Linda Carter (Kellie Bright)

[lizann]

there is a bit of twitter buzz that she is connected to sharon or lola (half sister to sharon or lola's aunt or mom)

[Perdita]

EastEnders will air a rape storyline involving Linda Carter later this year.

Show bosses are working with Rape Crisis on a storyline that will see Linda (Kellie Bright) victimised by her brother-in-law Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo).

Bright has said that she is hopeful that Linda's journey will change viewers' "perception" of rape.

"I feel honoured to be given the responsibility to highlight the issue and educate against many myths surrounding rape," Bright explained. "The statistics are shocking. I hope EastEnders will help change people's perceptions."

Her co-star Di Angelo went on to say: "This is an extremely challenging storyline to play but an incredibly important story to tell."

Rape Crisis's Fiona Elvines also suggested that dramatic portrayals such as the Linda Carter storyline have the power to "change the public narrative around rape which heavily blames survivors".

Elvines explained: "The team at EastEnders, from producers and researchers, to writers and actors, have demonstrated a commitment to getting the balance right, working closely with us to create a story that tells some of the truths of sexual violence.

"We hope this commitment shows through and that anyone watching the show who feels they want to talk about their own experiences feels able to call the National Rape Crisis Helpline."

EastEnders producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins stressed that the storyline is another example of the show telling "important human stories that have the potential to make a real difference to people's lives".

He added: "Kellie Bright and Matt Di Angelo both give such brave, raw and intelligent performances as this story rips into the heart of the Carter family, changing lives forever, testing Mick and Linda's marriage and exposing some very dark secrets - as we move from Autumn through to Christmas and beyond."

More information can be found on the Rape Crisis website or by calling 0808 802 9999.

The storyline is scheduled to be broadcast this autumn.

EastEnders airs on BBC One.

[tammyy2j]

I don't like that they are doing this storyline with these characters

[tammyy2j]

EastEnders airs a dark storyline next week as Queen Vic landlady Linda Carter is raped by her brother-in-law Dean Wicks.

The incident happens when Dean and Linda are left alone together in the dramatic aftermath of Phil and Sharon's wedding.

Here, Kellie Bright - who plays Linda - reveals the details of the storyline and how she feels about exploring the sensitive subject matter.

How do Linda and Dean come to be left alone together?
"Well, there is a pretty big incident at Sharon and Phil's wedding and Mick has to dash off, but with what has happened he asks Linda to make sure that Dean is okay. It's something that Linda is quite reluctant to do, but obviously she would do anything for Mick."

Can you explain how the attack happens?
"They are alone together upstairs at The Vic after a very long day where an awful lot has happened - especially for Dean. He's on a real journey and they end up talking. Linda tries to get Dean to talk about how he's feeling and it really gets under Dean's skin.

"Ultimately, Linda is a mother and she looks at him like she would look at one of her own children. She knows that he's had a very difficult time with his own mum, Shirley, so she's trying to get him to open up, be honest with her and get to what's at the heart of him to make him better. She's being very maternal.

"There's a lot of talking, they are drinking some wine and he's drinking more heavily than she is. It gets to a point where Linda starts to backtrack a little when she feels that Dean is misconstruing her concern. She ends up making an excuse and leaving the room to prepare a hot chocolate for them because she's aware he's drinking quite a lot.

"He comes into the kitchen and before she has time to even acknowledge what's happening - it's happening."

Why doesn't Linda speak up after the attack?
"Immediately after the attack, she's in a state of shock. She's almost detached from the experience and if someone asked her what she did immediately after, I don't think she'd really know.

"When Mick does come home, the reality of seeing her husband makes her feel guilty, even though it's not her fault. Her automatic feeling is guilt. She's asking herself all sorts of questions: 'Did I bring this on myself?', 'Was I too affectionate with him?', 'Did I give him signals that I didn't mean to give him?', 'I must have instigated this because it can't have just come out of nowhere.' So there is a lot of guilt associated with it."

