EastEnders fans begged bosses to bring back a familiar face after Dean Wicks blackmailed Linda.
Tuesday's episode (November 21) of the BBC soap followed on from last night's cliff-hanger which saw Dean (Matt Di Angelo) lifeless at the bottom of the stairs after being punched by George (Colin Salmon). When Dean regained consciousness in hospital, he accused George of trying to kill him.
Despite witnessing the entire thing, Cindy (Michelle Collins) insisted she saw nothing. It was later revealed that George was on a suspended sentence following a previous assault and if Dean presses charges, he could go to jail.
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Elaine begged Linda to do whatever she could to stop George from going prison. This led Linda to Dean's hospital bed. There, she asked Dean not to press charges against George and agreed to leave him alone.
Linda breathed a sigh of relief when Dean said he wouldn't call the police and wouldn't speak to his solicitor about the graffiti on the garage. But what came next shocked her.
Dean said: "I will lie to everyone about what happened today if you tell everyone the truth". He told Linda he would only keep to his word if she tells everyone in the square that he didn't rape her.
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Fans immediately swarmed social media and begged for the return of Dean's mum, Shirley Carter (Linda Henry). "Where’s Shirley when you need her," wrote one viewer.
Another penned: "We need Shirley back soon or else." A third weighed in: "Someone needs to contact Shirley." While another said: "I wonder if Shirley will come back to see Dean in hospital?"
Shortly after Mick's (Danny Dyer) death last year, Shirley decided to take some time away from the square as she attempted to cope with her son's passing. But now fans are certain her return is imminent.
The synopsis for the episode airing on December 11 reads: "Things go from bad to worse for Keanu, and Dean receives an unexpected visitor." Several fans have shared screenshots of the episode description and speculated that Dean's visitor is Shirley.
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