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EastEnders: best Christmas episode(s) of the century?


View Poll Results: Best Christmas episode/s since the millenium?
2000 (Phil sleeping with Mel, Peggy's Vic warpath) 6 8.33%
2001 (Kat's reconciliation with Zoe, Trevor dipping Little Mo's face in gravy) 24 33.33%
2002 (Jamie's death, Little Mo and Billy's wedding) 15 20.83%
2003 (Kat and Alfie's wedding) 16 22.22%
2004 (The Watts'-centric Shannis/Zoe reveal) 15 20.83%
2005 (Kat and Alfie's "happy" ending) 15 20.83%
2006 (Pauline's murder) 5 6.94%
2007 (Stax reveal) 41 56.94%
2008 (Amy's paternity reveal) 9 12.50%
2009 (Stacey kills Archie) 23 31.94%
2010 (Stacey's exit) 11 15.28%
2011 (The Yusef/Zainab fiasco) 9 12.50%
2012 (Derek's death, Kirsty's emergence) 2 2.78%
2013 (Bianca/Nikki gravy drama, Janine's arrest) 12 16.67%
2014 (Dean/Linda rape reveal, "He's your brother") 9 12.50%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 72. You can't vote on this poll right now - are you signed in?

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Old 17-12-2015, 15:38
Doctor Bench
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As the title says, what Christmas Day episodes from 2000 onwards have been your favourite?

(I've made the poll multi-choice in case there's more than one that particularly stands out.)

Likewise, which ones have been your least favourite?
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Old 17-12-2015, 15:45
BadLadAsh
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I can't really remember the early 2000s, 07 and 09 are my faves. 2010 was alright too. 08 and 12 were probably the worst imo.
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Old 17-12-2015, 15:48
Doctor Bench
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Poll coming up.

I know I mentioned best and worst Christmases but I only set the poll to include personal favourites.
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Old 17-12-2015, 15:50
cobwebsoup
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2001 without a doubt. The cast list was pretty much perfect back then. I loved Little Mo and Trevor, the Slaters, Pat, Roy, Barry and Natalie, Steve and Mel, the Mitchells and the Fowlers/Beales.

2002, 2003, 2007 and 2009 were all great too and I even enjoyed 2012 with the Brannings.

2014 was dreadful in my opinion, the saving grace being Dot finally having a happy Christmas with Nick, even though we didn't see much of it.
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Old 17-12-2015, 17:59
Foxster Hotpot
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Three way tie foor me between 2001, 2007 and 2009, although I enjoyed all of 2000-2009 to some extent, most of which were brilliant. I really enjoyed 2004 too. Although overall it was a poor year for the show I didnt mind Christmas 2011 either.

Eastenders used to always deliver at Christmas but 2012 and 2013 were awful and 2014 was average (new year was better).
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Old 17-12-2015, 23:38
Doctor Bench
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2008 and 2011/12 aside, I've enjoyed every Xmas to some extent but 2001, 2004. 2005, and, to a lesser extent, 2007 stand out in particular.
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Old 17-12-2015, 23:45
attitude99
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I think 2013 is vastly underrated for the Christmas episode. It was really, really good, focusing on David and Janine and her running him over and being arrested. I thought it was brilliant definitely the best since 2010 anyway. Before that, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2009 were very good. 2007 stands out because the Stax reveal was amazing.
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Old 18-12-2015, 00:10
Simon-dean2
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2004 christmas episodes was great. I also liked 2002,2003 2007,2009,2010,2013
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Old 18-12-2015, 00:15
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I voted for 2007, but we all know the most iconic Christmas day episode. 1986! 30 million viewers can't be wrong! 1985-1989 EE was at it's very best.
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Old 18-12-2015, 00:15
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Probably when Bianca and Nikki were throwing gravy at eachother.
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Old 18-12-2015, 00:18
SULLA
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EE have so few good episodes that people can remember them.
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Old 18-12-2015, 00:37
BumbleSquat
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1. 2007 will probably always win these polls because it had all the makings of classic EE drama - an affair revealed to everyone when they all have so much to lose all brought together thanks to some technology - the dastardly DVD (in the same vein as Sharongate's tape recording or Tiffany discovering an affair over a baby monitor). There were punch-ups, slaps and a tumble down the stairs. And poor old Dot only wanted to watch the Queens speech!

