Kathy Cotton tries to look after drunken killer Linda Carter in EastEnders in upcoming scenes.

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The BBC One soap has aired a difficult time for Queen Vic landlady Linda (Kellie Bright) in recent episodes as she struggles with the guilt of having killed Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) and the presence of rapist Dean Wicks (played by Matt Di Angelo) in the Square.

This week saw the added stress of Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) returning to Walford and discovering that Linda's daughter Annie Carter is the daughter of Max Branning (Jake Wood) and therefore is Lauren's half-sister.

In scenes on Tuesday (9th January 2024), Linda was confronted by an angry Lauren for keeping the secret. However, after a chat with her uncle Jack Branning (Scott Maslen), Lauren has to decide whether or not to keep Linda's secret and emotionally meets Annie for the first time.

However, a shocking twist in the same episode saw Linda feel more alone than ever as she felt abandoned by her best friend Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean).

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This, along with her killer secret, the loss of true love Mick Carter (Danny Dyer), the abuse of Dean, and the threat of Max returning, prompted Linda to hit the bottle once more.

Kellie Bright as a drunken Linda Carter with Gillian Taylforth as Kathy Cotton looking at Matthew Morrison as Felix Baker in EastEnders.
Kathy (Gillian Taylforth, centre) finds a drunken Linda (Kellie Bright, left) at the Albert talking to Felix (Matthew Morrison, right). BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron

On Wednesday (10th January 2024), Linda drowns her sorrows at the Albert to the concern of bar manager Felix Baker (Matthew Morrison).

As Linda gets progressively drunk instead of meeting with the rest of The Six to discuss what to do with Keanu's body, Kathy (Gillian Taylforth) finds Linda at the Albert and collects her before she says too much or comes to any harm.

When Kathy takes Linda back home to the Vic to sober up, Linda faces anger from a panicked Denise Fox (Diane Parish) in the barrel store for her behaviour, prompting Kathy to prevent a nastier clash.

Gillian Taylforth as Kathy Cotton herding Kellie Bright as a drunken Linda Carter in EastEnders.
Kathy does her best to keep Linda out of trouble but will she succeed? BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron

As the week continues, the remaining members of The Six seek to execute their plan, but how much more can Linda cope with?

One person who continues to worry is her mother and fellow Queen Vic landlady Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe), but George Knight (Colin Salmon) has some advice for her regarding Linda. Will Elaine heed his warning?

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EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays 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.

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