Bobby Beale killed Lucy: EastEnders fans react to killer finally being revealed as 12-year-old

Fans had waited almost a year to find out

Lucy Beale (BBC)

After a nail-biting ten month wait, Bobby Beale was finally revealed as Lucy Beale's killer in EastEnders.

The culprit was unveiled in a semi-live episode, which was part of two episodes broadcast in the same evening to mark the 30th anniversary of the show.

For the reveal, viewers saw Jane Beale receive a call and run over to the Beale house where she found Lucy's body on the floor.

Jane then turned to see Bobby standing behind them.

“Whatever she says, she started it. She made everyone unhappy," Lucy's 12-year-old brother said ominiously.

During the big moment, 'Lucy Beale' was trending on Facebook, and #Eastenders and #EELIive were top on Twitter, as social media sites exploded with fan reactions.

Many fans were quick to make comparisons with other creepy characters, including Damian from the horror movie The Omen and Norman Bates from Psycho. Others went as far as saying the tragic episode was Shakespearean.

Meanwhile, youth entertainment channel SBTV seized the chance to superimpose little Bobby's face onto that of aptly named rapper Bobby Shmurda.

But some came away disappointed, complaining that it wasn't worth the wait.

Others were just frantically trying to avoid any spoilers.