EastEnders Spoilers – Linda Carter’s death and funeral in special episode

Today’s episode of EastEnders aired a shock death and funeral for one beloved character – but is all as it seems?

This article contains spoilers from tonight’s episode of EastEnders, which is available to watch now on iPlayer, and will air on BBC One tonight at 7:30pm.

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EastEnders producers had revealed very little about tonight’s (Monday 16th December) episode, other than it would focus on Linda’s (Kellie Bright) ongoing battle against alcoholism.

Linda has spent years battling with alcohol, and the loss of her husband Mick (Danny Dyer) in Christmas 2022, followed by Keanu’s (Danny Walters) death last year, has seen her fall deeper and deeper into despair.

The synopsis for tonight’s episode revealed that “Linda makes a decision with life-changing consequences, while Elaine faces an agonising situation.”

Last Thursday saw the return of Elaine (Harriet Thorpe), who had spent a week away from Walford on her honeymoon with George (Colin Salmon)

Upon her return, she discovered the depths that Linda had fallen to, and made it her mission to finally get her daughter back on the straight and narrow.

Yet Linda continued drinking, and spent the night collapsed on a bench in Albert Square, before a subsequent day of drinking saw her bring a fellow drunk back to The Vic, terrifying the kids when her poor choice of man entered their bedroom for a pee, thinking it was the bathroom.

Realising she could no longer enable Linda’s drinking, Elaine then gave her daughter an ultimatum – she had to quit the booze and go to rehab, or she’d no longer be welcome in The Vic.

Tonight’s special episode sees Linda ignore her mum’s words and continue drinking, with dark consequences.

With a Christmas death a staple of the Walford-based soap, fans have long been worried that Linda would be the one to meet her maker in Christmas 2024, especially after the cast were spotted filming funeral scenes earlier in the year. And with tonight’s episode featuring a death and a funeral, it seems that Linda could indeed be about to say goodbye.

Tonight’s dramatic episode sees Linda reject Elaine’s ultimatum, after Elaine urges her to attend rehab after packing her a bag.

Linda claims that she knew the real reason Elaine wants her gone – so that she and George could have the place to herself – and as Elaine continues to pack her belongings, Linda pushes her mum over the bed in anger!

Linda’s son Ollie has spent weeks worrying about his mum’s deteriorating state, and wasn’t looking forward to Christmas after Linda’s comments about a bad man (actually referring to Nish) made him scared of Father Christmas.

Tonight, he opens up to Johnny (Francesca Henry) about his fears that Linda will “go away like daddy did”, but Jonny does his best to reassure the youngster that Linda will head to rehab and come back clean.

Ollie gives Johnny a drawing he’s made – showing her lying on the floor pouring a bottle of alcohol into her mouth.

Meanwhile, Linda continues drinking, as she accuses Elaine of being to blame by bringing her up in a pub, constantly surrounded by alcohol, and reminds Elaine of the poor way she responded when she was at her most vulnerable.

Johnny gives Ollie’s drawing to Linda, hoping it’ll help snap her out of her dark place, but she doesn’t open it as she argues with Elaine.

She tries to head to bed with a bottle, but Elaine kicks her out of The Vic, telling her daughter that she’ll report her for assault if she refuses to leave. Linda then heads out onto the rainy square, ready for another lonely night on the booze.

Linda then opens the drawing Johnny gave her, and is briefly moved by it, but nevertheless opens up her bottle of vodka and takes a swig.

As the street lights of Albert Square then flicker around her, we see Linda’s night continuing – but is all as it seems?

As the episode picks up the pace, we see Linda roaming the east end of London, with nothing but her bottle of vodka for company. She stumbles upon a group of homeless people who invite her in, with one offering her a seat on his sofa, where he offers her a blanket for warmth.

However, he’s not filled with good intentions, as he makes a play for Linda, and after she falls asleep, he attempts to assault her.

His actions are enough to awaken Linda, and she makes a hasty exit, before jumping on a tube to return to Walford. As she wanders the streets, she’s hit with an intense pain, and doubles over, before vomiting in pain.

It’s still not enough to stop the urge to drink, but as she tries to reach for the can of beer next to her, she takes her final breath as she passes out, dead.

We then see the situation the following morning, as a police car arrives on the square, and the officer gives Elaine the news she’s been dreading for months – her daughter has died!

