Martin Fowler’s funeral overshadowed by vile crime as drunk Stacey Slater returns in EastEnders
EASTENDERS legend Martin Fowler is laid to rest in emotional scenes – but the sombre occasion is thrown into chaos by a shocking crime.
As Walford gathers to say goodbye, a drunk and heartbroken Stacey Slater makes a dramatic return, but her grief soon turns to horror when an unexpected betrayal rocks the Square.
As emotions run high, a drunken Stacey stumbles home, leaving Sonia desperately trying to sober her up before the funeral.
But when Stacey refuses to attend, tensions boil over with Lily.
At the wake, Ruby’s simmering resentment explodes into a dramatic showdown with Stacey.
Later, a furious confrontation at the allotment leads to explosive revelations that could shatter any hope of peace between them.
Meanwhile, Lily is led astray by Avani and hits the bottle – only for Stacey to find her daughter drunk.
But before she can make things right, tragedy strikes again as Martin’s market stall is torched.
Determined to get justice, Stacey vows to track down the culprit.
But when Ruby suddenly flees the Square, is she running from more than just her past?
EastEnders viewers know that Martin was tragically killed in the Queen Vic explosion last month.
He died in the arms of his ex-wife Stacey from a fatal injury after a ceiling beam fell and crushed him.
Before he passed away, Martin asked Stacey to marry him and they exchanged vows in emotional scenes.
However, Ruby still believes Martin wanted to be with her, causing tension between the families.
Can the Walford residents move forward after such a devastating loss?
Bex returns to Walford ahead of Martin’s funeral.
Most devastating soap deaths
SOAP viewers are frequently left heartbroken after watching some of their favourite characters bite the dust.
Here is a list of the most devastating deaths that have taken place in soapland over the years.
EASTENDERS
Barry Evans – Evil Janine (Charlie Brooks) lured her trusting fiance to Scotland for a quickie marriage after learning he was dying.
Her plan to inherit Barry’s fortune was thwarted when Barry told her that the doctors had mixed up his medical files.
Furious that she was no longer set for a windfall, she pushed Barry off a cliff after telling him their love was “fake”.
Bradley Branning – Bradley was accused of killing Stacey Slater’s rapist Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb) after he punched him twice on the night he died.
He was spotted in the Square by a police woman who chased him up a fire escape.
Bradley lost his balance and tragically plunged to his death.
CORONATION STREET
Tina McIntyre – Tina was getting it on with Peter Barlow – despite him being married to Carla Connor.
When she threatened to reveal the truth, Carla’s brother Rob got into a physical altercation with her.
Tina lost her footing and fell off a balcony – then warned Rob she was going to tell the cops he pushed her.
In a panic, Rob brutally clobbered her over the head with a metal pipe.
Molly Dobbs – Molly was one of the victims in Corrie’s 2010 tram crash, alongside Ashley Peacock (Steven Arnold).
Married to Tyrone (Alan Halsall), Molly had been having an affair with Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell) in the months before her death.
This resulted in the birth of their son, Jack (Kyran Bowes), who was named after Jack Duckworth.
As fate would have it, Kevin’s wife Sally (Sally Dynevor) was by Molly’s side in her final moments.
Sally was stunned as Molly confessed Kevin was Jack’s father, before dying of her injuries.
Vera Duckworth – Having appeared regularly in Corrie since the 1970s, there was no denying Vera Duckworth was an iconic character.
Alongside her husband Jack, the pair formed one of the soap’s most beloved couples.
Viewers were heartbroken when Vera was killed off in 2008, being discovered having passed away peacefully in her chair.
Liz Dawn, who played Vera, made a brief return two years later for Bill Tarmey’s exit as Jack.
Paul Foreman – Fans were heartbroken when Paul Foreman succumbed to his illness after battling motor neurone disease.
Introduced in 2018 as David Platt’s (Jack P. Shepherd) cellmate, he later embarked on a romance – and marriage – with vicar Billy Mayhew.
The MND storyline was announced in 2023 – with the expectation it would result in the character’s death.
EMMERDALE
Sarah Sugden – After the family got into financial problems, Sarah’s son Andy (Kelvin Fletcher) decided to make some quick cash from an insurance company by setting fire to the Sugden barn.
He didn’t realise his mum was inside the building, and she got trapped in the blaze.
Nine villagers – The shocking 1993 plane crash episode brought in 18 million viewers for Emmerdale.
Mark Hughes was killed by a falling wall, Archie Brooks was burned by jet fuel, Elizabeth Pollard was killed by debris and newcomer Leonard Kempinski died in a car crash caused by the crash.
Five other non-recurring characters from the village also died.
HOLLYOAKS
Carmel McQueen – The talented singer died in shocking scenes when a train crashed into a her family’s car.
Carmel managed to free her cousin Theresa from the rubble – but got stuck in it herself.
Moments later the train exploded and Carmel died in the arms of her family members, promising to be their guardian angel.
She asks her mum to accompany her at the undertakers to say goodbye to Martin, but an overcome Sonia can’t bring herself to go.
Elsewhere, Martin’s niece Vicki Fowler (Alice Haig) also arrives to join her relatives.
Vicki will set foot in Walford for the first time in over 20 years to attend her Uncle Martin’s funeral, bringing her new boyfriend Ross and his son Joel with her.
As Ross starts to introduce himself to Vicki’s wider family in the Square, will he win them over, or just leave them with more questions than answers?
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One at 7:30pm or stream from 6am on BBC iPlayer.