2. 2009 runs a close second. Everything that Christmas seemed very exaggerated. The giant Christmas tree in the Square looked epic - and it seemed every character were given motives to want Archie dead. There was a murder, a rape revelation, a proposal from Bianca to Ricky, and a drunk Phil which is always comedy value!

3. 2001 is a biggie. Kat headbutts a pimp called Roxy, rescues Zoe and brings her home to the family for Christmas after a difficult year. So when Little Mo wants to celebrate, she's forgotten about a seething Trevor at home - who wastes no time in pushing her face into her dinner and making her eat it off the floor. Very shocking but a massive reminder that people do experience such trauma at Christmas. However, there was also clichéd rubbish with Mo and Billy trying to catch an escaped live turkey...

4. 2004 was the year of Shannis. Sharon and Dennis were planning to run away together but a conniving Den manipulated dumb-as-a-box-of-hair Zoe Slater into lying about being pregnant. Black cab for Sharon!! Couldn't any of this have waited until AFTER DINNER?!?!?

5. In 2000, poor old Peggy only wanted a decent family Christmas after being ditched by Frank a few months earlier. But a catfight between Lisa and Mel resulted in all her guests ditching the event. While Phil was busy doing the nasty with Mel in his kitchen and slapping girlfriend Lisa around the face, Peggy grabbed a baseball bat and trashed her beloved Vic! She pushed the Queen Vic bust off that bar like it had future-husband Archie beneath it!

6. 2010 was the year Stacey confessed to murdering Archie the previous Christmas. Thanks to Janine getting knife-happy in the Slater kitchen, Stacey was forced to take to the Queen Vic roof where dead husband Bradley had fallen to his death months before - then fleeing Walford.

7. 2003 was the year Kat and Alfie hitched in the Vic - thanks to the never-before-mentioned and never-mentioned-again mate of Alfie played by David Walliams, then a real registrar later on. 2003 was also the year Phil escaped prison and tracked down Den Watts to have a good old fight in Angie's Den before going on the run. Alfie managed to make it FAKE snow for Christmas thanks to a snow machine...

8. 2005 was the year Kat and Alfie bid farewell to Walford forever... well for about 5 years anyway! He scooped her into his arms and chucked her into his dodgy motor, as REAL snow flittered down upon the Square. Awwwww!!! We also learned Shannis were pregnant!

9. 2013 - Janine vs. David. A battle between Pat's beloved (rest her soul!) which involved blackmail over David's knowledge that Janine had killed husband Michael. Cue David getting hit by a car (signature Janine move), leading to Janine eventually getting driven out of Walford in the back of a police car (signature Janine exit). There were also hijinks between a screechy Bianca throwing gravy, turkey and all the trimmings at boyfriend Terry's ex-wife Nikki... as you do. Danny Dyer also showed up to buy the Queen Vic.

10. 2002 was long and drawn out - with many Mitchells getting a goodbye scene with poor Jamie who just wouldn't hurry up and die already!! But there was some sweet relief with Billy and Little Mo's wedding! The show also parodied itself in recreating the classic scene in which Michelle Fowler calls her babydaddy thanks to Laura Beale. It were Garry Hobbs! (But that later turned out to be wrong all along!) That baby was psycho-demon sister-killer Bobby!!!

11. Branning overload in 2012. We got a new Branning wife in Kirsty but also lost failed-villain and toad Derek. Good times!

12. 2008's saving grace was Suzy Branning - who delivered some of the most epic putdowns in EE history to the unsuspecting Mitchells. Ronnie was vinegar lips, Peggy was Walford's very own poisonous button mushroom! Ben, conceived with a weak sperm! A speech delivered in style before absolutely ruining the whole day altogether by placing paternity results in a cracker, revealing Sean Slater wasn't Amy's father after all!

13. 2014 saw Shirley screaming ''HE'S YOUR BRUVVA!'' - a revelation that completely shat upon everything Christmas for the Carters... But I guess Linda revealing she was raped by Dean months earlier probably was worse. Actually, I'd imagine that one was MUCH worse!

