‘It’s like the walking dead round here.’

David Wicks’ impeccable reaction to bumping into several dead EastEnders icons as he toured Walford propelled this past week’s episodes into some of soap’s best this year alone.

And there was also the ultra high camp scene played perfectly by Michelle Collins which saw a somewhat dazed Cindy surrounded by four of her most significant male conquests – such a spectacle is what the soap genre was made for.

It’s a week none of us ever imagined would come to pass, were it not for the seemingly endless magic of (sadly outgoing) maestro Chris Clenshaw, who could evidently persuade a turkey to celebrate Christmas.

When promotional pictures of this week landed in my inbox, the EastEnders fanboy in me could barely cope.

Here I was, perusing storyline details of Michael French reprising his iconic role while eyeing a photo of David, Cindy and Ian in the Beale living area.

Just two years ago, I could never have imagined such a thing, being able to relive one of TV’s best ever love triangles oozing with chemistry – which hasn’t even slightly dwindled despite the decades long gap.

Cindy Beale was dead and buried, David Wicks was one of those characters so steeped in history but so long gone that any thought of seeing him again was a futile hope, and even Walford stalwart Ian Beale seemed like he might have been gone for good, with Adam Woodyatt’s break having ended up spanning a number of years.

And right smack bang in the middle of it all is also Colin Salmon. It’s the stuff of mushroom induced fever dreams.

Yet here we are. For the nostalgia alone, aligning the stars was just too delicious to resist and, even if it had just been solely fan service, it was more than forgivable.

But the episodes delivered so much more than that. Michael French has slotted so seamlessly back into Walford life that I ache for the day that he is pinned down for a longer term return.

The electric vibes between him and Michelle Collins have been off the scale, packed with mischief, longing, and edgy conflict. You could pretty much see the palpable heat coming off them.

Cindy had her most entertaining and her most Cindy week since her beautifully ridiculous return from the dead – she encompassed the lacking morals that we know and love her for.

And Ian being at the forefront, being set up for the crushing ‘I’ve got nuffink left’-esque heartbreak that Adam Woodyatt deals with like no other is scintillating.

The more oblivious he is to Cindy’s numerous betrayals, the more explosive it’s going to be when that accidental recording comes to light, inevitably delivering an explosive awkwardness that could come close to Sharongate.

That’s Christmas or the 40th anniversary sorted right off the bat.

But that’s not all. Even wilder is having Patsy Palmer and Paul Nicholls in the mix too. With Jessie Wallace as Kat Slater leading the other main storyline strand of the week and Gillian Taylforth and Jacqueline Jossa part of the action too, what even is current EastEnders if not a display of greatest hits, brought to modern times with the right mix of throwbacks and fresh twists?

While David, Cindy and Ian are very much their characters of old, it was also delightful to see some development in David. He supported Bianca better than he would have managed previously (though ideally wouldn’t have left her again so quickly!) and was even retaining contact with Joe (who saw THAT coming!?) and his granddaughter.

He’s actually being a bit of a dad!

Tuning into an episode this week provided so many pinch-me moments for soap fans, and EastEnders unashamedly leaning into its history while also even poking fun at itself with the afore-mentioned ‘so many not so dead women’ scene is such a treat.

The next challenge? Topping this on the 40th anniversary.

I’d have had my doubts that this is even possible but, given that I never dreamed this week could ever be a thing, I am pretty convinced that the show will actually pull it off.