BBC EastEnders Linda star teases ‘juicy’ Christmas whodunnit amid Dean’s explosive return

EastEnders’ Linda Carter star Kellie Bright has teased what’s next on the BBC One soap after Dean Wicks’ explosive return on Monday night.

Soap watchers and Linda were in for a surprise on Monday when Dean made a chilling return to Albert Square after seven years. To Linda’s horror, Dean plans to make Walford his home again as he is the Beales’ new business partner. Dean’s decision to return is driven by his need to be close to the local hospital where his daughter Jade – who has cystic fibrosis – is receiving treatment and awaiting a life-saving lung transplant.

Soap watchers will recall that Dean raped Linda in 2014 and was driven out of Walford after being disowned by his family in 2016. On Tuesday’s episode, which continued from Monday, Dean continued to intimidate Linda in the Queen Vic’s kitchen, before she threatened him with a knife, leading to him quickly fleeing the scene.

Talking about the explosive scenes, Linda star Kellie, 47, said of her character’s reaction to Dean: “Linda’s in deep, deep shock. He is the last person that she expected to see walking through the door of her kitchen. He’s in her home and in the exact room where he raped her. She obviously goes into complete shock, and her body is filled with adrenalin.

“She is absolutely terrified, above and beyond anything else. It doesn’t matter what Dean’s saying, as Linda is in fight or flight mode from the moment he appears.” Talking about Linda dealing with Dean’s return without Mick Carter around after his disappearance, Kellie said: “I think she feels far more vulnerable. She hates the fact that she feels so vulnerable around Dean, but it’s understandable. He scares her in a way no one else ever can or would. And because Mick isn’t there, it is ten times worse for her.”

Elsewhere, Kellie teased the Christmas whodunnit. This winter time, Denise (Diane Parish), Kathy (Gillian Taylforth), Linda, Sharon (Letitia Dean), Stacey (Lacey Turner) and Suki (Balvinder Sopal) are faced with a dead body, whose identity is yet to be revealed, with many fans speculating it could be Dean’s. Kellie said of the storyline: “I am excited. For me, when I have a big storyline, I still get a nervous tummy and butterflies. I really want it to be great, and I know I have to deliver.

“I am excited to be working with the other five women and doing some really good, juicy stuff with them. I love the fact that we’ve had this secret building on the show for the whole year, and it’s really clever. I love the fact that I am part of something that hasn’t been done before, so I’m really embracing that. I feel like I’m at the foot of the mountain, about to set off for the climb, and although I know it’ll be magnificent at the top, it’s still a climb to get there!”