The episode was broadcast live for the first time since 2015 and its ratings were about 1.5 million above the soap’s daily overnight average.
However, they were well down on the last live epiode, when more than 10 million people tuned in to BBC One for the show’s 30th birthday.
As part of Thursday’s special edition, fans were able to vote on which romantic partner Denise Fox (played by Diane Parish) chose to be with, and what Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) named her baby.
Viewers also said goodbye to Martin Fowler, a character born during the soap’s first year of broadcast in 1985.
Played by James Bye since 2014, Martin met his untimely death after an explosion at the Queen Vic pub in a previous episode.
While trapped under a beam, he declared his love to Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), with the pair getting engaged before he died of cardiac arrest.
That wasn’t the only death in Walford this week, as Wednesday’s episode saw show villain Reiss Colwell (Jonny Freeman) crushed by a bathtub.
Bye thanked fans as he confirmed his exit from the show, saying it was “an honour to leave on a story of this magnitude”.
“This fruit and veg man will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s time to look forward, and I’m incredibly excited for what the future holds,” he added.
The ratings will rise when catch-up viewing is included.
- Watch the live episode on BBC iPlayer
- Relive the drama and reaction from the live episode
Previous live episodes of EastEnders have been marred by issues, but the 40th anniversary edition was praised by critics for its smooth execution.
Writing in the Guardian, Stuart Heritage said: “In the past, live episodes of EastEnders have been marked by a pleasing shonkiness, with actors forgetting lines, or visibly twitching when they’re supposed to be dead.
“The main takeaway of the episode was how extraordinarily proficient it all was. The performances and execution were flawless. Not a single thing went wrong. It is the first time that EastEnders has properly nailed a live episode.”
This was echoed by Carol Midgley in the Times, who described it as a “very good effort all round”.
“You wouldn’t really have known it was live. That it went so smoothly is a testament to the proficiency of soap actors and the crew,” she added.
Outgoing EastEnders executive producer Chris Clenshaw has focused on attracting younger audiences during his three-year run, with some falling in love with the show after seeing clips on TikTok.
That was evident in the high drama of some of the anniversary storylines – such as the aftermath of the explosion of the Queen Vic and the dramatic birth of Sonia’s baby in the rubble, aided by half-sister Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) and Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa).
The Telegraph’s Michael Hogan declared that Clenshaw “had gone out on a high by marshalling this milestone week with ambition and aplomb”.
“This was event TV with heart and humour” and “a technical triumph, from opening titles to climactic doof-doofs”, he added.
Johnathon Hughes also spoke of “an emotional week in Albert Square” in his review for the i Paper, describing the live show as “half an hour of nerve-jangling drama” and a “brave and bold demise that will change the course of Walford history”.