Are there any other reasons?
"She's also terrified of telling Mick because of what he could do to Dean. Although she's now terrified of Dean and sees him as a very dangerous young man, she doesn't want to lose her husband. In her head, she plays out this whole scenario that if she tells Mick, Mick will kill him and then Mick will go to prison. She'd have lost Mick and what's that going to do to the children? All of that is playing out in her head.

"Before she's even got to that point, in the first 24 hours, she's also started to question what it would do to Mick as a human being. This has broken her as a woman and there's a part of her that will never be the same again. Something has been spoiled for her in terms of her ability to be affectionate and open in a physical way. She doesn't want to tell Mick because she doesn't want to break something for him.

"What they had was so special and unique, as they'd only ever been with each other. She thinks that it would destroy Mick and she doesn't want to do that to him."

How does Linda cope around her family the next day?
"She doesn't really cope around her family. They think that she has a hangover and she allows them to think that. It's a very strange thing. She wants to be around them because they make her feel safe, but at the same time she needs to not be around them because she can't cope with any questions.

"If anyone even looks at her in the eye for too long she feels like she's got 'I've been raped' written across her forehead. It's wanting to hide herself away but at the same time, she doesn't want to be alone."

How do you see this trauma affecting Linda and her family?
"I don't know how it's going to affect them when or if they find out. I think in the short-term, it's going to cause real difficulties. She doesn't tell Mick but he knows that something is wrong and something has changed. What it forces her into doing is lie, upon lie, upon lie - and this is a man that she has never lied to, this is not who she is. She hates herself for it and feels guilty for it. It's made her into a person that she doesn't want to be."

When did you find out about the storyline?
"I knew that they would have something big in store for Linda that was going to affect her relationship with Mick. I didn't think it would be an affair but I thought it would be something that would shake their marriage. I kept thinking, 'What could it be?' I thought it could be this type of storyline very early on, but I didn't actually know it would be this until February/March time."

What were your initial thoughts?
"After [executive producer] Dominic [Treadwell-Collins] told me, I felt a great responsibility to do the storyline justice and to do the storyline well. As an actress, I felt very honoured and I was very enthused by it. It's a complicated storyline to play out and gives me the opportunity to play some really challenging stuff.

"I was really impressed right from the beginning at how much help we were given and how sensitive everyone who worked on the episodes were, including in the aftermath. Jenny Darnell, who directed the first part of this storyline is a genius as far as I'm concerned. In fact everyone who worked on these episodes and the aftermath episodes were fantastic, especially Jenny and [director] Rebecca Gatward.

"It didn't faze me and I didn't think, 'I don't want to do it' at all. I knew it was going to be full on and it has been full on, but that's good."

Did you do any research for the story?
"I spoke to a lady from Rape Crisis, Fiona, and I was given written material on rapists and their own psyche which was interesting. The Rape Crisis information was really useful and really helped me to make sense of how Linda reacts to this ordeal - not just during it but also after it. I've never had any problems believing what's happened to her and why it's happened to her, as well as what happens in the aftermath.

"Most women who have experienced this don't tell - 90% of woman do not report rape, so for us to do a story where a woman tells straight away would not be reflective of the truth. There is a real assumption that rape is a very violent act, you come away from it battered and bruised and if you don't, then why not?

"Women seem to be expected to fight back when actually what your body does physically is so extraordinary. It's very unsettling because women feel like they've been betrayed by their bodies because they literally freeze. Your body tries to protect you and you go very still and just let it happen.

"The first thing I would think is: 'Why didn't I fight?', 'Why didn't I shout?', 'Why didn't I push him off of me?', 'He's not a big man, I'm a strong woman' - all of those things would be going on. It's so complicated and as much as rape is a physical thing, it's also what it does psychologically. In fact the psychological issues for victims are just as massive as the physical."

How do you feel about the storyline being explored in a pre-watershed timeslot?
"I think EastEnders is a programme that is supposed to be reflective of real life and this issue is part of our society. Why shouldn't it be tackled? I think it's been done in a really sensitive way. It's out there so it's not going to be a shock to viewers and they have the option to make a decision not to watch it. It's a way to educate people."

