The ten most legendary Christmas cleaning soap scenes ever – from tragic deaths to bombshell affairs and explosive accidents

As the festive season is upon us once again, the nation are preparing to sink their teeth into some of the best soap storylines. 

This year, EastEnders is already gearing up for another gritty Christmas episode which will see a major character battle with their mental health.

New research from Slingo has revealed the most-watched festive soap scenes on YouTube by looking at the number of views on the most popular videos. 

It also looked into the best overall soaps in the UK and US by analysing IMDB ratings, the number of awards won and the total number of Google Searches.

The data revealed that EastEnders has claimed a whopping six spots on the list of most-watched festive moments featuring unforgettable twists like Max and Stacey’s affair. 

Here, MailOnline has rounded up the top 10 iconic Christmas Day scenes from the nation’s favourite soaps that left fans screaming at their screens.

1. Max and Stacey’s affair – EastEnders (2007)

Taking the top spot is an EastEnders Christmas secret that left fans gasping with shock when it aired.

The explosive reveal of Max and Stacey’s affair in 2007 was the UK’s most watched festive TV scene, fetching 1,600,000 views on its most popular YouTube video.

The winning moment famously saw Max and Stacey’s bombshell kiss on the day of her wedding to his son Bradley (Charlie Clements).

The shocking kiss, which viewers had watched a month earlier, was revealed to the entire family as Stacey and Bradley’s wedding video was shown on Christmas Day.

Reminiscing, the family decided to watch the video amid their festive celebrations, but little did they know that Lauren Branning (Madeline Duggan) had accidentally secretly recorded Stacey’s clinch with her father-in-law Max.

The whole family, particularly Bradley and Max’s wife Tanya Cross (Jo Joyner), were left completely shocked by the footage, with Lauren rushing out in tears.

Max desperately tried to convince his wife Tanya that they were simply recording it as a joke to show Bradley, but she was left devastated and completely unconvinced.

Stacey then tearfully apologised as the truth finally came out, with Bradley becoming embroiled in a physical fight with his father Max, knocking down the Christmas tree.

The tense scenes ended with Bradley storming out of the house, while Stacey was left in floods of tears.

2. Tiffany dies – EastEnders (1998)

EastEnders’ Tiffany Mitchell’s life came to an abrupt end when she was tragically ran over by Frank Butcher on New Year’s Eve 1998.

Making the second most legendary Christmas moment, the beloved character took her final breath while laying outside the Queen Vic.

With 883,000 views, it captured audiences and remains unforgettable.

Martine McCutcheon, who plays the character, has since said  she wouldn’t go back to EastEnders, even if her character Tiffany was to come back from the dead.

Her exit from the soap was a controversial one, since she only found out she was leaving when a radio host announced it. 

3. Tram crash – Coronation Street (2010)

Coronation Street’s Christmas tram crash in 2010 delivered one of the most intense holiday episodes in soap history, drawing in 623,000 YouTube views, making it the third-most watched festive TV scene,

As the quiet streets of Weatherfield turned into chaos, this gripping storyline left viewers stunned and glued to their screens.

It came as the show marked its 50th Anniversary with a jaw-dropping week of storylines, which saw Weatherfield thrown into chaos as an explosion led to a tram derailing and crashing onto the cobbles. 

The action-packed scenes led to the death of two long-term characters, Molly Dobbs and Ashley Peacock, and left several on deaths door, including Peter Barlow.

The scenes were also an homage to a 1967 storyline which saw a tram crash through the viaduct, leading to the famous line from Corrie veteran Rita Sullivan: ‘What is it with me and trams?’ 

4. Den and Angie Divorce – EastEnders (1986)

In fourth place, it’s still one of the most-watched moments in television history, and was considered the moment that put the soap on the map, pulling in 342,000 views on it’s most popular YouTube clip.

During EastEnders’ first ever Christmas episode in 1986, Den Watts (played by Leslie Grantham) exposed his wife Angie’s (Anita Dobson) lies by serving her with divorce papers. 

The dodgy dealer learned that his beloved wife had lied about having cancer to try and stop him from leaving her, but during a not-so romantic getaway to Venice, he overheard her drunkenly confess the lie to a waiter.

In a heart-stopping moment, Den pulled his wife away from their perfect family Christmas, and handed her a letter from his solicitor revealing that he’d filed for divorce.

Ending with the classic line: ‘Happy Christmas Ang,’ it was a moment watched by more than 30 million viewers.

Den is still considered one of the soap’s greatest ever characters, and after supposedly being killed off in 1989, he was brought back from the dead in an explosive 2003 twist before being permanently silenced in 2005.

