THREE legendary EastEnders stars are tipped to return to Walford
in a dramatic Christmas special – and one could be a ghost.
The BBC soap has continually pulled out explosive shocks and surprises during the festive period.
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With the 40th anniversary fast approaching, this could be more true than ever before.
Viewers are particularly interested in the fate of Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) amid speculation she could soon meet her end.
The character has had renewed struggles with her alcohol addiction over the past year.
It stemmed from her guilt over killing Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) to save best friend Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean).
Meanwhile, multiple cast members were spotted filming funeral scenes on location, as exclusively revealed by The Sun Online.
This included a returning Maddy Hill and Danny Hatchard, who previously played Linda’s children Nancy and Lee.
Charlie Suff and Harriet Thorpe, who star as Johnny and Elaine, were also seen in the snaps, although Kellie Bright was notably absent.
Betting odds from gambling.com have revealed favourites to make a shock Albert Square comeback.
Ross Kemp, who played Grant Mitchell, has odds of 8/15 – a probability of 65.2 per cent – to make a return.
Last seen in 2016, speculation has been rife over the 60-year-old returning for the 40th anniversary.
EastEnders legend Ross Kemp teases return as Grant Mitchell
Ross portrayed Grant regularly from 1990 to 1999 and most recently made a guest appearance in 2016.
Danny Dyer has odds of 4/6 and a probability of 60 per cent to return as Mick Carter.
The popular character last appeared in the soap back in 2022.
Mick is feared to have drowned while trying to save Linda at sea, unaware she was already on the shore.
Speaking to Heatworld earlier this year, Danny addressed whether Mick could return.
He shared: “If there’s no closure there, then maybe I would come back for a dream sequence.
“I don’t think Mick could just rock up covered in seaweed!
“I think if they did it right, with the 40th anniversary coming up, if they came up with an idea of maybe Linda drunk or hallucinating, then I would come back and do some scenes with her.”
Rounding out the rumoured names is Pam St Clement – who portrayed the iconic Pat Butcher.
Pam, 82, has even odds – therefore a probability of 50 per cent – to make a surprise return as Pat.
Linda Carter’s biggest EastEnders storylines
Linda arrived on the Square on Boxing Day in 2013, along with her husband Mick (Danny Dyer) and has been a hit with soap fans ever since.
Her first storylines revolved around the fact that she struggled to come to terms that her son Johnny is gay
In a storyline that had long-lasting repercussions, she was then raped by Mick’s brother Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo).
She fell pregnant shortly after and then was left devastated emotionally when she gave birth to a premature baby after falling down the stairs.
Things soon got worse for Linda after she discovered that her husband Mick kissed their daughter-in-law Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty), who was married to their veteran son Lee (Danny Hatchard).
One of her more memorable storylines was when she was accused of perverting the course of justice. This was after Stuart Highway (Ricky Champ) is shot and she was falsely accused of attempted murder.
Over the years she has suffered from a variety of illnesses and disorders which include bulimia, alcoholism, and a secret battle with cervical cancer. After she gave birth to her youngest son Ollie (Harry Farr), she also had to deal with his autism diagnosis.
Although she and Mick seemed to be the perfect couple, the pair split up for a short time after she had an affair with Max Branning (Jake Wood). This lead to another pregnancy.
However, the pair finally got divorced after Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks) set her eyes on Mick. She wanted the landlord all to herself and she lured Linda rival back into alcoholism to drive a wedge between them.
After this led to Mick’s apparent death at sea, she struggled to adjust to life without her ex-husband and the true love of her life. This was just after the pair decided to have another go at their relationship.
Recently, Linda was the person who was at the very centre during ‘The Six’ storyline. She tried to save her best friend Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) when she was being strangled by Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters). When she killed him with a meat thermometer, the group framed her rapist Dead Wicks after he returned to the square. Since then, she has struggled to cope.
The long-running character was killed off in 2012, after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Since then, Pam reprised the role for a 2014 Children In Need special – in which Ian (Adam Woodyatt) had a concussion and saw women from his past.
She also returned for Peggy Mitchell’s (Barbara Windsor) exit, in which a dying Peggy hallucinated Pat in her final moments.
