EastEnders fans say their jaws were "on the floor" after Fatboy showed up in last night's dramatic episode!
Viewers were still getting used to Cindy's return from the dead, only to have Fatboy - who died in grim and grisly circumstances back in 2015 - show up!
It sounds bonkers, but it all totally made sense and the fans absolutely loved it!
Viewers were treated to a flashback to the day Lucy Beale's body was discovered, back in April 2014.
Cindy was living in Marbella with George and her little girls, when she got the call to say her older daughter Lucy had been murdered.
Horrified, Cindy grabbed her passport and fled to Walford, where she lurked in the Square, watching as Ian walked slowly to The Queen Vic, ready to tell Peter his twin sister was dead.
The new footage was cleverly interspersed with scenes from 2014, bringing back memories of the brilliant 'who killed Lucy' mystery.
As Cindy watched though, her witness protection contact Mary arrived and told her to get into the car.
She told Cindy that Lucy could have been killed by the Ford family and warned her that she'd blown her cover by returning to Albert Square - and that meant it would be too dangerous to go back to Spain.
As the women chatted, they were startled by a knock on the car window.
And who was there? FATBOY!
Mary and Cindy were startled by the interruption but he told them not to be shook and said he had "good boy credentials" because he lived with a pensioner!
Fatboy wanted to know the time because he was heading to the pool tournament at The Vic. Mary told him and he went on his way.
Now THIS is the comeback we've all been wanting and waiting for!!! ❤️#fatboy #EastEnders @RickyJNorwood pic.twitter.com/IawWSmOy11August 29, 2023
OMG!!!!! Jaw on the floor!!!! Fatboy!!!! 😍😍😮😮What a surprise!! I miss him!! #EastEndersAugust 29, 2023
I screamed fatboy! When he popped up. Little throwback #EastEnders bring him back from the dead 😂 pic.twitter.com/lV4wW2IaWCAugust 29, 2023
A tiny conversation but it left the fans "SCREAMING"!
"Now this is the comeback we've all been wanting and waiting for!!!" said one delighted viewer.
"Jaw on the floor," admitted another.
Fatboy - whose real name was Arthur Chubb - was a huge fan favourite back in the 2010s. His cute relationship with his landlady Dot Cotton - and his steamy affair with Denise Fox - were popular among viewers.
And when he revealed his comedy character was a way of dealing with sadness from his abusive childhood the fans loved him even more.
But Fatboy got mixed up with Ronnie Mitchell's weird feud with Vincent Hubbard and in a tragic case of mistaken identity was killed at the end of 2015.
Ronnie had arranged for Vincent's car to be crushed - with the driver inside - assuming, of course her nemesis would be driving.
But it was Fatboy who was in the car and who met a sorry end. Vincent was horrified when he found his necklace and lied to Mrs C - as Fatboy called Dot - and Ronnie, telling them Fatboy had simply left Walford forever.
Fans were horrified by his gruesome and, according to some, unnecessary death and have long called for a resolution.
Some eagle-eyed viewers even thought he might return after Dot's death, when they spotted a sympathy card signed 'Arthur'.
Now we've had a glimpse of Fatboy back in the day, a few fans want him to return permanently!
Fatboy needs to come back permanently. We never saw the body. If Cindy can return so can Fatboy. #EastEnders #BringBackFatboy pic.twitter.com/urnbQ6pocdAugust 29, 2023
"We never saw the body," one fan pointed out. "If Cindy can return, so can Fatboy."
But others said Fatboy would have no reason to come back, as he no longer has any links to Albert Square.
"What would be the point?" asked a viewer.
I get that Fatboy’s death in EastEnders was horrid and unnecessary but why is everyone so eager for him to come back now? Dot, Ronnie and Vincent are dead, Whitney is leaving, what would be the point? If you’re going to reverse a “death” there needs to be a damn good reason.August 29, 2023
Instead some fans thought Fatboy's return - just like when we saw Roxy in Amy's imagination earlier this year - was really about producer Chris Clenshaw 'apologising' to viewers for killing off a popular character. "A lovely coda," as one viewer called it.
I love Chris Clenshaw. He clearly knows the deaths of Fatboy , Ronnie and Roxy were unjust and a mistake.Roxy’s cameo and the Fatboy cameo are his way of saying sorry and doing the best he can since he can’t bring them back fully. #EastEndersAugust 29, 2023
#EastEnders tonight was really great. The 2014 Ian/Lucy stuff edited into Cindy's storyline was done brilliantly. But the highlight was giving Fatboy a lovely coda, and possibly potential salvation, from one of the cruellest and most pointless deaths — it just brought joy! pic.twitter.com/OJbk4jF6BKAugust 29, 2023
What do you think? Would you want to see Fatboy return?
EastEnders usually airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm and on BBC iPlayer. Check our TV Guide for more information.
