| Linda Carter | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| EastEnders character | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Kellie Bright | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 2013–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | Episode 4765 19 December 2013 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Present; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Created by | Dominic Treadwell-Collins | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Dominic Treadwell-Collins | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spin-off appearances | The Queen Vic Quiz Night (2020) TV Soundtracks EastEnders: The Six (2023) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Linda Carter is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Kellie Bright. She first appeared on 19 December 2013 and her casting was announced alongside her on-screen partner, Mick Carter (Danny Dyer). Linda was introduced as the new landlady of the Queen Victoria pub by new executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins as part of the Carter family. The introduction of Dyer and Bright was part of a large cast shake-up planned by new executive producer Treadwell-Collins in an attempt to improve ratings. Linda became landlady of The Queen Victoria public house and moved there with her family from her mother's pub in Watford. She has been compared to original landlady Angie Watts (Anita Dobson), and Bright has said that she had based her portrayal of Linda on Angie.[2]
In May 2016, Bright announced that she was pregnant with her second child and would be taking maternity leave. Linda departed the series on 25 December 2016, but made two separate guest appearances in March and June 2017. She returned full-time on 7 August 2017. In March 2021, Bright announced her third pregnancy and departed six months later on 21 September 2021. Linda returned for two episodes, broadcast on 28 and 31 December 2021. She returned full-time on 4 April 2022. The character appeared in her 1000th episode on 12 October 2022.
Linda's storylines include struggling with the revelation that her son Johnny (Sam Strike/Ted Reilly/Charlie Suff) is gay; being raped by Mick's brother Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo); giving birth to a premature baby after falling down the stairs; suffering from bulimia nervosa; discovering that Mick kissed their daughter-in-law Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty); revealing that she has secretly battled cervical cancer; surviving an ambulance crash; perverting the course of justice when Stuart Highway (Ricky Champ) is shot, leading to her being falsely accused of attempted murder; coping with son Ollie's (Harry Farr) diagnosis of autism; battling with alcoholism; splitting up with Mick for a short time, and an extramarital affair with Max Branning (Jake Wood), which leads to another pregnancy; ultimately divorcing Mick after being lured back into alcoholism by Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks), who wants him for herself; adjusting to life without Mick after he is presumed dead at sea after shortly reuniting with him; dealing with the return of her rapist Dean, murdering Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) to save her best friend Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) during "The Six" storyline, for which she later turned herself in to the police but effectively escaped punishment after Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry) took the blame, and coming to terms with the revelation that her father was gay which her mother hid for years.
- ^ EastEnders [@bbceastenders] (1 January 2016). "Ms Linda Peacock and Mr Michael Carter request the pleasure of your company tonight from 6:30pm on @BBCOne. RSVP" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Daly, Helen (7 February 2020). "EastEnders' Linda hands Mick divorce papers in Den and Angie throwback". Radio Times. Retrieved 1 February 2021.