By Sammy Jones-
EastEnders is bringing back two much-loved members of the Carter family as Lee and Nancy Carter prepare to return to Albert Square in an explosive storyline surrounding their mother Linda’s final months on the BBC soap.
Danny-Boy Hatchard and Maddy Hill will reprise their roles as Lee and Nancy Carter this autumn, reuniting with Kellie Bright’s Linda Carter as the character’s 13-year run on EastEnders heads towards an emotional conclusion.
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Bright recently confirmed that she will be leaving the long-running BBC soap, saying that she feels “now is the right time” to say goodbye to the character she has played since 2013. Her departure is expected to form one of the show’s major storylines in the coming months, with the return of her on-screen children adding another layer of drama to Linda’s exit.
Lee, the Carters’ ex-military son, originally left Walford in 2017, although the character has made occasional appearances since his departure. Nancy, meanwhile, was last played by Maddy Hill before leaving the Square in 2022. Their return means Linda will once again have two of her children around her as she faces what promises to be a hugely significant period in her life.
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EastEnders executive producer Ben Wadey said losing Linda was “such a big moment” for the programme and that the production team wanted to ensure the character was given a fitting story during her final months.
“Kellie Bright is very sadly leaving us after so many brilliant years in the programme,” Wadey said, praising the actress as a “phenomenal actor” and describing Linda as “one of the all-time greatest EastEnders characters”. He also teased the scale of the storyline, promising viewers that the first major cliff-hanger would leave them stunned.
“I guarantee your jaws will drop when you see the first cliff-hanger,” he said.
Stars Thrilled To Return
Hatchard has welcomed the opportunity to step back into the role of Lee, describing Albert Square as a “home away from home”.
“I’m absolutely over the moon to be returning to EastEnders,” he said, adding that he was “proper buzzing” to be back working with the Enders family.
Hill is equally excited to reprise the role of Nancy, admitting that she has missed the character and is looking forward to working alongside familiar faces once again.
“I am so excited to be returning to Enders for a short stint and stepping back into Nancy’s shoes,” she said.
“I’ve missed her.”
She added that she was particularly looking forward to being reunited with the Carter family on screen. Wadey said he was “absolutely thrilled” to have both actors returning, while teasing that Linda will have plenty to discover when her children arrive back in Walford.
“Whilst Linda is delighted to have her children all together again, she’s got a lot to catch up on,” he said. Linda has been at the centre of some of EastEnders’ most powerful and difficult storylines during her time in Walford. Her character has endured sexual assault, a long-running battle with alcoholism and a complicated affair with Max Branning, played by Jake Wood. Her departure therefore marks the end of a major era for the soap, and the return of Lee and Nancy gives the show an opportunity to place family at the heart of Linda’s final storyline.
With her children returning and a potentially explosive cliff-hanger on the horizon, viewers can expect the Carter family to be firmly back at the centre of the action this autumn. But Linda’s exit is not the only major storyline currently unfolding in Walford. Wadey has also revealed that viewers should prepare themselves for emotional episodes involving Denise Fox, played by Diane Parish, as she continues her battle with acute myeloid leukaemia.
Denise’s search for a suitable stem cell donor will lead her to previously unknown members of her family, with viewers set to meet her long-lost brother Darnell and his daughter Grace. Wadey described the upcoming episodes as among the most powerful he has seen since joining the programme, warning viewers to have tissues ready.
The return of Lee and Nancy promises to make Linda Carter’s final months particularly emotional — while the producer’s warning about a jaw-dropping cliff-hanger suggests the Carter family reunion may be far from straightforward.
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