Linda Carter
Bun-haired landlady of the Queen Vic.
Linda Carter is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Kellie Bright. She first appeared on 19 December 2013 and her casting was announced alongside her on-screen partner, Mick Carter (Danny Dyer). Linda was introduced as the new landlady of The Queen Victoria public house by new executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins as part of the Carter family. Known for her bright, usually pink outfits and high "bun" hairstyles, she has been compared to original landlady Angie Watts (Anita Dobson), and Bright has said that she had based her portrayal of Linda on Angie. In August 2026, it was announced that Bright had decided to leave the soap after 13 years.
Quick Facts
- Series
- EastEnders
- Also known as
- Linda Peacock
- Portrayed by
- Kellie Bright
- Creator
- Dominic Treadwell-Collins
- Years
- 2013–present
- First
- Episode 4765; 19 December 2013
- Occupation
- Pub landlady
- Barmaid
- Laundrette assistant
- Waitress
- Businesswoman
- Salon owner
- B&B worker
- Mother
- Elaine Peacock
Facts from the source article.
Development
Kellie Bright joined EastEnders as Linda Carter, the wife of Mick Carter, who is the brother of established character Shirley Carter. Bright's casting was made public on 1 October 2013, the same day as Danny Dyer's, and a week after Luisa Bradshaw-White was announced as Tina Carter. Linda has been with Mick since their teenage years and is described as lacking intelligence but being a fierce protector of her family, especially her children. Bright had a prior EastEnders appearance as a bridesmaid in 1986 at Michelle Fowler and Lofty Holloway's wedding, acting alongside future co-star Letitia Dean. She also auditioned for the role of Tanya Branning in 2006, which went to Jo Joyner. Linda first appeared on 19 December 2013 when she turned down Mick's sisters for money, and she fully arrived on Boxing Day, 26 December 2013, moving into The Queen Victoria pub with Mick as its new landlords. A Digital Spy poll one month after the Carters' debut ranked Linda least popular with 5.65% of the vote.
Storylines
Linda first appears when Mick's sisters Shirley and Tina visit her mother Elaine Peacock's pub in Watford to ask Mick for a loan, but Linda rejects them. Tina steals money from a bingo jar as revenge, but Shirley returns it, proving her honesty to Mick and recommending The Queen Victoria as a potential pub. Mick purchases the pub from Phil Mitchell, and the family moves in. Linda clashes with Shirley and befriends Sharon Rickman over their mutual dislike of Shirley. Linda and Mick receive an invite to daughter Nancy's wedding to troublemaker Wayne Ladlow, but Mick forcibly removes her from the service. In the argument, Nancy reveals that Johnny is gay; Linda initially refuses to accept it and encourages him to date Whitney Dean. Mick, Shirley, and Tina reunite with their estranged father Stan Carter, who moves into the pub after breaking his ankle, and Linda warms to him despite initial clashes.
Reception
Bright was nominated with Dyer for Best On-screen Partnership at The British Soap Awards 2014, but lost to David Neilson and Julie Hesmondhalgh. Kate White from Inside Soap praised the exploration of Linda's backstory, calling her finally a sympathetic character. Bright won Best Actress and Best Dramatic Performance at The British Soap Awards 2015. In August 2017, Bright and Dyer were longlisted for Best Partnership and their showdown for Best Show-Stopper, but neither made the shortlist. Linda and Mick placed second in Best Soap Couple at the 2018 Digital Spy Reader Awards with 10.6% of votes. In a 2021 Radio Times poll, they were voted joint sixth soap pub landlord with 6% of votes. Sara Wallis and Ian Hyland from The Daily Mirror placed Linda 21st on their list of best EastEnders characters, calling her a bun-haired, flamingo-loving Queen Vic landlady.
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