Carters in crisis!
Linda’s drink problem spirals out of control…
What everyone’s seen is only the tip of the iceberg
Tis the season to be jolly… but there’s little to celebrate for the Carter family. On Christmas Eve, when Linda should be standing proud behind The Queen Vic bar, she’s flat out on a bench, comatose after a solo drinking session.
It’s clear at the ‘Ball and Change’ winners dinner that Linda is on a path to destruction.
Taking up
Ruby’s suggestion to wear fancy dress, she’s redfaced when she realises it was just a joke. Soon she’s back on the booze and, as she continues to drink, Mick snaps and chucks her wine down the sink. Linda lays into him and, realising Ollie has overheard, she runs out and drinks alone in the Square.
‘No parent would feel good about arguing with their child,’ says Kellie Bright, who plays Linda. ‘It’s the last thing she would want
Ollie to see.’
It’s a sorry sight as Linda falls asleep, outside, and it puts a dampener on Mick’s surprise. He has arranged for their eldest lad, Lee, to come over from Dover.
As Christmas Day dawns, Linda is at rock bottom, and her family have no idea where she is, nor of the state she’s in. Mick tries to put on a brave face, but the situation takes its toll and he has a panic attack.
Linda finally returns, but it’s clear she’s hiding something. And the omens aren’t good when, on New Year’s Eve, she heads out to a party thrown by Karen Taylor.
Haunted by recent events, she starts drinking again…
‘What everyone has seen of Linda so far is only the tip of the iceberg,’ adds Kellie. ‘Her drinking gets as bad as it could. What she does under the influence of alcohol is pretty horrendous.’
The landlady has been through some challenging times, but could 2020 be her toughest year yet?