Will Linda die in EastEnders or is it another Carter? All the theories

Alongside their reappearance, there was one huge absence – Linda (Kellie Bright)! A number of visual hints have us worried that the troubled L is the character being mourned at the church; but could there be much more to this than meets the eye?

Here at RadioTimes.com, we love putting on our detective hats, so we're taking a closer look at all the clues.

Is Linda set to die, or might another member of her clan lose their life instead?

Read on as we delve into all the possibilities.

Who will die in EastEnders?

Linda Carter

As mentioned, Linda is the most obvious character to be meeting her demise, simply based on all we know so far.

As well as Nancy and Lee, Linda's mum, Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe), younger son Johnny Carter (Charlie Suff), and best pal Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) are also in attendance.

Nancy was spotted wearing a pink pair of flamingo earrings, and flamingos were a signature feature in Linda's style.

Elaine is also seen wearing pink earrings, along with pink nails – and, of course, Linda is a big fan of pink, with the colour memorably used as her trademark in The Six storyline.

There's also Johnny's apparent drinking in the scenes, and after months spent trying to curb his mum's alcoholism relapse, perhaps her death sends him into a similar spiral?

Linda could tragically succumb to her addiction and lose her life, or end up murdered herself, in revenge for her killing of Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters), which his sister Bernie (Clair Norris) is now aware of.

Bernie has already attacked Linda once, but could she decide to finish the job? Let's hope not!

Mick Carter

Mick's body was never found when he was lost at sea during Christmas 2022, but he was later declared dead and mourned by the community.

Family friend Callum Highway (Tony Clay) was particularly close to Mick, so could he be paying his respects to Mick, if his body is recovered from the water? It would explain the returns of Lee and Nancy, who idolised their dad.

With Linda notably missing from the funeral images, this could be because she simply can't face saying a final goodbye to her soulmate.

But EastEnders could be using this as a red herring, deliberately keeping the character away from public filming to keep us guessing.

Obviously, we don't really want Mick to be confirmed dead, but we can't rule out that this is a strong possibility.

Danny Dyer has called for the soap to bring back his alter ego Mick; and although he was joking, he didn't dismiss the idea of a comeback.

But what if the mystery of missing Mick is finally about to be resolved in the most heartbreaking way?

Shirley Carter

Shirley (Linda Henry) hasn't been seen since shortly after Mick disappeared, and we've all missed her iconic one-liners and scowling face.

But with no certain news of a return, might EastEnders deliver yet another blow to fans and announce that Shirl has died off-screen?

Elaine and Shirley weren't exactly pals in the past, so could Elaine's bust-up with Nancy stem from an unkind comment the former makes about Shirley? Nancy and Lee were close to their aunt-turned-nan Shirl, too.

We don't want to speak this theory into existence – we hate the idea of Shirl, Mick or Linda being dead and buried for good.

But if Shirley's potential demise isn't seen to be believed, she could always channel Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) and Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth) and rise from the grave!

Aunt Babe Smith

Back in 2017, scheming Aunt Babe (played by Annette Badland) was thrown out of The Queen Vic. She left only after cursing the place (a moment you can relieve on BBC iPlayer in the episode marked 9th February 2017).

The pub hasn't had the best fortune since, and Babe hasn't been mentioned either – so would the Carters really come together to grieve for nasty Babe?

Elaine was even less friendly with Babe back in the day, so we could imagine her making a cutting comment about her. Nancy and Johnny's emotional states don't quite match up, though, so maybe we're reaching too far with this one.

Still, we like the idea of the Carters being reunited for the cause, perhaps with a hilarious posthumous reading from Babe, in the style of Norris Cole's (Malcolm Hebden) memorial from Coronation Street!

Read more:

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• EastEnders fans needn't worry as Chris Clenshaw leaves - the soap's in safe hands
• EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw to step down after 40th anniversary

EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer.

Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.