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. The introduction of Dyer and Bright was part of a large cast shake-up planned by new executive producer Treadwell-Collins in an attempt to improve ratings. 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 May 2016, Bright announced that she was pregnant with her second child and would be taking maternity leave. Linda departed the series on 25 December 2016, but made two separate guest appearances in March and June 2017. She returned full-time on 7 August 2017. In March 2021, Bright announced her third pregnancy and departed six months later on 21 September 2021. Linda returned for two episodes, broadcast on 28 and 31 December 2021. She returned full-time on 4 April 2022. The character appeared in her 1000th episode on 12 October 2022. Bright took a break from the show on-screen on 22 July 2025 and returned on 15 December.

Linda's storylines include struggling with the revelation that her son Johnny (Sam Strike/Ted Reilly/Charlie Suff) is gay; being raped by Mick's brother Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo); giving birth to a premature baby after falling down the stairs; suffering from bulimia nervosa; marrying Mick after a previous storyline where it was revealed that the couple were not actually married; discovering that Mick kissed their daughter-in-law Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty); revealing that she has secretly battled cervical cancer; surviving an ambulance crash; perverting the course of justice when Stuart Highway (Ricky Champ) is shot, leading to her being falsely accused of attempted murder; coping with son Ollie's (Harry Farr) diagnosis of autism; battling with alcoholism; splitting up with Mick for a short time, and an extramarital affair with Max Branning (Jake Wood), which leads to another pregnancy; ultimately divorcing Mick after being lured back into alcoholism by Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks), who wants him for herself; adjusting to life without Mick after he is presumed dead at sea after shortly reuniting with him; dealing with the return of her rapist Dean, murdering Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) to save her best friend Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) during "The Six" storyline, for which she later turned herself in to the police but effectively escaped punishment after Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry) took the blame, coming to terms with the revelation that her father was gay which her mother hid for years and eventually admitting herself to rehab for her alcoholism before returning, selling the Queen Vic to Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace), marking the end of her tenure as landlady after more than a decade, and sleeping with Sharon's ex-husband Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp).

Linda was introduced as the wife of Mick Carter, played by Danny Dyer, the brother of established character Shirley Carter (Linda Henry), who has appeared in EastEnders since 2006. Luisa Bradshaw-White joined the cast as Shirley's sister Tina Carter in early November, and Linda was the second new Carter to appear after her. Kellie Bright's casting was announced alongside Danny Dyer's on 1 October 2013, a week after Bradshaw-White's casting was revealed. Linda was described as having been with Mick since they were teenagers, and despite not being 'blessed with brains', is a 'tough woman who will always fight tooth and nail for her family – especially her children'. Bright previously appeared as a bridesmaid in 1986 at the wedding of Michelle Fowler (Susan Tully) and Lofty Holloway (Tom Watt), and starred in scenes opposite her current co-star Letitia Dean, who continues to appear as Sharon Watts. Bright estimated herself to be aged 10 at the time. She also auditioned for the role of Tanya Branning in 2006, a role that was eventually given to Jo Joyner.

Linda first appeared in an episode that aired on BBC One on 19 December 2013, visited partner Mick's sisters Shirley and Tina when they needed money. Linda rejected them. She made her full arrival on 26 December 2013, the Boxing Day episode for EastEnders, moving into her new home on Albert Square, The Queen Victoria. Mick and Linda became the landlord and landlady of their pub. In a poll held by Digital Spy a month after the introduction of the Carters, Linda was the least popular, with 5.65% of the vote. Mick proved to be the most popular, with nearly 50% of the vote.

Upon the character's announcement, Treadwell-Collins explained that in their fictional backstory, Mick and Linda have been married for over twenty years, and have been together since they were teenagers. Hello called them "childhood sweethearts". They were called "a tight family unit", and Treadwell-Collins said they have a "good marriage" and "an easy shorthand with each other—but can also still fight like teenagers." He said that the characters would laugh, cry, argue and make up, which would embarrass their children, but would delight their neighbours. It was said that the couple "still love each other, no matter what life throws at them", and that after moving to the fictional setting of Walford from Watford, "life's about to throw them a few curve balls." Inside Soap said that Mick and Linda have a passionate relationship and adore each other. Bright explained that Mick and Linda have grown up together, and said: "It's a weird thing when you've known someone your whole life—you're more than just husband and wife. You're something else." She later said that Mick and Linda have known each other since they were five or six years old, and can finish each other's sentences and know how the other is feeling by the look on their face. Dyer and Bright both said that Mick and Linda are passionate and lustful, with Bright saying they are "madly in love" and describing a "real fizz between them". She said, "they're kind of tearing each other's heads off or tearing each other's clothes off." Dyer said there is a "Den and Angie [Watts] feel" to the relationship. Jane Simon from the Daily Mirror said that the fact Mick and Linda are happily married is a "rare thing in soapland". However, in July 2014, it was revealed in storylines that Mick and Linda are not married, yet all their families believes they are, a fact that left Carena Crawford from All About Soap wondering why they never got married and why they kept this a secret, but she hoped for a big wedding.

Linda's early stories included her struggle with son Johnny's (Sam Strike) sexuality, which was revealed a week after the Carters moved into The Queen Vic. While Mick portrayed the accepting father (a portrayal that was widely praised by critics), Linda protested against her son being gay, and encouraged him to enter a relationship with his friend, Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty), who was obviously keen. This caused many arguments between mother and son. The argument eventually reached breaking point in June 2014, when Linda failed to support Johnny's plans to go to gay pride and caused him embarrassment by revealing his cowardice during the attack on Sharon Rickman (Letitia Dean). As a result, Johnny left home, but Linda tracked him down with the help of her father-in-law Stan (Timothy West), and they reunited, with Linda showing her acceptance by dropping him off at gay pride in London.

Other storylines included Linda's turmoilous friendship with Sharon, which turned into a rivalry when she opened a rival bar, The Albert, in Walford; her plans to breed her dog, Lady Di, being scuppered when her daughter Nancy (Maddy Hill) lost control of her and she was impregnated by Abi Branning's (Lorna Fitzgerald) dog Tramp; and her turmoil over her eldest son, Lee (Danny Hatchard) being in the army, and her supporting him through the grief for a lost comrade on his return to England. She was involved in a brief scandal where Dexter Hartman (Khali Best), Alfie Moon (Shane Richie) and Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick) discovered pictures of her during her time as a Page 3 model.