EASTENDERS fans are convinced they’ve sussed the truth behind shock Carter family funeral pictures – and it’s good news for Linda.
Earlier this week, The Sun Online exclusively shared snaps from scenes being filmed for the BBC soap, and EastEnders fans began to fear Linda Carter will die.
The Carters gather for a family funeral – with Linda and Mick missing[/caption]
The funeral could be Linda’s as she was nowhere to be seen with the rest of the Carter family[/caption]
A coffin was carried into the church as mourners gather behind, but Linda – played by Kellie Bright – appeared to be missing from the photos.
Last Christmas Keanu Taylor was murdered by Linda, who plunged a carving fork into his back as part of ‘The Six’ storyline.
Linda is a recovering alcoholic who has fallen off the wagon several times as she has tried to come to terms with killing Keanu, and then covering up the plot with her friends.
The funeral scenes have left many fearing Linda finally succumbs to her addiction, but others are hopeful it’s a clever red herring from BBC bosses.
Fans are questioning if is it indeed another Christmas death or a frightening vision of the future for Linda?
Many have took to X, formerly Twitter, with theories that she is not really dead.
They think that the scenes could be a vision of Linda’s Christmas future – like in A Christmas Carol – if she doesn’t get back on the wagon.
One fan wrote: “I have an EastEnders theory. Christmas Eve’s episode: the funeral is the Ghost of Xmas future and there’s a Xmas carol episode with Johnny being Scrooge.”
Another fan went further to say: “I’m convinced it’s a special episode where Linda is sent around the square A Christmas Carol style to see what she’s doing to her friends and family with her drinking.
A third added: “…Maybe it could be a dream sequence?”
The funeral will see the shock return of Mick and Linda’s daughter Nancy Carter, played by Maddy Hill.
The exclusive snap shows Maddy reprising her role as Nancy as she slaps her grandmother Elaine Peacock during a heated exchange.
Danny Hatchard was also pictured filming the scenes as he reprised his role as Linda’s other son, Lee Carter.
Meanwhile Johnny Carter takes the funeral badly and is removed from church before drowning his sorrows with booze.
Whatever the truth turns out to be, it certainly looks like Christmas won’t be boring in Albert Square this year.
Linda Carter’s biggest EastEnders storylines
Linda arrived on the Square on Boxing Day in 2013, along with her husband Mick (Danny Dyer) and has been a hit with soap fans ever since.
Her first storylines revolved around the fact that she struggled to come to terms that her son Johnny is gay
In a storyline that had long-lasting repercussions, she was then raped by Mick’s brother Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo).
She fell pregnant shortly after and then was left devastated emotionally when she gave birth to a premature baby after falling down the stairs.
Things soon got worse for Linda after she discovered that her husband Mick kissed their daughter-in-law Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty), who was married to their veteran son Lee (Danny Hatchard).
One of her more memorable storylines was when she was accused of perverting the course of justice. This was after Stuart Highway (Ricky Champ) is shot and she was falsely accused of attempted murder.
Over the years she has suffered from a variety of illnesses and disorders which include bulimia, alcoholism, and a secret battle with cervical cancer. After she gave birth to her youngest son Ollie (Harry Farr), she also had to deal with his autism diagnosis.
Although she and Mick seemed to be the perfect couple, the pair split up for a short time after she had an affair with Max Branning (Jake Wood). This lead to another pregnancy.
However, the pair finally got divorced after Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks) set her eyes on Mick. She wanted the landlord all to herself and she lured Linda rival back into alcoholism to drive a wedge between them.
After this led to Mick’s apparent death at sea, she struggled to adjust to life without her ex-husband and the true love of her life. This was just after the pair decided to have another go at their relationship.
Recently, Linda was the person who was at the very centre during ‘The Six’ storyline. She tried to save her best friend Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) when she was being strangled by Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters). When she killed him with a meat thermometer, the group framed her rapist Dead Wicks after he returned to the square. Since then, she has struggled to cope.
Linda has been through the mill during her time on the soap and had been diagnosed with cervical cancer.[/caption]
Linda has faced some harrowing storylines, could this be her next big one?[/caption]
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer.
