EastEnders fans are convinced they’ve worked out who attacked Cindy Beale on Christmas night after the latest episode of the BBC One soap dropped a major clue

EastEnders has thrown another curveball in the ‘who attacked Cindy Beale’ plot, as she was brought out of her medically induced coma in the latest episode.

In scenes available now on BBC iPlayer and set to air on BBC One on Thursday (January 9) night, Peter Beale (Thomas Law) stumbled upon his sisters Anna (Molly Rainford) and Gina Knight (Francesca Henry) attempting to dispose of evidence that George Knight (Colin Salmon) participated in an illegal fight.

The girls were compelled to reveal their brother George’s secret, casting doubt on whether their father could have been the one who assaulted Cindy. Peter questioned George’s guilt, unconvinced that he wasn’t the one who hit his mother with a shovel on Christmas night.

However, Gina suggested that the person most embarrassed by Cindy was Peter’s dad, Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt). Anna also highlighted that Ian hadn’t been visiting Cindy in hospital.

Later, Peter confronted Ian about his absence from the hospital, suggesting that it made him appear guilty. However, Ian was indifferent, but Peter maintained that he knew Ian still had feelings for Cindy, despite everything she had done to him, and therefore didn’t believe his dad was the attacker, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Left alone, Ian received a call from Cindy’s doctor, informing him that Cindy had been brought out of her induced coma.

In the hospital, Cindy’s first word after waking up in hospital was “Ian”, leaving fans wondering if she actually seen Ian attack her or does her heart pine for him despite the pain they’ve caused each other?

Despite the massive hint from EastEnders that Ian could’ve been behind the brutal attack on Cindy, soap fans aren’t buying it. After Thursday’s cliffhanger ended up online, serial tweeters unleashed their theories.

Left alone, Ian Beale received a call from Cindy’s doctor(Image: BBC)

One superfan wrote: “On the Cindy front I’m more convinced than ever that George is covering up for Kojo after seeing him kill her.”

Another threw in their tuppence worth: “#EastEnders Reiss could of smacked Cindy.” The debate heated up as a third chimed in: “Ngl I hope it’s Peter that hit Cindy. At least make it interesting #EastEnders.”

The answer is just around the corner, as the attacker will be unmasked during the shows ruby jubilee celebrations. Executive Producer Chris Clenshaw spilled some tea, sharing: “Our 40th anniversary storylines have been in the works for some time, but even at the very start of planning, we knew that we wanted to reveal the identity of Cindy’s attacker as part of this.”

“Many characters currently find themselves in the line of question, but over the coming weeks, the audience can look out for clues themselves to who may be the culprit. Cindy’s attacker reveal is just one of many stories we have planned for the anniversary as it is set to be a week of explosive drama for the audience to remember.”

EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One and available to stream on BBC iPlayer from 6am