EASTENDERS left fans stunned when a pre-watershed scene featured unexpected swearing, marking a rare moment for the BBC soap.
The shocking outburst came as the dramatic outcome of the show's gripping New Year storyline was revealed.
EastEnders viewers were on the edge of their seats when Ravi made a shocking confession to his lover Denise, culminating in the unexpected use of strong language.
The intense moment underscored the high stakes and emotional turmoil faced by the characters in the aftermath of the harrowing events of Nish Panesar's death.
Viewers were left reeling after Nish manipulated his son Ravi into a deadly confrontation, pushing him to the brink during a tense moment on the balcony of the hotel where Suki and Eve had just tied the knot.
In a bid to take Suki down with him, Nish grabbed her scarf as he fell.
Since that fateful night, the residents have hailed Ravi as a savior, but the reality is far darker.
As Suki clings to life in the hospital, Ravi is consumed by guilt.
Viewers saw a vulnerable side of him as he opened up to Denise, confessing that he never felt like a hero and harbored deep-seated resentment towards Nish.
The raw emotion reached its peak when Ravi shockingly swore during his confession, admitting, "I wanted to rip his head off! I wanted to choke the old bastard."
Fans were taken aback by the intense scene, showcasing Ravi's inner turmoil and hinting at the emotional depth yet to come in this gripping storyline.
They took to social media to express their surprise at the swearing, with one tweeting: "PRE WATERSHED BASTARD?? angie watts would be proud xx"
Meanwhile, the BBC soap announced last year that their 40th anniversary will be marked by a fan vote to decide which way a love triangle would fall.
EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw has revealed the love triangle it will be Denise, Jack and Ravi.
Fans will get the power to decide whether Denise Fox reunites with estranged husband Jack or picks secret lover Ravi Gulati instead in an interactive Walford first.
For the first time ever, as part of the show’s 40th birthday celebrations, viewers get to vote for their choice of outcome, which will be revealed during a special live episode in anniversary week.
LOVE triangles are a fundamental part of soap-land, but which ones have become the most iconic?
EASTENDERS
Bradley/Stacey/Max: Stacey Slater began an affair with boyfriend Bradley Branning's dad Max in 2007.
Despite their romps, Stacey still married Bradley, but their deceit came out in an iconic Christmas Day episode that year.
Grant/Sharon/Phil: Heading even further back in Walford history, EastEnders fans were gripped in the 90s as Sharon Watts had a one-night stand with her brother-in-law Phil Mitchell.
Sharon confided in best friend Michelle Fowler - not realising it was caught on tape - and her husband Grant eventually found out and played it in front of everyone at the Queen Vic.
Syed/Amira/Christian: Syed Masood was engaged to Amira before realising he had feelings for another man, Christian, which he confessed to him on his wedding day.
A devout Muslim, Syed refused to admit his true sexuality and went ahead and married Amira anyway, but when they returned, the two men started an affair before being caught in the act by Amira.
CORONATION STREET
Shelley/Peter/Lucy: Peter Barlow took the concept of a love triangle and ran with it in Coronation Street - extending it to bigamy.
He was in a relationship with Shelley Unwin but started dating Lucy Richards, and quickly married her after she fell pregnant with his son, Simon.
But it didn't stop him also marrying Shelley, but he was eventually caught when Lucy turned up in Weatherfield and the two women confronted him.
Ken/Deidre/Mike: Back in 1982, Deirdre Barlow started sleeping with her husband's nemesis Mike Baldwin in secret, before confessing all a year later.
When Mike turned up at the marital home, Deirdre was being throttled by her husband who then kicked her out, but years later they reconciled.
Maria/Aidan/Eva: In 2017, Aidan Connor started sleeping with girlfriend Eva Price's best friend, Maria Connor.
Eva eventually found out and she decided to take revenge by faking a pregnancy, spending his money and planned to confront him on their wedding day.
But she had a change of heart when a remorseful Aidan confessed, and decided to marry him anyway, only for Maria to arrive and expose her fake pregnancy.
EMMERDALE
Ross/Debbie/Pete: Debbie Dingle found herself torn between two brothers, Ross and Pete Barton in 2015 in Emmerdale.
She eventually decided to marry Pete but yet again, a soap wedding day was ruined when the groom learned of his bride's betrayal via a recording played at the wedding.
Chrissie/Robert/Aaron: Robert Sugden was married to Chrissie White and all seemed well - until he began a steamy affair with Aaron Dingle.
Robert's ex Katie Sugden almost exposed the affair - but fell to her death before she had the chance.
However, a guilty Aaron eventually cracked and told Chrissie about the affair - after which she announced it to the whole pub.
Last year, Denise and Jack’s tumultuous marriage finally fell apart when it was revealed that he’d been having an affair with Stacey Slater.
However, since then, Jack and Denise have given in to passion a few times and shared plenty of warm moments as part of their blended family.
More recently, Denise has been secretly seeing former flame Ravi since a romantic encounter on Christmas Day.
Things are complicated between them due to Ravi’s troubled past, and the fact he used to be in a serious relationship with Denise’s daughter Chelsea.
There’s a lot to consider as viewers watch Denise torn between the two men, but ultimately, they will be able to vote on the outcome they want.
The executive producer said: “We’re all so excited to give our audience their first ever chance to decide how one of our big storylines plays out.
“Their votes will determine whether Denise picks Jack or Ravi, with the outcome being revealed as part of our live episode.
“There is a lot to come over the next few weeks for all three involved, so it’ll be extremely exciting to see which way the audience choose to take the story!”
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One and is available to stream from 6am on BBC iPlayer.
