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After 35 years, EastEnders fell off the air for the first time in its history on Tuesday night, finally running out of episodes that were filmed prior to coronavirus shutting down production.
But what a final doof-doof moment it gifted fans.
The episode saw the ongoing sale of the Queen Vic come to a head, with the pub’s new owner was revealed as Sharon Mitchell in the final moments.
Over the last few months, fans have seen current landlords Mick and Linda Carter deciding to sell their beloved boozer in order to help Linda’s recovery from alcoholism.
Originally, they had planned to sell it to Phil Mitchell, as he plotted a fresh start for himself and his wife Sharon, following her affair with Keanu Taylor.
However, their relationship fell apart again last week, when Phil refused to accept Sharon’s decision to keep her lovechild with Keanu.
With Linda feeling uncomfortable with the idea of Phil owning the Vic after how he had treated her best mate Sharon, they pulled out of the sale, prompting a hunt for a new owner.
In the final episode, fans saw Mick inform Phil the deal was off, before introducing him to the new landlady, with Sharon perched behind the bar.
“Hello Phil, what can I get ya?” she purred to her estranged husband, as they exchanged glares before the famous drums kicked in for the last time in a number of months.
The extremely camp moment delighted long-term fans of the show…
And they noted how it was the perfect cliffhanger for the show to end on…
The moment also mirrored how Sharon was unveiled as the Vic landlady back in 2000, when she first took over the pub from arch enemy Peggy Mitchell…
However, with Ian Beale looking to have funded the purchase of the Vic for Sharon, fans also predicted the arrangement could be short-lived, as Ian is currently hiding the fact he is actually responsible for Sharon’s son Denny’s death during the boat crash in February…
Others weren’t fancying her chances of having a profitable business, as she will have had to close the pub’s doors due to coronavirus…
EastEnders is due to resume production at its studios in Elstree, Hertfordshire later this month, but with strict social distancing rules in place.
While it hasn’t been officially confirmed when new episodes will start airing, speculation has suggested the soap could be off air until September.
Bosses previously cut the number of episodes from four to two episodes per week to keep the show on as long as possible during the pandemic.
They have confirmed it will resume airing four times a week when it returns, although the episodes will have a shorter runtime of 20 minutes.
To plug the gap in the meantime, behind-the-scenes specials fronted by Stacey Dooley will air on Monday nights, as she chats to members of the cast.
Letitia Dean, Adam Woodyatt, Danny Dyer, Diane Parish, Tameka Empson and Kellie Bright have already been confirmed as among those taking part.
On Tuesday nights, BBC One will also screen “a selection of iconic episodes including the classic two-hander between Den and Angie, Sharongate and the explosive reveal of Max and Stacey’s affair”.
