It also sees the exit of Charlie Clements as Stacey's husband Bradley Branning, who dies after falling from the roof of The Queen Victoria public house.

Turner only learned that Stacey was Archie's killer half an hour before the episode aired, in a bid by the production team to maintain the storyline's secrecy.

It was described as "a triumph" by Shane Donaghey of The Belfast Telegraph,[3] praised by Tom Sutcliffe of The Independent for including stunt work, and commended for Clements and Turner's acting by Tim Teeman of The Times.

In contrast, however, The Guardian's Nancy Banks-Smith felt that viewers would be "incredulous" with the episode's outcome,[4] and Cate Devine of The Herald criticised problems with lighting and sound effects.

[5] EastEnders' executive producer Diederick Santer initially refrained from discussing the episode's plot, but commented that it would resolve a "big storyline" which would "keep the audience (as well as the cast and crew) guessing until the very last moment.

"[5] EastEnders storylines saw Archie Mitchell, landlord of The Queen Victoria public house murdered on Christmas Day 2009, with many characters considered potential suspects in the crime.

[12] Bradley made his last appearance in the live episode, urged to flee Walford by his father Max and uncle Jack (Scott Maslen) after becoming the prime suspect in the investigation into Archie's murder.

In an interview with daytime television show This Morning, Clements stated it was possible that Bradley was responsible, but was unsure whether he "[had] it in him", though felt that it would be "quite historical to go down as the one who killed Archie Mitchell".

Before details of the episode's plot were confirmed, Turner hoped that she would not be involved in it, deeming herself "awful" at performing live, unable to even deliver speeches.

[19] Clements denied any apprehension, likening the performance to acting in theatre,[20] and Nina Wadia stated that she was "really looking forward to it", enjoying experiences with an "adrenaline rush.

"[22] She expected to feel "uncomfortable" during the broadcast, as the episode is set the day before her character Zainab Masood gives birth, necessitating the wearing of a body suit with a large "baby bump" sewn in.

[27] Santer explained that the killer "may be revealed to the audience rather than the Square", preserving secrecy as the crew began filming episodes to be transmitted after the live broadcast.

Actress Charlie Brooks, who plays Archie's former lover Janine Butcher, found the secrecy difficult to work with, explaining: "In the episodes to be shown afterwards, you’re being told to look or speak a certain way, but not why.

For "EastEnders Live", cast and crew had two weeks to work on the episode, rehearsing, blocking scenes and discussing the characters' journeys at length.

[29] On the day of broadcast, The Mirror reported that EastEnders producers may have to re-write the episode or run a pre-recorded rehearsal tape rather than go ahead with the live transmission, as Turner was suffering from the flu and was unable to speak.

[38] During a scene in which Roxy and Ronnie argued in the Minute Mart, Womack took a bottle of paint stripper from the shelves, but forgot to stop at the counter to pay for it before exiting.

"[40] Santer explained that he had always intended for Stacey to be revealed as Archie's killer, and was never tempted to air a different conclusion, despite at least ten characters having strong motives.

[41] Turner was surprised to learn that Stacey was the killer, and hoped that viewers would sympathise with her character, observing: "She not only has to deal with the guilt of what she did but she also knows that she's inadvertently responsible for Bradley's death.

The Guardian's Dan Sabbagh observed that the storylines which will culminate in "EastEnders Live"—Ricky and Bianca's remarriage and the Archie Mitchell "whodunnit"—have seen the show undergo a revival, overtaking rival soap opera Coronation Street in the ratings for the first time in over three years.

[43] Conversely, Alison Rowat of The Herald felt that the current storylines indicated "the best days of EE are over", commenting: "Contrast it with the ever sprightly Coronation Street, where the scenes featuring Gail "Black Widow" McIntyre and her lucky white heather husband have been perfect soap fare.

Hat's [sic] off to the producers of EastEnders—it is a huge undertaking to do a show like that live and we hope we will be adding some spice to it as the odds change on different characters while the plot thickens."

In a world first, online gambling company Bodog offered live odds during the episode, allowing viewers to continue to bet on the identity of Archie's killer as events unfolded.

[53] Ladbrokes experienced its busiest ever 24 hours of gambling on a television series ahead of the episode's transmission, taking £100,000 in bets on 30 different characters, while William Hill took £500,000, surpassing the amount placed on Dallas' Who shot J.R.?

[55] The original broadcast was the third highest rated television episode of 2010 in the UK, beaten by a 2010 FIFA World Cup match between England and Germany, and the final of the seventh series of The X Factor.

"[60] Yorke responded to the high consolidated ratings with the statement: "The best birthday present EastEnders could possibly have is to know that 25 years in it can still grab the biggest audience in the UK.

Tom Sutcliffe of The Independent rated "EastEnders Live" 4 out of 5, noting that there were "a couple of moments where the seams showed", but that "half the fun in watching was seeing if you could spot them".

"[35] Tim Teeman of The Times also rated the episode 4 out of 5, calling the revelation of Stacey as Archie's killer a "genuine surprise", and commenting that "EastEnders Live": "sometimes creaked under the weight of its own ambitions – but who cares, gold stars for effort."

Teeman praised Clements and Turner, feeling that they "excelled themselves despite the odd strained pause", though noted that in the aftermath of Bradley's fall, "the perils of live TV became apparent", commenting that: "The direction slackened at just the wrong moment, and you were left hoping someone would get to a bit of script to ward off any more bizarre shots of Jack and Max fighting to free themselves from a policeman's soft grip.

"[64] The Guardian's Nancy Banks-Smith similarly felt that transmitting live made for "tension, not clarity", commenting that bookmakers would be "absolutely delighted" with the outcome, but that viewers would be "incredulous".

[4] Cate Devine of The Herald was similarly critical, describing the episode as "30 minutes of cheesy dramatic counterpoint", and highlighting the "ropey lighting and poor sound effects.