EastEnders fans are in for some emotional and powerful scenes on Monday night as the BBC soap airs a special Linda Carter episode – warning, contains spoilers from BBC iPlayer

There’s some major twists ahead on EastEnders, with Monday’s episode seeing a triple return, multiple exits teased and the death of a fan favourite.

Warning, this article contains spoilers from Monday’s episode which airs on BBC One at 8PM, while it’s available to watch now on BBC iPlayer. The special episode was a glimpse to the future, foreshadowing what was to come on the BBC soap.

As Linda Carter’s alcoholism left her family in turmoil, she had a choice to make. Her mother Elaine Peacock warned that unless she went to rehab then and there and stopped drinking she was on her own.

But after attacking her mum and terrifying her children, Linda made her choice and fled the pub with a bottle of booze. Things took a heartbreaking turn though when Linda suddenly felt unwell and in pain, before she collapsed in the Square.

The police soon arrived with the tragic news Linda had died. The episode then moved forwards in time to the day of her funeral, as those who knew Linda gathered to say goodbye.

Elaine remained in shock, was Walford residents sobbed over Linda’s tragic death including Bernadette Taylor, who had taunted her and encouraged her to drink recently, as revenge for her brother Keanu Taylor’s murder. There were three returns for the episode too, as the Carters said goodbye to Linda.

There’s some major twists ahead on EastEnders, with Monday’s episode seeing a triple return, multiple exits teased and the death of a fan favourite (Image: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)

Linda’s children Nancy and Lee Carter returned for the special episode, no longer being on the show. The returns had been revealed recently in pictures from filming, with the funeral also given away.

Another return saw Reverend Irene Mills return for the funeral, with the familiar face having led marriages and funerals for a number of big characters on the BBC soap, in a number of episodes. But with the three returns saw the tragic death of Linda, and her family struggled to cope.

Son Johnny hit the bottle, with Nancy blaming this and her mum’s death on Elaine “not doing enough”. As Lee tried to keep the peace, Nancy slapped Elaine before vowing to save her brother Johnny from the same fate as their mother.

Towards the end of the episode, a grief-stricken Nancy revealed she was leaving again with Lee, but they weren’t going alone. Nancy confirmed Johnny was leaving Walford for good, and that she would be back to take young siblings Annie and Ollie too very soon.

Nancy and Lee Carter returned (Image: Daily Mirror)

Elaine was left reeling at the news of multiple exits, leaving her lashing out. But suddenly the episode went back to present day, as if Linda had seen all this through her eyes.

The eerie foreshadowing of “what would happen if she kept drinking” left her shaken, and instead of the night playing out as it had done moments earlier, Linda poured the bottle of drink away. Linda then told her mum she didn’t want to be this way anymore and needed help in powerful scenes, desperate to change how her story would end.

EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.