They've frequently butted heads down the years, but a devastated Ian Beale finds an unlikely shoulder to cry on in old foe Phil Mitchell following the death of his daughter, Lucy.
The Walford stalwart, played by long-serving cast-member Adam Woodyatt, is seen being comforted by the bald mechanic, played by Steve McFadden, following Lucy's murder – a storyline that EastEnders bosses hope will boost the show's ratings.
Woodyatt told compared the storyline to gripping TV crime thriller Broadchurch, which scored a whopping 9.3m viewers when its finale was aired in April last year.
Speaking at the launch of the soap's latest episodes, he said: 'The executive producer summed it up in one word which sold it to me: Broadchurch.
Devastated: Ian Beale has an unlikely friend in Phil Mictehll as he comes mto terms with the tragic death of daughter Lucy
'Hopefully we'll do it even better, because we've got longer to tell the story. Ian's agony is to be prolonged as the kill will not be unmasked until next February - the show's 30th anniversary.'
The star also said he thinks any one of around seven cast members could be unmasked as his on-screen daughter's murderer in the soap's latest storyline.
He said: 'I've got motives for about seven members of the cast, I mean plausible motives.'
Show bosses are censoring scripts to keep the cast in the dark and Ben Hardy, who plays Lucy's brother Peter, said his theory is that 'more than one person' was involved.
He said: 'I'd be excited to play it but I don't think Peter has got enough motive. I don't think it would fit the character.'
Emotional: Ian, played by long-serving cast-memner Adam Woodyatt, shares a moment with Phil
Unlikely friends: The two characters have butted heads on numerous occasions down the years, but Phil is a shoulder to cry on as Ian comes to terms with his devastating loss in EastEnders
Emotions are also running high at Lucy Beale's funeral as her father lashes out at love rat Max Branning.
The father-of-three is seen tearfully grabbing Max by the lapels of his funeral attire, trying to hit the used-car salesman.
And it would seem Ian chased the ginger lothario out of the church, where a ceremony for Lucy Beale was being held after her untimely demise, after finding out about his daughter's secret liaisons with the father-of-three.
A strong comparison: Adam Woodyatt, who plays Ian Beale in the soap, has compared the up-coming whodunit to hit crime drama Broadchurch
Tempers are flaring: Ian Beale starts a fight with Max Branning at his daughter's funeral
A very emotional Ian pushes a sorry-looking Max out of the church and proceeds to attack him before being dragged off by his son, Peter.
The congregation follow the fighting pair outside and the square's tough-nut Phil Mitchell is just about to get involved when his girlfriend Sharon pulls him back.
Ian shouts at Max to 'go' and the used-car sales man walks off dejected.
Here the come: The pair start to argue in the church before taking the fight outside
Fighting face: Ian looked emotional as he ran behind Max with the intention of hitting him
Scuffle: The two man get down to it, but Max isn't biting
In scenes before her murder, Max and Lucy are seen arguing - leading the audience to come to their own conclusions about the blonde's death.
Max accidentally trips the new estate agent up and she ends up on the floor with a head injury - but it seems like nothing more serious than a minor blow to the head.
Lucy's funeral is an uncomfortable display of raw emotion, actor Adam Woodyatt performs intense scenes for a forthcoming episode of the BBC drama, which will no doubt leave fans moved.
Emotions running high: Ian had just found out Max had been having a secret affair with his daughter Lucy
'Get out of my pub': Ian utters the immortal line 'go, get out of here', which is a near classic for the soap
Phil to the rescue: The square's hard man Phil Mitchell nearly wades in to stop the fight but his girlfriend Sharon stops him
Wearing a black suit with a white shirt, distraught Ian Beale can be seen leaving the church after daughter Lucy's funeral to be consoled by ex-wife Jane played by Laurie Brett.
Breaking down in tears, he holds his head in his hands and weeps.
He can then be seen looking at the flowers in the hearse, which are emblazoned with messages of love, sympathy and support from loved ones.
Tempestuous: Max argues with Lucy Beale, shortly before she dies in the BBC1 drama
Furious at Ian for not showing an interest in her business, Lucy arrives at the car lot seeking comfort. However, when Max sides with Ian the couple have an argument leading Lucy to trip and bang her head
Sad: A distraught Ian Beale leves the church after daughter Lucy's funeral to be consoled by ex-wife Jane
Cold comfort: Ian Beale is clearly devastated at the loss of his daughter - but is supported by his ex-wife
Hetti Bywater, 19, who plays Lucy, reckons her character's obsession with Max is because she's got issues with her own father Ian Beale.
Speaking to the Daily Star said: 'She has a lot of problems with her dad. It's almost as if Max is giving her that fatherly support.
'From Max's point of view, the fact it's a secret makes it more exciting but on Lucy's part, the excitement goes away very quickly.
'She doesn't know what her emotions are. The excitement goes when the guilt comes.'
The troublesome 20-year-old has been murdered a month before rival ITV's Coronation Street stages a bloodbath with barmaid Tina McIntyre, played by Michelle Keegan.
A father's grief: Ian, played by Adam Woodyatt, struggles to keep it together at the funeral
Long-running: BBC1's Eastenders remains one of the station's flagship shows - and never avoids difficult storylines
BBC executives are keen to ramp up viewings for the series with insider saying the murder plot is bigger than 2001's whodunnit - when Phil Mitchell was shot pulling in 22 million viewers.
Lucy Beale's character has been killed off in a huge storyline for the soap which will keep people guessing as to who is the culprit.
Max Branning – Lauren's father, who is played by Jake Wood – is one suspect after it was recently revealed that he is Lucy's mystery lover.
The revelation is the first twist in a year-long storyline for the BBC show.
Actors Adam Woodyatt and Laurie Brett perform some difficult scenes in a forthcoming episode
Lucy Beale's character has been killed off in a huge storyline for the soap which will keep people guessing
However, Ben Stephenson - drama boss for the show - said that everybody is a suspect.
'Just about everyone who lives there is a suspect and we are going to use every single cast member in the marketing campaign, which is the biggest we've ever done.
'EastEnders is back to its best and we want everyone to know about it.'
And it's not going to be a swift affair as the storyline is set to run from April 2014 to February 2015 – a whopping 10 months – which ties in with the show's 30th anniversary.
The devastated family arrive for Lucy's funeral. Ian Beale, Peter Beale, Cindy Williams, Christian Clarke, Bobby Beale
End of an era: Lucy Beale, played by Hetti Bywater, 20, will make a dramatic exit at Easter in a gripping storyline
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