Lamb tipped Ronnie as 'Enders killer

Former EastEnders star Larry Lamb expected Ronnie Mitchell to be unveiled as the killer of his character Archie, it has been revealed.

The actor wrote Ronnie's name down on a piece of paper and placed it into a sealed envelope ahead of this evening's live broadcast, which ultimately saw Stacey Branning (Lacey Turner) confessing to the murder. He showed his unsuccessful prediction on EastEnders Live: The Aftermath tonight.

Archie's daughter Ronnie (Samantha Womack) was seen as one of the most likely suspects in the murder mystery as she had resented her father for years after becoming the target of his controlling behaviour and schemes time and time again.

Discussing tonight's live broadcast, Lamb commented: "I certainly didn't know who the killer was. I sat there and watched [to find out]. I was rather surprised, I have to say. Although bearing in mind [Archie's] supposed to have raped [Stacey], perhaps not so surprised!"

The star added that the soap's cast and crew handled the pressure of the 25th anniversary episode "brilliantly".

He said: "[It was] absolutely extraordinary. It's the logistics - that's the thing. This is not an easy situation. All that moving, that's what's the test. It's not just the acting - it's getting everyone there to do it. The technical [aspect] here was just extraordinary."

EastEnders' executive producer Diederick Santer has confirmed that he was "so proud" of how the episode went.