EastEnders’ Linda Carter to break silence over rape

Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) is to confide in someone about her rape, as the EastEnders storyline progresses.

The Queen Vic landlady will finally break her silence next month when she tells Stacey Branning (Lacey Turner) what happened to her. Linda makes the decision to open up to Stacey after seeing how close she is getting to Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo) who was behind her ordeal.

The Daily Star reports that the scenes will air over the Christmas period.

“Linda can see that Stacey’s falling for Dean and she can’t just sit back and watch it happen, given everything she knows. She would hate it if Stacey were to be attacked when she could have done something to prevent it. It’s a big moment for Linda to open up about what happened to her, but it’s going to open up a massive can of worms.” – a source quoted by the paper

Ofcom are currently investigating the EastEnders rape storyline in response to a number of complaints they have received. A statement from the regulator reads: “Ofcom is currently investigating a rape scene broadcast in EastEnders on October 6 which received over 90 viewer complaints. We are investigating whether the programme was appropriately scheduled and if it met generally accepted standards.”

The rape scenes aired last month and saw an emotional Dean misconstrue Linda’s concern, leading to the incident that has left Linda traumatised and thus far unable to speak out.

EastEnders airs Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday on BBC One, with a weekly omnibus also on the channel and erratically scheduled repeats on BBC Three. Viewers can also catch up online via BBC iPlayer.