EastEnders fans have spent the weekend piecing together clues about the upcoming returns of Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks) and Lee and Nancy Carter (Danny Hatchard and Maddy Hill), with many concluding that the characters are returning for Mick Carter's funeral. The theory suggests that the discovery of Mick's body would explain the mass Carter reunion and Linda Carter's (Kellie Bright) departure from Walford.
Show boss Ben Wadey teased the returns at a press event this month, saying: 'Linda Carter is one of the all time great EastEnders characters, so losing her is such a big moment to the show and we wanted to make sure we see Linda at her best in her final few months. We will be welcoming Lee and Nancy back for a period in a story where I guarantee your jaws will drop when you see it.'
Janine's return and the funeral theory
Janine, famously Walford's 'Queen of mean,' was the architect of the Carter family's downfall, destroying the remnants of Mick and Linda's marriage in an attempt to claim Mick for herself. Their story ended in tragedy when Mick tried to rescue both Linda and Janine after a plunge off a cliff; he was pulled into the depths and never seen again, later declared presumed dead.
Janine has been spotted filming a funeral, which has fueled speculation. Metro reader Tara Blige laid out her theory on the Metro Soaps Facebook page: 'Only reason Janine would return is if it's Mick's funeral. I'm guessing that's why Nancy and Lee return too. Then Linda will say there's nothing holding her to stay in Walford anymore other than her mum, so she decides to leave with Nancy and Lee and Johnny follows too.'
Fans share their theories
Charlotte Tolson echoed the sentiment: 'Lee and Nancy and Janine is coming back so guessing Mick's body is found?' Linda Bloemheuvel agreed: 'Always liked Nancy. I guess with Janine returning as well Mick's body has been found.'
Kim Baker proposed a more elaborate scenario: 'This would be my ideal ending for Linda: So Janine (as Mick's wife) arranges a funeral for him for some reason, maybe to do with the son she was having with him. Nancy and Lee return for the funeral. Somehow Mick didn't die and maybe had a knock to the head in the water, floated to shore somewhere, somebody finds him and helps him but he has lost memory of who he is. After years he starts to have flashbacks of the accident, Janine, his beloved Linda and children. The people he has met along the way do some investigating and see that a funeral has been arranged for him, he rocks up to the church gives everyone a mental breakdown from seeing a dead man, has final showdown with Janine and leaves for a new life with his L and children.'
Kay Stokes offered another idea: 'If Mick's body is found and it's his funeral I think it will be a fake one and that he has already been in touch with Linda and you will see her leave, then you will see her meet up with Mick, they will go off together and that is why Lee n Nancy are coming back because they have found their dad. So they will all go out of it together…and the funeral will throw Janine off Mick's scent so she will leave him alone…maybe I'm wrong but I always said Mick wasn't dead.'
What's next for the Carters?
While the identity of the person in the coffin remains unconfirmed, the fan theories highlight the anticipation surrounding the Carter family's storyline. The returns of Lee, Nancy, and Janine, coupled with Linda's upcoming exit, suggest a major conclusion to the Carter saga that could involve Mick's fate being resolved after years of uncertainty.
