EastEnders airs Lee Carter revelations and new Mick twist in early BBC iPlayer release

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

EastEnders aired the truth behind Lee Carter’s (Danny Hatchard) troubles in Monday’s episode.

The BBC One soap recently saw Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) reunite with her eldest son after his sister, Nancy Carter (Maddy Hill), returned to Walford heavily pregnant after becoming a surrogate for Lee and his now-estranged partner, Jess Fang.

Lee claimed that Jess had abandoned him and Nancy and now no longer wanted to be involved in the plans for the child and had cut off contact with Lee.

In recent weeks, Linda forced Lee to join her in the search for Jess, and they left Walford for a period.

Following a fruitless search, the pair returned to Walford but found Jess (Emma Lau) waiting for them, and she soon revealed that it was Lee who had abandoned her after she confronted him about his issue: he’s an alcoholic.

In the presence of his family, Lee said the stories were fabricated, but he fled, and Linda spoke alone with Jess.

Lee’s estranged partner revealed that Lee had begun drinking heavily following Mick’s apparent death and couldn’t accept the loss of his father, even after his declaration of death was rescinded, making Mick once again legally alive.

Jess made clear that she still loved Lee and had hope, but the issue was whether he could admit there was a problem and seek recovery.

Linda was shocked, and after tracking Lee down to a park bench where he had fled, Linda listened as he maintained that Jess was to blame for their issues and he was grieving Mick but was not an alcoholic.

Lee left behind a bottle of orange juice, and when Linda smelled it, she could tell it contained vodka, meaning Lee was lying and clearly did have a problem.

When Linda confronted Lee about his problem, he argued with her and instead brought up her own struggles with alcoholism, saying they were not the same.

Meanwhile, amid Lee and Jess’s conflicting stories and the dysfunctional situation she now found herself in, Nancy resolved that the child she was carrying shouldn’t be anywhere near the couple.

Will the Carters be able to make it through this? And can Linda help her son confront the very same demons she herself has faced? And what impact does Mick being legally alive have on the family now?

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Fans are aware that Charlie Brooks is returning soon for a short stint as Janine Carter, who was Linda’s nemesis and Mick’s scheming wife at the time of his apparent death on Christmas Day 2022.

We have a feeling this might have something to do with it…

Finally, what role will this all play in Linda's eventual exit with her children in 2027?

Read more:

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• EastEnders airs blackmail horror for Denzel Danes in cruel Craig Ingram twist in early BBC iPlayer release
• EastEnders legend Jo Joyner returns to Walford set for Branning 'family reunion' - 8 years after last Tanya appearance
• EastEnders star teases "fire and carnage" when Penny Branning's baby paternity secret is revealed
• EastEnders favourite Balvinder Sopal teases Ash return is "grenade" to the Panesar family unit this autumn
• EastEnders announces hard-hitting Amy Mitchell storyline as BBC soap works with charities

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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.