14. In 2006, Pauline lay down for a nap in the snow and just never got up again.

15. 2011 was the Christmas Yusef Khan terrorized poor Zainab. She was rescued by ex Masood who then decided to party in the B&B with all the other Walford residents. But Yusef was lurking nearby with matches and a can of petrol. This episode ended where most of the big drama was starting... Boo!
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Old 18-12-2015, 00:38
Simon-dean2
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EE have so few good episodes that people can remember them.
A bit harsh and untrue.
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Old 18-12-2015, 00:56
sallyannaricky
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Zoe, Shannis reveal easy.....I loved it, i cried so hard at Sharon leaving, then Dennis giving her the cracker ring saying "forever"

but outta that list its a fricking gooden so its quite hard to choose,

Little mo and Trevor was great , very disturbing but an episode an a half,
Jamie's Death another great episode
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Old 18-12-2015, 01:01
sallyannaricky
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1. 2007 will probably always win these polls because it had all the makings of classic EE drama - an affair revealed to everyone when they all have so much to lose all brought together thanks to some technology - the dastardly DVD (in the same vein as Sharongate's tape recording or Tiffany discovering an affair over a baby monitor). There were punch-ups, slaps and a tumble down the stairs. And poor old Dot only wanted to watch the Queens speech!

2. 2009 runs a close second. Everything that Christmas seemed very exaggerated. The giant Christmas tree in the Square looked epic - and it seemed every character were given motives to want Archie dead. There was a murder, a rape revelation, a proposal from Bianca to Ricky, and a drunk Phil which is always comedy value!

3. 2001 is a biggie. Kat headbutts a pimp called Roxy, rescues Zoe and brings her home to the family for Christmas after a difficult year. So when Little Mo wants to celebrate, she's forgotten about a seething Trevor at home - who wastes no time in pushing her face into her dinner and making her eat it off the floor. Very shocking but a massive reminder that people do experience such trauma at Christmas. However, there was also clichéd rubbish with Mo and Billy trying to catch an escaped live turkey...

4. 2004 was the year of Shannis. Sharon and Dennis were planning to run away together but a conniving Den manipulated dumb-as-a-box-of-hair Zoe Slater into lying about being pregnant. Black cab for Sharon!! Couldn't any of this have waited until AFTER DINNER?!?!?

5. In 2000, poor old Peggy only wanted a decent family Christmas after being ditched by Frank a few months earlier. But a catfight between Lisa and Mel resulted in all her guests ditching the event. While Phil was busy doing the nasty with Mel in his kitchen and slapping girlfriend Lisa around the face, Peggy grabbed a baseball bat and trashed her beloved Vic! She pushed the Queen Vic bust off that bar like it had future-husband Archie beneath it!

6. 2010 was the year Stacey confessed to murdering Archie the previous Christmas. Thanks to Janine getting knife-happy in the Slater kitchen, Stacey was forced to take to the Queen Vic roof where dead husband Bradley had fallen to his death months before - then fleeing Walford.

7. 2003 was the year Kat and Alfie hitched in the Vic - thanks to the never-before-mentioned and never-mentioned-again mate of Alfie played by David Walliams, then a real registrar later on. 2003 was also the year Phil escaped prison and tracked down Den Watts to have a good old fight in Angie's Den before going on the run. Alfie managed to make it FAKE snow for Christmas thanks to a snow machine...

8. 2005 was the year Kat and Alfie bid farewell to Walford forever... well for about 5 years anyway! He scooped her into his arms and chucked her into his dodgy motor, as REAL snow flittered down upon the Square. Awwwww!!! We also learned Shannis were pregnant!

9. 2013 - Janine vs. David. A battle between Pat's beloved (rest her soul!) which involved blackmail over David's knowledge that Janine had killed husband Michael. Cue David getting hit by a car (signature Janine move), leading to Janine eventually getting driven out of Walford in the back of a police car (signature Janine exit). There were also hijinks between a screechy Bianca throwing gravy, turkey and all the trimmings at boyfriend Terry's ex-wife Nikki... as you do. Danny Dyer also showed up to buy the Queen Vic.

10. 2002 was long and drawn out - with many Mitchells getting a goodbye scene with poor Jamie who just wouldn't hurry up and die already!! But there was some sweet relief with Billy and Little Mo's wedding! The show also parodied itself in recreating the classic scene in which Michelle Fowler calls her babydaddy thanks to Laura Beale. It were Garry Hobbs! (But that later turned out to be wrong all along!) That baby was psycho-demon sister-killer Bobby!!!