We then see Linda’s funeral, as her coffin arrives on the square, and the mourners prepare to say goodbye. Johnny appears to have succumbed to the booze himself, as he blames himself for not trying harder to save his mum.

His older siblings and former Walford residents Lee (Danny Hatchard) and Nancy (Maddy Hill) have returned for the funeral, and try to get Johnny to accompany them, but he refuses, instead blaming them for not being around to help their mum. Lee apologises, pointing out that he had no idea the depths Linda had fallen to.

Johnny insists that Ollie’s drawing of his mum drinking is prominently on display, so that nobody forgets that Linda was really like.

Nancy then blames Elaine for Linda’s drinking and ultimate demise, and asks how long Johnny has been drinking for, but Elaine remains silent.

As the residents gathered for the arrival of the coffin, Phil (Steve McFadden) and Alfie (Shane Ritchie) apologise to Elaine for not having done more.

Meanwhile, Stacey (Lacey Turner) wonders whether The Six’s decision to cover up Keanu’s death last Christmas was the real cause of Linda’s demise, and Bernie (Clair Norris) watches from around the corner, worried that she too played a part in Linda’s decision to keep drinking.

As the small funeral gets underway, Lee and Callum (Tony Clay) carry the coffin into the church, and Nancy talks Johnny into going inside to say goodbye to his mum one final time.

Sharon gives the eulogy, blaming alcoholism for Linda’s death the same way it had taken her mum Angie (Anita Dobson).

Then, Johnny interrupts and furiously blames Linda herself for her decisions – she turned down their offer of going to rehab, she was the one who chose to drink, and she chose to die.

Nancy then launches a furious trade against Elaine for not doing more to help Linda, before slapping her.

Nancy and Lee also reveal that they planned to take Johnny, Ollie and Annie away, and when Elaine protests, they make it clear that they’d get the family courts to decide.

Elaine then kicks out the mourners, before smashing up the food prepared for the wake. Sharon makes one final attempt to convince Elaine that it wasn’t her fault, but Elaine refuses to listen and tells Sharon to leave.

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The lights of The Vic then flicker, before we head outside to Albert Square, to find Linda where we left her, the street lights still flickering as we returned to the present day.

Linda still has her bottle of vodka, but as she goes to take a swig, this time she stops herself. She begins to cry as she picked up Ollie’s drawing of her, as the reality of her situation finally dawns on her.

She heads back inside The Vic, to find Elaine crying. Approaching her mum, Linda exclaims: “I don’t want to be this person anymore.”

Linda tells her mum that she would go to rehab, and when Elaine asks what had caused her decision, Linda explains: “I saw it all, mum! What would happen if I don’t stop.

“It was like someone slapped me round the face. And you’re right, the drink is going to kill me. And when I die, everyone is going to hate me. I hurt so many people.”

Linda then tells Elaine that she’s scared that she won’t be able to stop drinking, but that she’s also scared of dying. “What if I’m not strong enough?”

Elaine reassures her that the first step is admitting she wanted help, and that she is strong enough.

With Christmas just nine days away, will Linda finally be able to turn her life around shortly before the one-year anniversary of Keanu’s death, and the two-year anniversary of Mick’s disappearance?

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Here are the EastEnders spoilers for the next two weeks:

Monday 16th December (Episode 7031)

Linda makes a decision with life-changing consequences, while Elaine faces an agonising situation.

Wednesday 18th December (Episode 7032)

Lauren is rushed to hospital in agony, Martin steps up for his son, and Kim’s concert plans hit another obstacle.

Thursday 19th December (Episode 7033)

Ian has a surprising suggestion for Peter, Stacey feels conflicted and seeks advice, and Denise is on edge and concerned about her safety.

Friday 20th December (Episode 7034)

Cindy fights dirty, and Ravi is stunned when he learns the truth.

Monday 23rd December (Episode 7035)

Things are about to get a lot more complicated for one Walford resident, Yolande continues to shut out her family, and Stacey takes some much needed advice.

Tuesday 24th December (Episode 7036)

Incriminating evidence falls into the wrong hands, the residents of Walford gather for the Christmas carol service, and Yolande has a change of heart.

Wednesday 25th December (Episode 7037–7038)

Secrets and lies are revealed in spectacular fashion on Christmas Day.

Thursday 26th December (Episode 7039)

All hell breaks loose as accusations fly on all sides.