EastEnders confirms who is in the coffin as BBC soap airs tragic format-changing episode
LINDA Carter finally met a tragic end as she DIED in harrowing scenes on EastEnders.
The mum-of-five was seen collapsing onto the ground amid her alcoholism battle after drinking herself into oblivion yet again.
In a format-changing episode, Linda’s death scenes and her subsequent funeral were packaged together into one episode.
The episode of the BBC One programme began with Linda having a furious bust-up with her mother, Elaine.
Elaine had been begging her daughter to accept the help and go to rehab during a tense bedroom showdown.
Amid a furious fight, Linda remained defiant and insisted that she did not want help which led to her throwing her mum over the bed in a fit of rage.
The unexpected assault was witnessed by Ollie who later admitted to older brother Johnny that he knew of Linda’s alcoholism.
As the evening continued, Elaine once again attempted to persuade Linda to give up the bottle as they moved downstairs to the bar.
Raging, Linda said she would choose “vodka” over rehab and planned to return to bed with it.
But Elaine revealed that she would phone the police and report the bedroom assault to them in a bid to get Linda locked-up and away from the booze.
This made Linda walk out of the Vic, booze in hand, as well as a drawing from Ollie showcasing her half cut on the ground with a bottle pressed to her lips.
Linda soon downed the full bottle of vodka and wandered off into the night where she came across a man who was sleeping rough and opted to get underneath the blanket with him.
In terrifying scenes, the man in question began to sexually assault Linda as she drunkenly fell asleep on him before she quickly awoke to see what was going on.
She shouted “no”, as she made a run for it, taking the man’s beers with her.
Back near the Square, and having downed yet another drink, Linda began to experience pains as she groaned and wallowed as her body writhed around a park bench.
Her visual discomfort made for uncomfortable viewing as she violently vomited across the war memorial before experiencing a shortness of breath.
Tragically, Linda then died as a result of her drinking.
In an unusual twist, the soap then jumped right to her funeral scenes as all of her family – including children Nancy and Lee – gathered in the Vic ahead of saying their goodbyes.
Clearly struggling, Johnny began hitting the bottle like his mother as he kept a drink on him at all times and refused to accept what was going on.
The coffin then rolled through Walford as the residents gathered to pay their respects.
At the church, only a few mourners were present with Elaine, Johnny, Lee, Nancy all present as well as Callum Highway and her best pal Sharon.
Sharon delivered a speech in which she compared Linda to her late mum, Angie Watts.
She insisted that being an alcoholic was an illness which led to a furious Johnny lashing out and raging that it was all a choice.
A family feud soon erupted as Nancy comforted her brother before taking her anger out on Elaine and holding her responsible for the death of Linda.
Nancy argued that Elaine could have done more to help save Linda which saw the two women engage in a heated spat.
It led to Nancy whacking Elaine across the face.
Back inside the pub, the three eldest kids came downstairs to confirm they were leaving and taking Ollie and Annie with them for their own sake and saftey.
Elaine demanded that they remain at the pub as it is their home but Nancy admitted she had a battle on her hands as they would be taking the matter of the kids’ guardianship to the Family Court.
She then screamed the pub down and insisted everyone “get out” as she suffered a meltdown in the wake of Linda’s death.
Alone in the pub, the lights began to flicker around her.
The episode then cut back to Linda Carter on the night of her ‘death’ as she stood outside the pub, holding her vodka after storming out on Elaine.
Shaking, she looked at the picture that Ollie drew her – showing her boozed-up and on the ground.
In a sudden moment of realisation, she poured the entire bottle of vodka down the drain and headed back into the pub to speak to Elaine.
Addressing her tearful mum, Linda declared: “I don’t want to be this person anymore.”
Confirming that the events of the episode had all been in Linda’s mind, she then said: “I saw it all, Mum…what would happen if I don’t stop. It’s like someone slapped me round the face and you’re right, the drink is going to kill me, and when I die, everyone’s going to hate me.”
Linda admitted she did not want to die as she embraced Elaine and vowed to get help.
Could this finally be the turning point that Linda needed in order to get better for good?
Most devastating soap deaths
SOAP viewers are frequently left heartbroken after watching some of their favourite characters bite the dust.
Here is a list of the most devastating deaths that have taken place in soapland over the years.
EASTENDERS
Barry Evans – Evil Janine (Charlie Brooks) lured her trusting fiance to Scotland for a quickie marriage after learning he was dying.
Her plan to inherit Barry’s fortune was thwarted when Barry told her that the doctors had mixed up his medical files.
Furious that she was no longer set for a windfall, she pushed Barry off a cliff after telling him their love was “fake”.
Bradley Branning – Bradley was accused of killing Stacey Slater’s rapist Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb) after he punched him twice on the night he died.
He was spotted in the Square by a police woman who chased him up a fire escape.
Bradley lost his balance and tragically plunged to his death.
CORONATION STREET
Tina McIntyre – Tina was getting it on with Peter Barlow – despite him being married to Carla Connor.
When she threatened to reveal the truth, Carla’s brother Rob got into a physical altercation with her.
Tina lost her footing and fell off a balcony – then warned Rob she was going to tell the cops he pushed her.
In a panic, Rob brutally clobbered her over the head with a metal pipe.
Molly Dobbs – Molly was one of the victims in Corrie’s 2010 tram crash, alongside Ashley Peacock (Steven Arnold).
Married to Tyrone (Alan Halsall), Molly had been having an affair with Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell) in the months before her death.
This resulted in the birth of their son, Jack (Kyran Bowes), who was named after Jack Duckworth.
As fate would have it, Kevin’s wife Sally (Sally Dynevor) was by Molly’s side in her final moments.
Sally was stunned as Molly confessed Kevin was Jack’s father, before dying of her injuries.
Vera Duckworth – Having appeared regularly in Corrie since the 1970s, there was no denying Vera Duckworth was an iconic character.
Alongside her husband Jack, the pair formed one of the soap’s most beloved couples.
Viewers were heartbroken when Vera was killed off in 2008, being discovered having passed away peacefully in her chair.
Liz Dawn, who played Vera, made a brief return two years later for Bill Tarmey’s exit as Jack.
Paul Foreman – Fans were heartbroken when Paul Foreman succumbed to his illness after battling motor neurone disease.
Introduced in 2018 as David Platt’s (Jack P. Shepherd) cellmate, he later embarked on a romance – and marriage – with vicar Billy Mayhew.
The MND storyline was announced in 2023 – with the expectation it would result in the character’s death.
EMMERDALE
Sarah Sugden – After the family got into financial problems, Sarah’s son Andy (Kelvin Fletcher) decided to make some quick cash from an insurance company by setting fire to the Sugden barn.
He didn’t realise his mum was inside the building, and she got trapped in the blaze.
Nine villagers – The shocking 1993 plane crash episode brought in 18 million viewers for Emmerdale.
Mark Hughes was killed by a falling wall, Archie Brooks was burned by jet fuel, Elizabeth Pollard was killed by debris and newcomer Leonard Kempinski died in a car crash caused by the crash.
Five other non-recurring characters from the village also died.
HOLLYOAKS
Carmel McQueen – The talented singer died in shocking scenes when a train crashed into a her family’s car.
Carmel managed to free her cousin Theresa from the rubble – but got stuck in it herself.
Moments later the train exploded and Carmel died in the arms of her family members, promising to be their guardian angel.