Did you find it hard to leave the storyline behind when you went home?
"Not really. I just felt exhausted by it all in an emotional way. I'd go home and see my little boy and that would be fine."

What's it been like working on the story with Matt Di Angelo?
"Really good. I've enjoyed working with him more and more and he's been fantastic with this storyline. I do think he's had the harder job actually. He's got to get himself to a place of justifying his character's actions - that's really dark. He's been great all through the filming and very respectful. It's the best stuff I've seen him do. He's a lovely guy."

What kind of impact do you want the story to have?
"As well as raising awareness of the issue in general, I hope that it's going to make women report it more. Even when rapes are reported, the percentage of people that actually get prosecuted successfully is so minimal. If it's not reported immediately, it's so hard to prove because there's no physical evidence and this is so paramount to the prosecution.

"When this happens to someone, it's so important to go straight to the police or tell someone straight away. It doesn't matter if the survivor was wearing a short dress or if they'd had a few drinks - it's not their fault. It doesn't give permission for someone to be raped.

"All of that thinking needs to be washed away so we're not blaming a woman or looking at a woman thinking, 'She was stupid to be doing that'. Women should be able to do what they want and not feel threatened including in their own homes. I hope the storyline helps to raise awareness around this and change attitudes."

[Perdita]

EastEnders star Kellie Bright has revealed more details about the upcoming rape storyline for her character Linda Carter.

Linda faces the toughest time of her life next week as she is sexually attacked by her brother-in-law Dean Wicks after consoling him during a tough time.

At an EastEnders press event this week, Kellie spoke further about the filming of the plot, the impact on Linda's relationship with Mick, and whether her bubbly character can ever return to normal.

Can you tell us what the scenes were like to film? Were you given some extra time?
"We were given some extra time, which was fantastic. The director Jennie Darnell likes to rehearse when she can, and we worked with her a little bit before we started shooting. It was actually the build-up to the rape that was the trickiest part of the episode for me, because once the event has happened, then you are reacting to something very catastrophic and it's instinctive.

"Finding your way to the place where that happens is difficult and in something like EastEnders, having a 10-page scene like Matt and I had is epic. Making that journey and making those two people both get to a certain point was the most challenging part of it. Jennie really unpicks everything and nothing goes by. She comes at it from a very theatrical directorial way, and for something like this, it really worked."

Did you feel comfortable filming it?
"I felt very comfortable. It was a closed set for the day and when filming the actual physical element of it, we spent a day shooting two minutes of air time, which is unheard of. Matt was a dream to work with and I really love filming with him. It was very comfortable.

"It is interesting, because I think as an actor when you take on a story like this, people often ask if it affects you and whether you went home everyday and cried. The answer to that is no because I am telling a story. When I am playing Linda and telling her story, that is where I am at, and then I go home, I am Kellie and I am a mum to my 2-year old.

"I don't feel like I am carrying it around with me. I feel truly honoured and challenged by it but fundamentally, I am thrilled to be a part of this."

The storyline is very different to one where a character is raped in a dark alleyway, isn't it?
"We have worked very closely with Rape Crisis and personally that was very important to me. I learned an awful lot that I didn't know before. One of the things that I felt very strongly about after speaking to Fiona, who I was working with at Rape Crisis, was that people have a perception of what happens to you in a rape. If it is not violent and the woman is not beaten and covered in bruises, then why not? Women in those circumstances are expected to fight back and actually I think these are all the questions that Linda has going round her head in the aftermath.

"Actually, I think what happens is a very physiological response and your body shuts down. What it does is try and protect you - a bit like a spider drawing itself into a tiny little ball to protect itself - your body does what it needs to do so you don't get hurt in that moment. For a lot of women they feel betrayed by their bodies and they don't understand why they don't fight back or shout out, or why their body literally goes limp and lets it happen.

