted as midwife until the real one arrived, shortly followed by Ricky. Bianca delivered a baby boy five weeks early on Grant’s bed, before mum and son were taken off to hospital to be checked over. EastEnders Christmas births: James Branning and Tommy Moon There was cause for a double celebration in Walford on December 30, 2010. Ronnie Branning’s dreams of being a mum again came true as she and husband Jack welcomed little James into the world. And Kat Moon gave birth to her son Tommy. The tots returned home to Walford, but tragedy struck the next day when Ronnie discovered James dead in his cot. He had passed away from sudden infant death syndrome. In a heartbroken haze, Ronnie wandered across the Square with James in her arms. She heard Tommy crying from upstairs in The Vic, and swapped her dead son with Kat’s. The shocking baby swap storyline was one of EastEnders’ most controversial to date, and it would be months before Kat realised her son was actually still alive. Matthew Cotton Matthew was born via emergency c-section after pregnant Ronnie was critically injured a car crash, caused by Nick Cotton. Despite the severity of his mum’s injuries, little Matthew arrived relatively unscathed. Ronnie was then placed in an induced coma for a number of weeks. Ronnie’s husband Charlie (who was also travelling in the car) was too traumatised to bond with his son. Matthew was left in the care of his aunt Roxy and her boyfriend Aleks Shirovs until Ronnie made a recovery. Arthur Fowler Jnr Arthur made a rather dramatic entrance into the world on Christmas Eve 2015. Stacey went into labour during daughter Lily’s nativity performance at the local community centre. With labour progressing fast, Stacey was forced to deliver her baby on the stage with the help of Babe Smith and Shabnam Masood. Martin was overjoyed at the arrival of his son, but what he didn’t know was his best mate Kush was actually Arthur’s dad. Baby Abi with her granddad, Max (Credit: BBC) EastEnders Christmas births: Abi Branning Jnr Abi Jnr’s arrival brought a glimmer of hope to the grieving Branning family. The tot was delivered via emergency c-section after pregnant Abi fell from the roof of the Queen Vic. Sadly Abi succumbed to her injuries, but her baby girl survived. She was named in honour of her late mum. Mica Fox-Hubbard Mica was born in the The Minute Mart after Phil Mitchell accidentally locked himself and pregnant Kim Fox in a storage unit. Kim’s waters broke while they were trapped inside. She called for an ambulance, but then her phone died. So Phil was forced to roll his sleeves and deliver little Mica into the world. Jordan Atkins Chelsea’s son Jordan was born on Boxing Day 2021 after she went into premature labour at 24 weeks. It was touch and go whether Jordan would survive and he spent the first months of his life in NICU. But the little mite proved to be a fighter. He’s just approaching his fourth birthday. Tiffany Mitchell was run over by Frank Butcher’s car (Credit: BBC) EastEnders Christmas deaths: Tiffany Mitchell Tragic Tiff was mowed down by Frank Butcher’s motor as Big Ben rang in 1999. The terrible accident occurred after Tiffany slipped on the ice while trying to stop her estranged husband Grant Mitchell kidnap their daughter, Courtney. At the time of her death, Tiffany was one of the soap’s most popular characters and fans were heartbroken at her passing. And they weren’t the only ones. Actress Martine McCutcheon only found out she was being written out of EastEnders after hearing the news on the radio. Poor Jamie couldn’t be saved (Credit: BBC) Jamie Mitchell Floppy-haired heartthrob Jamie took his last breath on Christmas Day 2002. He succumbed to injuries sustained when he was run over by Martin Fowler on the Square. Jamie spent his last few days in hospital, where fiancée Sonia kept vigil by his bedside. But despite doctor’s best efforts he couldn’t be saved and Jamie died of spleen damage. Black widow Janine pushed Barry to his death (Credit: BBC) Barry Evans Barry’s death on January 1, 2004 was one of those moments in soap that fans will always remember. He was pushed off a cliff on the Scottish Highlands by new wife Janine after she admitted she’d only married him for his money. Janine watched as Barry barreled down the hillside before hitting his head on the rocks below. If only he hadn’t worn slip-on shoes. EastEnders Christmas deaths: Dennis Rickman Dennis departed the earth on December 31, 2005 in a shock stabbing that rocked the Square. Dirty Den’s son had established himself as one of Walford’s leading men and his affair with adopted sister Sharon was the talk of millions. The couple went on to marry, but their happy ever after was cut short (literally) when Dennis was fatally knifed. Pauline Fowler The death of matriarch and OG character Pauline Fowler was a really big moment in EastEnders’ history. Actress Wendy Richards had played the role for 21 years before she decided it was time to call it a day. An audience of 10.7 million watched as Pauline collapsed and died in the middle of the snowy Square while out walking her dog on Christmas Day 2006. It was later revealed Pauline had died of a brain hemorrhage after being clobbered over the head during a row with husband Joe Macer. Kevin Wicks Kevin Wicks time on the Square ended on New Year’s Eve 2007 when he was killed in a horror car smash. The car dealer was joyriding a ‘cut and shut’ motor with