EastEnders airs tragic scenes for Linda Carter in early BBC iPlayer release

The BBC One soap saw the Queen Vic landlady struggling at the thought of her first Christmas without soulmate Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) but planned along for the choir performance that evening with mother Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe).

Disappoints come, however, when eldest daughter Nancy Carter (Maddy Hill) and eldest child Lee Carter (Danny-Boy Hatchard) reveal via texts that they won’t be coming home for Christmas.

Later, Linda is horrified to receive a text from rapist Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo) which shows her youngest son Ollie Carter (Harry Farr) is in a photo with Dean dressed as Father Christmas in the grotto at Beale’s Eels, referring to himself in a message as “Uncle Dean”.

A furious Linda marches into the pie and mash shop and tears into Dean, prompting witness Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) to call him a sexual predator and Linda affirms this too in front of Dean’s visiting critically ill daughter, Jade Masood (Elizabeth Green).

Linda then warns Dean that if he goes anywhere near her children again, she will kill him.

After this encounter, Jade questions if this is why Shabnam and Shirley don’t like Dean. Dean tells Jade: “Nana Shirley used to believe some horrible thing but she saw sense…in the end.” Jade tells Dean she tells her mum everything and doesn’t want to visit him again.

Back in the Vic, Gina Knight (Francesca Henry) rolls her eyes at Linda’s anger at sister Anna Knight (Molly Rainford) over letting Ollie being near Dean.

Following this, at the choir performance, Linda struggles seeing the Knights happy without Mick and later makes a speech to the punters about being there with Mick 10 years earlier but is pleased by her love for the Knights and thanks them for getting her through.

It is then that Dean interrupts from behind the Abe with Linda and calls her a lying drunk who repeatedly cheated on his brother Mick – referencing himself and Max Branning as her lovers. Dean then plays the ‘confession’ he coerced Linda into saying he never raped her out loud over the speakers, prompting a furious reaction from George Knight (Colin Salmon) towards Dean, before Gina tells her dad not to hurt Dean and so George orders him to leave or he’ll kill him.

A present Alfie Moon (Shane Richie) reassures Linda that no one believes Dean, while Jean Slayer (Gillian Wright) vocally tells the other witnesses that she doesn’t believe Linda would lie. George vocally states the confession was done to protect him from prison.

Upstairs, Linda blames Elaine for encouraging her to ‘confess’ to Dean and George reassures Linda that no one believes Dean. George says he will go to the police and confess all, hoping Dean will get convicted of blackmail or extortion. Linda tells George not to as it won’t change anything; resigned to Dean getting away with it years ago. Elaine thanks Linda and she tells them both to return downstairs to the celebrations.

Meanwhile, Gina confronts Dean at Beale’s Eels where is drinking and claims an innocent man wouldn’t humiliate a woman like that or record her without her consent. Dean manipulates Gina and calls Linda a psychopath, before telling Gina to leave.

Back in the Vic, Linda looks at photo of Mick and Ollie before trying to distract herself with television. A final text message arrives from her beloved ‘sausage’ Johnny Carter (soon to return to Walford), telling her he can’t make it home for Christmas, either.

Linda is broken by the day’s events and then sees a bottle of vodka in the kitchen. Trying to avoid it she crumbles when looking at family photos and returns to the kitchen, closes the door and pours herself a glass of vodka and breaks down while downing the drink before pouring another.

Will Linda be able to recover from this major setback?