EastEnders fans ‘gasping’ over massive return twist

**Lucas was last on our screens over two years ago (Picture: BBC)**

Here are spoilers for this Wednesday’s (January 31) episode of EastEnders, which is now available to view on BBC iPlayer.

When viewers opened the most recent episode of the venerable BBC One soap opera on iPlayer this morning, they were met with an unsettling sight: a very recognisable face.

And no, I’m not referring about Danny Walters’ Keanu Taylor.

In the aforementioned episode, when Denise Fox (Diane Parish) was seeing hallucinations as her hold on reality was loosening, the recently dead mechanic did make an appearance.

As viewers are aware, the hairdresser is having a very difficult time understanding what happened on Christmas Eve, when she and five other well-known Walford matriarchs covered up Keanu’s murder.

Denise was at her wit’s end after having a very detailed hallucination in which Keanu buried her under the café. Her husband Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) was also somewhat busy as he continued his affair with Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), so Denise turned to other sources for comfort.

She visited the prison of her ex-husband, serial murderer Lucas Johnston (Don Gilet), after Pastor Clayton gave her some counsel, advising her to vent to someone who had been in her shoes before.

I yelled when I told you. It seems that I wasn’t the only one who was completely taken aback by the huge storyline surprise; many were still in complete disbelief this morning.

Social media user katelynnmensah_ posted, “That ending… the GASP I just let out,” while @liamhamerrr commented, “I did not expect to see that face.”

Hard to relate to.

“#EastEnders ending the first month of the year on a high,” said a different fan on X, the previous Twitter.

Completely in agreement.

**Will Lucas give Denise any practical guidance on coping with taking another person’s life? (Image: BBC)**

Over the last several months, the cherished serial drama has had many high points, from unexpected comebacks all over the place to the highly regarded The Six plot, which culminated in a spectacular finale on Christmas Day.

There’s no denying that this is an exciting moment to be an EastEnder, and if January has shown us anything, it’s that the showrunners have plenty of drama planned for 2024.