BBC EastEnders villain Dean left for dead ahead of Christmas whodunnit amid showdown

EastEnders villain Dean Wicks is left for dead next week after a showdown with George Knight ahead of the Christmas whodunnit.

Soap watchers will recall that Dean raped Linda Carter in 2014 and was driven out of Walford after being disowned by his family in 2016. However, the villain made an explosive return recently as he was revealed as the Beales’ new business partner.

In upcoming scenes, it’s launch day for the Beales’ pie and mash shop but Dean is furious to see “rapist” written in graffiti across the window. Accusing Linda of the graffiti, Dean has a nasty confrontation with her and the Knights in front of a crowd where he states he can sue Linda for slander.

Dean’s threat leaves Elaine and George worried that legal action could result in her losing the pub and after seeking advice from Jack, Linda reluctantly goes to strike a truce with Dean. However, her attempts to calm the situation result in more drama as Ian and Cindy demand that Dean back down or their business will never take off.

Later, during a tense stand-off upstairs at The Vic, George lashes out at Dean, who falls down the stairs and lies motionless at the bottom. Linda, George and Cindy are in shock as they rush to Dean while Cindy calls an ambulance and tells everyone she didn’t see what happened.

Cindy’s claims leave Ian furious that she’s covering for George and he begs Cindy at the hospital not to lie for George as she could end up back inside to which she agrees to tell the truth. Meanwhile, after discovering that George is on a suspended sentence and will go to prison, Linda takes matters into her own hands. Later in the week, Linda broods and is horrified when Elaine makes it clear she wants her to say whatever it takes to get George off the hook.

With EastEnders gearing up for a Christmas whodunnit, where Denise (Diane Parish), Kathy (Gillian Taylforth), Linda (Kellie Bright), Sharon (Letitia Dean), Stacey (Lacey Turner) and Suki (Balvinder Sopal) are faced with a dead body, whose identity is yet to be revealed, Dean star Matt Di Angelo, 36, has teased the festive storyline.

Revealing whether Dean is involved in the Christmas storyline, Matt teased: “We know that Linda is involved in the Christmas storyline, and we also know that most people in the Square would like to see the back of Dean. But everyone is going to have to wait to find out if Dean’s the body on The Vic floor because I’m not giving away any clues!”