Who Killed Lucy Beale?

"Who Killed Lucy Beale?" is a storyline from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. It was announced on 21 February 2014, and began on 18 April 2014, when Lucy Beale (Hetti Bywater) was discovered dead on Walford Common from a deliberately inflicted head injury. The storyline reached a peak during EastEnders Live Week on 19 February 2015, the show's 30th anniversary episode, during which Lucy's 10-year-old half-brother, Bobby, is revealed to have killed her following a confrontation at home. Bobby's adoptive mother, Jane Beale, had covered for him, moving Lucy's body to Walford Common and convincing Bobby that he was not responsible for his sister's death.

The storyline was revived in July 2015, where it showed how the Beales coped with covering the secret and many locals being wrongfully arrested for committing the crime. The storyline reached another peak in December 2015, when Bobby discovers the truth. The storyline was revisited again in May 2016, when Bobby brutally attacks Jane, and reveals in a busy pub that he killed Lucy and attacked Jane. However, Jane survives the attack – although facing potential paralysis – and Bobby is arrested; he is later charged for Lucy's murder. The storyline culminated in the 16 June 2016 episode when Bobby is sentenced to three years custody in a young offenders institution for killing Lucy and causing grievous bodily harm upon Jane.

During the storyline, Max Branning (Jake Wood) was initially found guilty of Lucy's murder and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. After Bobby is jailed for Lucy's murder, the story arc can be seen as the catalyst for 2017's central storyline, which saw Max Branning seeking revenge on the community, particularly Sharon's husband Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) and Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt), for allowing him to go to prison for Lucy's murder.^[1]

The storyline is revisited again in June 2019 when Bobby is released from the young offenders institution, and in 2021, when Bobby explores what it is to pursue a relationship after his criminal history and the tabloid headlines which surrounded the murder.

In August 2023, the storyline is returned to when Lucy's mother, Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins), is seen secretly returning to Walford in a flashback to the night Lucy died. Cindy had been in witness protection since 1998 and presumed dead, only returning upon hearing the news of Lucy's death. Her return to Walford risked blowing her cover and she subsequently had to leave her new family behind in Marbella as well as leaving her family in Walford. Cindy's new family, including ex-husband George Knight (Colin Salmon), later moved to Walford, prompting her full-time return.

Cindy subsequently struggled to accept living with Lucy’s murderer, Bobby, causing tension between her and Ian. The story continues into July 2024 when Jane Beale returns. Cindy blames Jane for covering up Lucy’s murder, while Jane explains that she was protecting her adoptive son, Bobby, as Cindy’s son Steven had shot Jane in 2007, making her unable to have any biological children of her own.