11. Branning overload in 2012. We got a new Branning wife in Kirsty but also lost failed-villain and toad Derek. Good times!

12. 2008's saving grace was Suzy Branning - who delivered some of the most epic putdowns in EE history to the unsuspecting Mitchells. Ronnie was vinegar lips, Peggy was Walford's very own poisonous button mushroom! Ben, conceived with a weak sperm! A speech delivered in style before absolutely ruining the whole day altogether by placing paternity results in a cracker, revealing Sean Slater wasn't Amy's father after all!

13. 2014 saw Shirley screaming ''HE'S YOUR BRUVVA!'' - a revelation that completely shat upon everything Christmas for the Carters... But I guess Linda revealing she was raped by Dean months earlier probably was worse. Actually, I'd imagine that one was MUCH worse!

14. In 2006, Pauline lay down for a nap in the snow and just never got up again.

15. 2011 was the Christmas Yusef Khan terrorized poor Zainab. She was rescued by ex Masood who then decided to party in the B&B with all the other Walford residents. But Yusef was lurking nearby with matches and a can of petrol. This episode ended where most of the big drama was starting... Boo!
bumble what a great post,
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Old 18-12-2015, 01:06
Doctor Bench
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1. 2007 will probably always win these polls because it had all the makings of classic EE drama - an affair revealed to everyone when they all have so much to lose all brought together thanks to some technology - the dastardly DVD (in the same vein as Sharongate's tape recording or Tiffany discovering an affair over a baby monitor). There were punch-ups, slaps and a tumble down the stairs. And poor old Dot only wanted to watch the Queens speech!

2. 2009 runs a close second. Everything that Christmas seemed very exaggerated. The giant Christmas tree in the Square looked epic - and it seemed every character were given motives to want Archie dead. There was a murder, a rape revelation, a proposal from Bianca to Ricky, and a drunk Phil which is always comedy value!

3. 2001 is a biggie. Kat headbutts a pimp called Roxy, rescues Zoe and brings her home to the family for Christmas after a difficult year. So when Little Mo wants to celebrate, she's forgotten about a seething Trevor at home - who wastes no time in pushing her face into her dinner and making her eat it off the floor. Very shocking but a massive reminder that people do experience such trauma at Christmas. However, there was also clichéd rubbish with Mo and Billy trying to catch an escaped live turkey...

4. 2004 was the year of Shannis. Sharon and Dennis were planning to run away together but a conniving Den manipulated dumb-as-a-box-of-hair Zoe Slater into lying about being pregnant. Black cab for Sharon!! Couldn't any of this have waited until AFTER DINNER?!?!?

5. In 2000, poor old Peggy only wanted a decent family Christmas after being ditched by Frank a few months earlier. But a catfight between Lisa and Mel resulted in all her guests ditching the event. While Phil was busy doing the nasty with Mel in his kitchen and slapping girlfriend Lisa around the face, Peggy grabbed a baseball bat and trashed her beloved Vic! She pushed the Queen Vic bust off that bar like it had future-husband Archie beneath it!

6. 2010 was the year Stacey confessed to murdering Archie the previous Christmas. Thanks to Janine getting knife-happy in the Slater kitchen, Stacey was forced to take to the Queen Vic roof where dead husband Bradley had fallen to his death months before - then fleeing Walford.

7. 2003 was the year Kat and Alfie hitched in the Vic - thanks to the never-before-mentioned and never-mentioned-again mate of Alfie played by David Walliams, then a real registrar later on. 2003 was also the year Phil escaped prison and tracked down Den Watts to have a good old fight in Angie's Den before going on the run. Alfie managed to make it FAKE snow for Christmas thanks to a snow machine...

8. 2005 was the year Kat and Alfie bid farewell to Walford forever... well for about 5 years anyway! He scooped her into his arms and chucked her into his dodgy motor, as REAL snow flittered down upon the Square. Awwwww!!! We also learned Shannis were pregnant!

