BBC EastEnders fans ‘work out’ second explosive return as Johnny Carter makes debut

EastEnders fans are convinced they’ve figured out a second explosive return as Johnny Carter made a dramatic debut on Friday night.

It was recently revealed that Linda Carter’s son Johnny, played by newcomer Charlie Suff, would be returning to the BBC One soap and the character made a debut on Friday night as Linda continues to cause concern with her drinking.

Soap fans will recall that Linda is struggling after murdering Keanu Taylor on Christmas Day, so far The Six – made up of Denise Fox, Stacey Slater, Suki Panesar, Linda, Sharon Watts and Kathy Beale – have grouped together to cover up the murder.

During the latest episode, Linda revealed to Elaine that she was giving up drinking but later Lauren Branning caught her with a bag of hidden booze. A concerned Lauren was quick to offer to look after her little sister Annie and whisked her away before Linda had time to agree.

However, things went from bad to worse later in the episode when Kathy Beale showed up and got into a furious row with Linda, where the latter slapped Kathy in the pub, which was witnessed by a concerned Lauren and Annie. During a tense sit down, Lauren and Kathy both told Linda to sober up but instead she fled to The Albert.

Felix Baker tried to help Linda but after she was sick, she staggered out into Walford, where she found herself disorientated on the floor outside the bar. Linda struggled to get up but was soon rescued by her son Johnny, who appeared horrified by his mother’s drinking.

With Johnny’s comeback, some viewers are hoping for the return of another huge character, which could cause even more chaos. Soap watchers are convinced Max Branning could make a comeback three years on from his exit. Max was written out of the BBC soap in 2021, with him later fleeing with his young granddaughter Abi offscreen.

It seems he reunited with his daughter Lauren Branning away from Walford and in New Zealand, where Lauren was living. But they had another falling out, and it’s not entirely clear now if they are back on speaking terms as Lauren recently returned to Albert Square without her dad. Soap fans will recall that Max is the father to Linda’s daughter Annie and with Lauren concerned for her little sister, viewers are now hoping Max will return.

Taking to Twitter, now X, one person said: “Linda about to f**k up and make Max come back for Annie. #EastEnders”, a different account put: “The worse thing to happen is that Max could appear and try to take Annie. #Eastenders” while another viewe