By Laura Denby

Published: Tuesday, 07 June 2022 at 12:00 am


Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks) made a shocking new move in tonight’s EastEnders (7th June), as she framed Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) for a harrowing car crash.

Last night’s instalment of the BBC soap saw Janine seek out a drunk Linda, who was stranded in the middle of nowhere. Janine was desperate to stop Linda from spilling her secrets, after she tried to pay Linda to leave Walford forever – and conned Linda and Mick’s (Danny Dyer) daughter Nancy (Maddy Hill) out of her savings in the process.

Janine therefore began to drive Linda and her baby daughter, Annie, back to the Square. All the while, she appealed to Linda to keep quiet, aware that if the truth came out she could lose new beau Mick. Linda was determined to expose Janine, wanting estranged husband Mick to know all the facts about her.

The two women then engaged in a shouting match, and Janine was forced to swerve the vehicle, leading her to crash into a tree. The impact was brutal, and as she woke from the accident in tonight’s episode, the first thing Janine heard was Annie’s cries. She soon realised that Linda was unconscious and seriously injured, and despite her shock, Janine quickly put her plan into action.

Dragging Linda out of the car, Janine used all her strength to put her in the driver’s seat. She also made sure the vodka bottle Linda had been drinking from was in full view, and even splashed some alcohol around.

Once this was done, Janine was able to appear as though she was merely a passer-by. So when a woman arrived on the scene asking what had happened, Janine claimed she was out walking her dog and left to find her fictional pet, leaving the stranger to call for help.

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Will Janine be caught out this time? BBC

Arriving home to daughter Scarlett, Janine was quizzed over her whereabouts, as they were due to depart to visit Janine’s sister Clare. Janine insisted that she would be ready to go soon, but Scarlett noticed the wound on her head as blood began to pour from it. Janine lied that it was a minor accident from shifting barrels in the Queen Vic, and prepared to leave to secure her alibi.

Meanwhile, Shirley (Linda Henry) received a call from the hospital, and Mick and family were stunned as they arrived to find out that Linda was in an induced coma and was now critically ill. As he called Janine, who was in a cab with Scarlett, she was shaken to learn of Linda’s condition.

But will Janine get away with framing Linda? Or will the latter survive and recall what happened, thwarting her nemesis once and for all?

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