EastEnders executive producer Chris Clenshaw has teased a shock new storyline for Linda (Kellie Bright) later this month.
Vic landlady Linda is approaching the one-year anniversary of her ex-husband Mick's apparent death by drowning and will find the next few months increasingly difficult as she continues to try to come to terms with what happened.
"Poor Linda's struggling this Halloween as it's the first one without Mick," Clenshaw told Inside Soap. Obviously she wasn't with Mick this time last year, but Halloween was very much their thing, and something they did together in the Vic.
"So, she's trying her best to make a go of things, but she gets one hell of a surprise that she doesn't bargain for..."
Fans have speculated that that surprise could come in the form of her brother-in-law Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo), who raped her eight years ago.
Linda is also one of the six female suspects in the murder of an unidentified male character this Christmas Day - and the potential return of Dean could suggest that he is the one who meets his maker.
Elsewhere, Dean's mother and Linda's ex-mother-in-law Shirley (Linda Henry) is due to return to the soap imminently, adding to speculation that Dean could be coming back alongside her.
EastEnders continues Mondays to Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One and from 6am on iPlayer.
Neil Wilkes
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