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EastEnders airs Mick Carter twist for Janine Butcher return plot in early BBC iPlayer release

Spoiler warning for Monday 9 November 2026.

A composite image of Danny Dyer as Mick Carter and Charlie Brooks as Janine Carter from EastEnders.

BBC

Published: Monday, 9 November 2026 at 6:30 am

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*Warning: Contains spoilers for Monday's episode of EastEnders, which airs tonight at 7.30pm on BBC One or can be streamed now on BBC iPlayer.*

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EastEnders has aired a shocking twist related to Mick Carter in Monday’s episode.

The BBC One soap aired Danny Dyer’s exit as the pub landlord back in 2022, when his character Mick was lost at sea following a car chase involving then-pregnant wife Janine Carter (Charlie Brooks) and ex-wife and soulmate Linda Carter (Kellie Bright).

Mick was later declared dead after his belongings washed up, but his son Lee Carter (Danny Hatchard) recently revealed that he had Mick’s declaration of death revoked.

However, in Monday’s episode, Linda picked up drunken Lee’s phone and answered a call: Mick’s body has been found.

Linda is devastated by the news and leans on boyfriend Max Branning (Jake Wood), mum Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe), and best friend Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean).

The former Queen Victoria landlady was also infuriated as Janine, as Mick’s next of kin, is the person handling arrangements related to Mick’s death, prompting Linda to attempt to track her former love rival.

A devastated Linda talks to Sharon and Elaine in the caff in a scene from EastEnders

A devastated Linda Carter (Kellie Bright, right) reveals her news to mum Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe, centre) and best friend Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean, left). BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron

Managing to get an address for Janine through calls, Linda tracked Janine down to a hotel.

Janine immediately made a dig at Linda, saying she looks “weathered”, but Linda remained firm that she wouldn’t be going anywhere until she found out where her husband was.

Will Janine tell Linda where Mick’s remains are? And can we trust anything that Janine is saying at all?

Elsewhere, as Lee continues a spiral into alcoholism, he clashed with his mum’s new boyfriend and reminded Max that he could never replace Mick.

We later saw Max looking at Mick's old wallet with an old photo of Mick and Linda as childhood sweethearts, clearly mindful of how he will always struggle to compare to her first love.

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Tomorrow, Linda’s confrontation with Janine continues, and Linda can’t believe what the schemer has to say about the situation with Mick.

We’ll see Linda head back to the Square and lean on Max once more before they both decide to face Janine once more together.

But what will happen in this confrontation, and what is it that Max does that he could live to regret?

Read more:

Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers.

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Authors

Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of Lewis Knight, smiling against a lime green background.

Lewis KnightNews and Trends Editor

Lewis is the news and trends editor at Radio Times and leads our approach to news, reactive content, and serving audience demands and interests. An obsessive fan of television and film, Lewis is a Nicole Kidman fanatic with a side of passion for science-fiction, art-house cinema and the latest HBO drama. Lewis has a degree in Psychology and a Masters in Film Studies. After working in advertising, Lewis worked at The Mirror for three years in community management and SEO, showbiz, film and television reporting.

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