EastEnders confirms who is in the coffin as BBC soap airs tragic format-changing episode

LINDA Carter finally met a tragic end as she D.I.E.D in harrowing scenes on EastEnders.

The mum-of-five was seen collapsing onto the ground amid her devastating alcohol battle after drinking herself into oblivion yet again.

In a format-changing show, Linda’s death scenes and her subsequent funeral were packaged together into one programme.

The BBC One episode began with Linda having a furious bust-up with her mother, Elaine.

Elaine had been begging her daughter to accept help and go to rehab during a tense bedroom showdown.

Amid a furious fight, Linda remained defiant and insisted she didn’t want help which led to her throwing her mum over the bed in a fit of rage.

The unexpected assault was witnessed by Ollie who later admitted to older brother Johnny that he knew of Linda’s alcoholism.

As the evening continued, Elaine once again attempted to persuade Linda to give up the bottle as they moved downstairs to the bar.

Raging, Linda said she would choose “vodka” over rehab and planned to return to bed with it.

But Elaine revealed she would phone the police and report the bedroom a.s.s.a.u.l.t to them in a bid to get Linda locked-up and away from the booze.

This made Linda storm out of the Vic, bottle in hand, as well as with a drawing from Ollie showcasing her half cut on the ground with a bottle pressed to her lips.

Linda soon downed the full bottle of vodka and wandered off into the night where she came across a man who was sleeping rough and got underneath the blanket with him.

In terrifying scenes, the man then began to s.e.x.u.a.l.l.y a.s.s.a.u.l.t Linda as she drunkenly fell asleep on him before she suddenly woke up.

She shouted, “No!”, as she made a run for it, taking the man’s beers with her.

Back near the Square, and having downed yet another drink, Linda began to experience pains as she groaned and writhed on a park bench.

The situation made for uncomfortable viewing as she violently vomited across the war memorial before experiencing a shortness of breath.

Tragically, Linda then d.i.e.d as a result of her drinking.

In an unusual twist, the soap then jumped right to her funeral scenes as all of her family – including children Nancy and Lee – gathered in the Vic ahead of saying their goodbyes.

Clearly struggling, Johnny began hitting the bottle like his mother as he kept a drink on him at all times and refused to accept what was going on.

The coffin then rolled through Walford as the residents gathered to pay their respects.

At the church, only a few mourners were present with Elaine, Johnny, Lee, Nancy all present as well as Callum Highway and her best pal Sharon.

Sharon delivered a speech in which she compared Linda to her late mum, Angie Watts.

She insisted that being an alcoholic was an illness which led to a furious Johnny lashing out and raging that it was all a choice.

A family feud quickly erupted as Nancy comforted her brother before taking her anger out on Elaine and holding her responsible for Linda’s d.e.a.t.h.

Nancy argued that Elaine could have done more to help save Linda which saw the two women engage in a heated spat.

It led to Nancy whacking Elaine across the face.

Back inside the pub, the three eldest kids came downstairs to confirm they were leaving and taking Ollie and Annie with them for their own sake and saftey.

Elaine demanded that they remain at the pub as it is their home but Nancy admitted she had a battle on her hands as they would be taking the matter of the kids’ guardianship to the Family Court.

She then screamed the pub down and insisted everyone “get out” as she suffered a meltdown in the wake of Linda’s d.e.a.t.h.

Alone in the pub, the lights began to flicker around her.

The episode then cut back to Linda on the night of her death as she stood outside the pub, holding the vodka bottle after storming out on Elaine.

Shaking, she looked at the picture that Ollie drew her – showing her boozed-up and on the ground.

In a sudden moment of realisation, she poured the entire bottle of vodka down the drain and headed back into the pub to speak to Elaine.

Addressing her tearful mum, Linda declared:  “I don’t want to be this person anymore.”

Confirming that the events of the episode had all been in Linda’s mind, she then said: “I saw it all, Mum… what would happen if I don’t stop. It’s like someone slapped me round the face and you’re right, the drink is going to k.i.l.l me, and when I d.i.e, everyone’s going to hate me.”

Linda admitted she did not want to d.i.e as she embraced Elaine and vowed to get help.

Could this finally be the turning point that Linda needed in order to get better for good?

The funeral scenes followed straight after her ‘d.e.a.t.h’Credit: BBC