"One of things I was most impressed when watching this episode is that it's there and it's happening before you even know it and that is the reality of rape. There is a split second before it is happening and then probably not very long before it's over. That is the truth of it for so many women. What impressed me so much about this story and this episode is that it really shows that."

What effect will this have on Mick and Linda's relationship?
"It is going to have massive repercussions. It would do, and it does for women who are in relationships when it happens. Like I said before, it turns Linda into someone she doesn't want to be. She starts lying and making excuses for things.

"Obviously it also affects her and Mick's physical relationship and one of the most heartbreaking elements of this story is what it does to Mick and how he is affected by it all. He doesn't know what is wrong, but he just knows that his wife isn't the person that she used to be."

How have you found filming those scenes with Danny Dyer?
"I love filming with Danny. He is brilliant and he is very protective of me! This sounds odd, but I have hugely enjoyed telling this story and I have enjoyed playing all of it. It is a crazy schedule and it is a crazy job. It moves like a rollercoaster or a train and I can't believe we are about to start shooting Christmas!

"But I have really enjoyed it. It has been difficult and emotional and some of it has been hard. There is so much more to come. This is EastEnders at its best. This story is going to be really good telly."

How did you feel knowing that there'd be such a huge change in Linda and her relationship with Mick?
"I felt really sad. Danny and I had never met before we started this job, but we have been in each other's pockets for nearly a year now and so we can work together quickly and it's easy. I did feel really sad for Linda and we mourned her.

"One of the questions I asked Fiona from Rape Crisis during our first meeting was whether you can ever get past this if it happens to you. She asked me what Linda's history was and I told her that she'd had a lovely life, she has a lovely marriage, has lovely children and her dad died when she was young, but she hasn't had great trauma and hasn't been abused.

"Fiona said that because of this she would get over it, and even though it might take a while, she would bounce back. Somehow that has given me a bit of comfort through it all.

"One of the things I love about Linda Carter is that she is a strong woman. It is important that we show that this happens to strong women and not just women that have suffered years of abuse, are in abusive relationships or are seen as weak for whatever reason. This can happen to anyone and it is going to add something to Linda."

Linda has lots of women around her such as Nancy and Sharon. Does she come close to confiding in anyone over the next few weeks?
"Yes she does. She comes close to telling a few people but in true EastEnders style, something happens and she doesn't. That is truthful as well because she wants to tell and I truly believe that. She just doesn't know how to begin, where to begin, or what to say.

"Also, going back a bit to the backstory of Dean and Linda, there have been these moments where Dean has touched her bum and kissed her but she hasn't told anyone about that. She confided in Sharon, and she threw it back in her face by telling her daughter.

"Linda is always trying to protect her family and she is still trying to do that in the aftermath of this. It is not really about her - she is trying to do what she thinks is best for her children and her husband.

"There are many layers to why she doesn't tell. Linda is not the same person post this event and the further you go down a line of not telling and the more lies she is forced to tell, the harder it feels to come back from it. The saddest thing for me about this is that it has turned Linda into a person that she never was and never thought she would be. She becomes a liar and someone that is shut down in a certain way."

[Perdita]

Linda Carter will finally speak about her rape ordeal next month.

The Queen Vic landlady will speak to Dean's (Matt Di Angelo) current girlfriend Stacey (Lacey Turner) about his actions in a storyline to air over the Christmas period, the Daily Star reports.

Linda uncomfortable as Stacey gives her a glamorous look as part of Mick's organised treat.
© BBC

Linda (Kellie Bright) has yet to tell anyone about how she was attacked by Dean - who is husband Mick's (Danny Dyer) half brother - last month.

However, after noticing how close Dean and Stacey are getting, she feels compelled to tell her what he is capable of doing.

Meanwhile, Linda will tell Mick that she is pregnant in tonight's episode (November 21). While Mick assumes the child is his, Linda fears that the father could be Dean.

EastEnders is being investigated by Ofcom after receiving more than 90 viewer complaints over the rape scenes.