9. 2013 - Janine vs. David. A battle between Pat's beloved (rest her soul!) which involved blackmail over David's knowledge that Janine had killed husband Michael. Cue David getting hit by a car (signature Janine move), leading to Janine eventually getting driven out of Walford in the back of a police car (signature Janine exit). There were also hijinks between a screechy Bianca throwing gravy, turkey and all the trimmings at boyfriend Terry's ex-wife Nikki... as you do. Danny Dyer also showed up to buy the Queen Vic.

10. 2002 was long and drawn out - with many Mitchells getting a goodbye scene with poor Jamie who just wouldn't hurry up and die already!! But there was some sweet relief with Billy and Little Mo's wedding! The show also parodied itself in recreating the classic scene in which Michelle Fowler calls her babydaddy thanks to Laura Beale. It were Garry Hobbs! (But that later turned out to be wrong all along!) That baby was psycho-demon sister-killer Bobby!!!

11. Branning overload in 2012. We got a new Branning wife in Kirsty but also lost failed-villain and toad Derek. Good times!

12. 2008's saving grace was Suzy Branning - who delivered some of the most epic putdowns in EE history to the unsuspecting Mitchells. Ronnie was vinegar lips, Peggy was Walford's very own poisonous button mushroom! Ben, conceived with a weak sperm! A speech delivered in style before absolutely ruining the whole day altogether by placing paternity results in a cracker, revealing Sean Slater wasn't Amy's father after all!

13. 2014 saw Shirley screaming ''HE'S YOUR BRUVVA!'' - a revelation that completely shat upon everything Christmas for the Carters... But I guess Linda revealing she was raped by Dean months earlier probably was worse. Actually, I'd imagine that one was MUCH worse!

14. In 2006, Pauline lay down for a nap in the snow and just never got up again.

15. 2011 was the Christmas Yusef Khan terrorized poor Zainab. She was rescued by ex Masood who then decided to party in the B&B with all the other Walford residents. But Yusef was lurking nearby with matches and a can of petrol. This episode ended where most of the big drama was starting... Boo!
I wasn't overly big on 2009 but otherwise I wholeheartedly agree with all of that, more or less. Brilliant post.
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Old 18-12-2015, 01:33
cezzy
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2007 was a fantastic episode, but to be honest almost all of the Christmas Day episodes have had something of interest with some being more dynamic than others. The Kat/Alfie ones all bore me.
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Old 18-12-2015, 10:06
D. Morgan
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Stax reveal was in a league of its own.

I also enjoyed Kat and Alfie's wedding, Jamie's death and Peggy going crazy in The Vic.

The last few years have been awful in comparison.
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Old 18-12-2015, 12:42
Yoshi Fan
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2003, 2005, 2006 and 2009 are my absolute favourites.

2004 with Sharon/Dennis was naff, 2011 didn't feel like a Christmas episode to me and was bettered by the Boxing Day fire. 2014 was predictable and disappointing, also bettered by its Boxing Day counterpart.
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Old 18-12-2015, 13:23
FM Lover
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The poll says 2006 - Pauline's murder.

I didn't think she was murdered
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Old 18-12-2015, 13:25
attitude99
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The poll says 2006 - Pauline's murder.

I didn't think she was murdered
She got hit over the head didn't she?
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Old 18-12-2015, 13:31
Broken_Arrow
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2004.

Dirty Den, Sharon, Chrissie and Dennis. Magical.
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Old 18-12-2015, 13:38
cobwebsoup
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The poll says 2006 - Pauline's murder.

I didn't think she was murdered
She got hit over the head didn't she?
Yes a few weeks into January 2007, Joe admitted to Dot that he hit Pauline and it was him who was responsible for her death. Then he fell out a window and died. One of the worst storylines Eastenders have ever done.
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Old 18-12-2015, 13:40
attitude99
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Yes a few weeks into January 2007, Joe admitted to Dot that he hit Pauline and it was him who was responsible for her death. Then he fell out a window and died. One of the worst storylines Eastenders have ever done.
I remember that part. He fell out the window onto the market stall. I also recall Sonia being arrested for her murder because the slapped Pauline and broke the fruit bowl.
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Old 18-12-2015, 13:50
cobwebsoup
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I remember that part. He fell out the window onto the market stall. I also recall Sonia being arrested for her murder because the slapped Pauline and broke the fruit bowl.
That's right yeah. I think it was at Pauline's funeral when the Police arrested Sonia, or it may have been afterwards.
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