5. Who killed Archie? – EastEnders (2010)

In 2010, a Who Done It? that gripped the nation, after the villainous Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb) was killed on Christmas Day in 2009 after being hit over the head with the bust of the Queen Vic.

It sits at fifth place in the list with an impressive 250,000 YouTube views. 

The culprit was set to be revealed in a live episode to celebrate the soap’s 25th Anniversary and there was a long list of suspects after Archie made enemies of everyone in the Square.

After his wife Peggy (Barbara Windsor) learned that he sexually assaulted his daughter Ronnie, she decided to end their marriage in dramatic fashion.

Archie hid the fact that Ronnie’s daughter Amy was still alive, and had been trying to reunite with her mum on the Square under the name Danielle.

When Ronnie (Samantha Womack) finally learned the truth, Danielle (Lauren Crace) was run over by a car and tragically killed, leaving her mum devastated.

Bradley was also furious to learn that Archie had raped his wife Stacey, so there were many theories for fans to muse over after watching Archie’s death.

The live episode saw Bradley die after falling from the roof of the Queen Vic, and in a surprise twist Stacey confessed that she was Archie’s killer.

6. Kat and Alfie’s wedding – EastEnders (2003)

Kat Slater and Alfie moon tied the knot on Christmas Day in 2003, with Alfie buying a snow machine to fulfil Kat’s dream of a snowy wedding.

It was a happy moment for viewers after the couple took their time together – Alfie had to stop Kat’s wedding to gangster Andy before they admitted they were in love.

On top of this, Alfie was still technically married to Liza but couldn’t bring himself to tell Kat, so she only found out at the actual ceremony.

She forgave him when the dicorce papers were brought along and she was persuaded to give him a second chance. 

The YouTube video garnered 215,055 views, with fans still loving the episode more than two decades after it aired. 

7. Val’s return – Emmerdale (2017)

In 2017, EastEnders legend Val Pollard (Charlie Hardwick) had a very memorable comeback to the show for the soap’s Christmas day episode.

Viewers couldn’t believe their eyes when she appeared as a ghost in Robert Sugden’s delirious coma dream. 

Val met her grisly end back in August 2015 when she died after being impaled by a shard of glass in a hall of mirrors. 

In the surprise comeback that left fans in stitches, Val’s ghost warned Robert that he needs to stop hurting his loved ones.

It came after Robert was hit by Lawrence White’s car and was fighting for his life in hospital, which left him in a state of confusion.

He dreamt that he was at Aaron Dingle’s funeral and Val was there, as she told him: ‘You’re going to do yourself an injury if you keep that up.’

8. Ronnie Mitchell’s baby swap – EastEnders (2010)

In eighth place on the list with 136,000 views is an EastEnders 2010 storyline that saw characters Ronnie Branning and Kat Moon both gave birth in the same episode.

Viewers were left in shock after Ronnie’s son, James, died of sudden infant death syndrome and Ronnie secretly swaps him with Kat’s son, Tommy. 

The controverisial storyline attracted record numbers of complaints – around 13,400 people complained to the BBC while another 1,044 complained directly to communications watchdog Ofcom.

In a report published by Ofcom at the time, the watchdog said viewers had complained it was ‘an inaccurate, insensitive and sensationalised portrayal of the behaviour of a mother who has lost a baby from cot death’. 

The BBC ended the storyline earlier than planned in the face of the complaints. 

9. Hilda’s farewell – Coronation Street (1987)

Hilda’s departure from the Cobbles in 1987 is in ninth place on the memorable list, with 103,000 YouTube views.

The episode brought Coronation Street its highest ever ratings, with 27 million viewers watching her bid farewell on Christmas Day after 23 years on screen.

Actress Jean Alexander decided to leave the soap as bosses struggled to create storylines for Hilda after her husband Stanley’s death in 1984, following actor Bernard Youens’ death off-screen.

Hilda planned to bid farewell to Weatherfield after accepting a job as a housekeeper in Derbyshire, and the entire Street threw a party in her honour before joining her to sing Wish Me Luck as You Wave Me Goodbye.’

10. Becca and Justin’s affair begins – Hollyoaks (2005)

Becca Hayton’s scandalous 2005 affair with her younger student Justin Burton affair rounds off the top ten legendary festive soap moments.

The forbidden romance aired between 2005 and 2006, but began on Christmas Eve in 2005, as the duo shared a kiss and she later became pregnant with his baby.

Becca’s school found out and she lost her job, with matters being mae worse when Justin issued a false statement that she had groomed and raped him when he was 15. 

The events landed Becca with two years in prison, despire Justin eventually telling the truth, she was stabbed in prison and died.