ex-wife Shirley Carter, when he lost control and ploughed the vehicle into a wall. Shirley tried to save Kevin, but he – and the car – went up in flames. Archie Mitchell met his maker at Christmas (Credit: BBC) EastEnders Christmas deaths: Archie Mitchell Archie Mitchell’s murder was the big Christmas storyline of 2009. The evil landlord’s reign of terror came to a gruesome end when an unknown figure pushed the Queen Vic bust onto his head. Archie’s skull was crushed and he died on the floor of the pub. After weeks of guessing whodunnit, fans finally discovered the truth when Stacey Slater confessed to killing Archie. The dramatic revelation came at the duff duff of the soap’s 25th anniversary live episode. Yusef Khan The Masood family took centre stage in Christmas 2011. Evil Yusef Khan had been plotting to take wife Zainab Masood to Pakistan against her will. After drugging his wife, Yusef then set fire to the B&B. Zainab lied to Yusef, telling him his daughter Afia was inside the burning building. He went back in the building, but fell through the floorboards and perished in the flames. We’ve never got over losing Pat (Credit: BBC) Pat Butcher It’s been nearly 14 years since Pat Butcher passed away, and we’re definitely not over it. Millions of devastated fans turned in to see their beloved icon being killed off on New Year’s Day 2012. Pat died of pancreatic cancer just days after getting the diagnosis, marking the end of her magnificent 26 year reign. The only good thing about her final episode was the return of David Wicks, who made it to his mum’s bedside just in time. Derek died in the middle of Albert Square (Credit: BBC/YouTube) EastEnders Christmas deaths: Derek Branning Derek Branning woke up on Christmas morning 2012 thinking he had it all. But the vile bully soon got his comeuppance when his family wised up to his wicked ways. Derek was thrown out in the cold by Max, Jack and the rest of the Brannings. As he stood there, making one last threat, Derek suffered a fatal heart attack and died in the Square. Carl White Carl White should have realised you don’t mess with a Mitchell woman. His fate was sealed the minute he began bedding Roxy Mitchell. Her big sister Ronnie didn’t approve, so she knocked Carl unconscious with a champagne bottle and tied him up in the Arches. Carl attempted to rape Ronnie and she responded by slamming a car boot onto his head. Emma Summerhayes DC Emma Summerhayes was the investigating officer in the Lucy Beale murder case. And she too met her own unfortunate end on January 1, 2015. Emma was about to tell the police that Bobby Beale was the killer, but she never got that far after being hit by Charlie Cotton’s car. She was taken to hospital, but her injuries were too severe to survive. Fatboy died instead of Vincent (Credit: BBC) Arthur ‘Fatboy’ Chubb A sudden death in Soapland at Christmas is always hard to handle, but the demise of adorable Fatboy was truly heartbreaking. Mrs B’s lodger was killed in a tragic case of mistaken identity after getting caught up in Ronnie Mitchell and Vincent Hubbard’s war. Ronnie had arranged for Vincent to be killed, but her heavies kidnapped Fatboy instead. He was locked in the boot of a car and sent to the crusher. EastEnders killed Ronnie and Roxy off together (Credit: BBC) EastEnders Christmas deaths: Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell Mitchell sisters Ronnie and Roxy were both killed off in scenes that shocked a nation. The pair met their maker on the day of Ronnie’s second wedding to Jack Branning. In scenes, broadcast on January 1, 2017, Roxy fell into the hotel swimming pool after suffering a heart attack caused by a drug overdose. Ronnie jumped in to save her sister, but was pulled under the water by her wedding dress. Was it drown and out for Mick? (Credit: BBC) Mick Carter Another Walford favourite who met a watery end was Mick Carter. The Vic landlord dived into the sea to rescue his love Linda, after the car carrying her and Mick’s mad missus Janine went over a cliff. Mick never resurfaced, and was presumed dead. But without a body to prove his demise we’re still clinging onto hope that he’ll come back one day. The Walford Six was an epic whodunit storyline (Credit: BBC) Keanu Taylor In February 2023 EastEnders aired a flashforward scene that saw Linda, Sharon, Denise, Kathy, Suki and Kathy (aka The Walford Six) standing over a seemingly dead body on the floor of the Vic. Viewers were left guessing all the way up until Christmas Day when the mystery was solved. The man on the floor was Nish Panesar – but he wasn’t dead. In a shocking twist, Keanu was killed after Linda stabbed him with a meat thermometer to stop him strangling Sharon. Nish met his maker on New Year’s Day 2025 (Credit: BBC) Nish Panesar After cheating death on numerous occasions, nasty Nish finally got his comeuppance on New Years’ Day 2025. Suki’s evil ex sabotaged her wedding day to Eve and attempted to kill them both. Nish unveiled his plan for him and Suki to die together when Ravi arrived on the scene. A tense showdown ensued, resulting in Ravi pushing his dad over the edge of a balcony. Nish took Suki down with him, but he broke her fall. She survived, while Nish died from his injuries. Read more: When is EastEnders on over Christmas? Festive viewing schedule revealed Share Good to Know Share By Laura Morgan Dec 26 2025 By Laura Morgan Dec 26 2025 Previous Story Next Story
