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{{Short description|Storyline from the BBC soap opera EastEnders}}
{{original research|date=December 2024}}
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{{Article for deletion/dated|page=Who Attacked Cindy?|timestamp=20250101214808|year=2025|month=January|day=1|substed=yes}}
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'''"Who Attacked Cindy?"''' is a storyline from the [[BBC]] [[soap opera]] ''[[EastEnders]]''. The storyline began on 25 December 2024, [[Christmas|Christmas Day]], when the character [[Cindy Beale]], played by [[Michelle Collins]], was attacked by an unknown assailant in the middle of [[Albert Square]]. After Cindy was disowned by her entire family
Currently, the main suspects for the attack are Cindy's fiancé, [[Ian Beale]] ([[Adam Woodyatt]]); her ex-husband [[George Knight (EastEnders)|George Knight]] ([[Colin Salmon]]); George's wife, [[Elaine Peacock]] ([[Harriet Thorpe]]); her son [[Peter Beale]] ([[Thomas Law]]); Peter's ex-girlfriend [[Lauren Branning]] ([[Jacqueline Jossa]]); George's son and Cindy's lover, [[Junior Knight]] ([[Micah Balfour]]); Ian's mother, [[Kathy Cotton]]; and Cindy and George's daughters, [[Gina Knight|Gina]] ([[Francesca Henry]]) and [[Anna Knight]] ([[Molly Rainford]]).
==Storyline creation and development==
In 2023, [[executive producer]] [[Chris Clenshaw]] decided to reintroduce the character of [[Cindy Beale]], played by [[Michelle Collins]], thus resurrecting the character from the dead.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Glynn |first1=Paul |title=EastEnders: Michelle Collins returns as Cindy Beale after 25 years |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-65986136 |access-date=2025-01-01 |work=Culture |publisher=BBC News |date=22 June 2023}}</ref>
On 9 September 2024,
==Plot==
===Events leading up to the attack===
Depressed
Throughout late 2024, Cindy and Junior risk being exposed several times: first by Cindy's former lover [[David Wicks]] ([[Michael French]]), to whom she emotionally [[Episode 6994|confesses to]] (unaware she has been accidentally recorded by [[Freddie Slater]] ([[Bobby Brazier]])) and convinces to maintain the secret; by George's brother [[autism|autistic]] brother [[Kojo Asare]] (Dayo Koleosho), whom she later accidentally [[coma|comatoses]] and later manipulates into silence; and Lauren, who discovers Cindy near the site of Kojo's accident, and whom she bribes into silence by supplying her with drugs.
▲Depressed, Cindy ends up having [[one-night stand|sex]] with George's son [[Junior Knight]] ([[Micah Balfour]]). Though the two conceal the encounter, Junior's wife [[Monique Knight|Monique]] (Busayo Ige) ends up leaving Junior, anyway, owing to his one-night stand with [[Bianca Jackson]] ([[Patsy Palmer]]); as a result, Junior continues to flirt with Cindy. This culminates in Cindy returning to Junior to have an affair with him a few months after their initial encounter, with Junior eventually developing romantic feelings for Cindy. The two have sex in a locked office in Peggy's Nightclub during a crush. As they had blocked one of the escape routes, Cindy's son [[Peter Beale]]'s girlfriend [[Lauren Branning]] ([[Jacqueline Jossa]]) is seriously injured. Lauren goes on to develop an addiction to prescription painkillers; she is forced to obtain them by other means when doctors discover she is pregnant.
In December, Cindy discovers Lauren's pregnancy and attempts to end her and Lauren's arrangement, but decides against it when Lauren threatens to investigate Kojo's accident That night, Lauren becomes [[substance intoxication|intoxicated]] and accidentally sets fire to her house. While she survives, the Beales soon discover her addiction and disown her, refusing to believe that Cindy was supplying the drugs. Shortly afterwards, Elaine discovers the recording of Cindy and David and uses it to blackmail Cindy into leaving Walford. Cindy convinces Ian to move to [[France]] but the tape soon goes missing.
[[Episode 7037/7038|On Christmas Day]], Lauren reveals she has stolen the recording to Cindy and joins the Beales and the Knights for Christmas dinner. The recording is soon played before the whole Queen Vic, thus exposing Cindy for her bribery of Lauren and manipulation of Kojo. She is disowned by her family and Ian ends their relationship; meanwhile, Elaine kicks George out of the Queen Vic when he accidentally calls Cindy his wife. Alone in Albert Square, Cindy calls for a taxi before being violently struck down by an [[whodunnit|unseen figure]] with a [[snow shovel]] and left for dead.
===Aftermath of the attack===
Some time afterward, Cindy
Kathy becomes one of the leading suspects in the attack owing to her rivalry with Cindy and lack of an [[alibi]]. When Arthurs interviews her in the Bridge Street Café, her friend [[Harvey Monroe]] lies to Arthurs by [[false alibi|claiming Kathy was with him]] when the attack took place;
==Suspects and motives== <!-- DO ''not'' REMOVE ANYONE FROM THIS LIST, AT ONE POINT EVERYONE WAS A SUSPECT SO SHOULD STILL BE LISTED -->
*'''[[Ian Beale]]''', played by [[Adam Woodyatt]]
*'''[[Peter Beale]]''', played by [[Thomas Law]]
*'''[[Lauren Branning]]''', played by [[Jacqueline Jossa]]
==Reception==
The double-episode where the storyline began, which aired on 25 December 2024, achieved 4.4 million viewers, becoming the fifth most-watched show on Christmas Day and facilitating [[BBC One]] occupying the top ten most-viewed shows at Christmas for the first time ever. The episode also saw an increase of 800,000 viewers from the show's previous Christmas episode in 2023.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gecsoyler |first1=Sammy |title=Gavin and Stacey finale tops Christmas television ratings |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/dec/26/gavin-and-stacey-finale-tops-christmas-television-ratings#:~:text=EastEnders%20came%20a%20close%20fifth,overnight%20figures%20for%2025%20December. |access-date=2024-12-30 |work=Culture |publisher=Guardian Media Group |date=2024-12-26}}</ref>
The attack on Cindy [[cliffhanger|at the episode's conclusion]] was praised by Erin Zammitt of [[Digital Spy]], who praised Cindy's attack as "an exciting climax" to her long running affair storyline with Junior, while also noting that the mystery of her attacker would provide "some momentum and direction as it enters its [[EastEnders Live (2025 episode)|milestone year]]".<ref name="HOMAGES 1">{{cite web |last1=Zammitt |first1=Erin |title=Why EastEnders’ Christmas Cindy twist simply had to happen |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/eastenders/a63273820/eastenders-spoilers-christmas-cindy-beale-twist-review/ |website=digitalspy.com |publisher=Hearst Magazines UK |access-date=2024-12-31}}</ref> Charlotte Tutton of the ''[[Daily Mirror]]'' referenced the "deadly twist" of the attack and described the storyline as an "explosive [[whodunnit]]."<ref name="Homage of Lauren">{{cite news |last1=Tutton |first1=Charlotte |title=Cindy Beale left for dead in EastEnders Christmas Day shock as explosive whodunnit revealed |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/cindy-beale-dead-eastenders-christmas-34371906 |access-date=2025-01-01 |work=TV |publisher=Reach plc |date=2024-12-25
==References==
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