EastEnders reveals chaotic Lee Carter scenes in tragic alcoholism story

EastEnders’ Lee Carter’s drinking continues to cause problems next week, when he hits the bottle hard and disgraces himself in public.

Deeply concerned about his behaviour, can Lee’s family help him tackle his addiction as he prepares for fatherhood? And will Max make things better or worse when he sticks his oar in?

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"If there’s someone who knows about how alcohol can wreck your life, it’s Linda," begins our EastEnders insider. "She’s devastated to see her son go down the same self-destructive path as she did, especially when he has a baby on the way.

"Now she knows about his issues she’s ready to support him – that’s if he can stop shutting everyone out while he spirals into despair…"

Since learning about Lee’s battle with alcohol, which he kept from his family for years, sympathetic Linda has vowed to be there for her boy in his journey to recovery.

Having agreed to be a surrogate for her brother and his now ex-partner Jess, Nancy is nervous about whether Lee is ready to be a parent to the baby she’s carrying.

Her refusal to sign over parental responsibility for the child has caused a rift within the Carter clan, and Linda is caught in the middle of this battle between the siblings.

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Hopeful that Lee can kick the habit, Linda challenges him to go sober for one week. But as she admits to her mother, that’s not enough to quash Nancy’s fears he’s not in a good place to raise a kid…

"Nancy admits she’s finding it hard to be around Lee," reveals our source. "Linda offers to accompany the mum-to-be to her next antenatal class, but that only makes Lee feel excluded – so he drowns his sorrows and turns up to the class in a state…"

Lee causes a mortifying scene among the expectant parents, leaving his family feeling disappointed and ashamed. Seeing how upset this is making Linda, gallant lover Max steps in to try smooth things over.

Instead of thanking him for saving the day, Linda doesn’t appreciate Max’s meddling and orders him to stay out of Carter family business, before telling him to sling his hook!

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Falling out with Max doesn’t help Linda’s stress levels, which are already sky high, and the ongoing friction between Nancy and Lee only adds to her anxiety. Refusing to give up, Max tries another tactic to sort Linda’s problems.

"Max tries to have a quiet word with Nancy," teases our insider. "Again, he gets short shrift, especially when he starts laying into Lee. It’s fine for Nancy to moan about her brother’s antics, but she makes it clear her mum’s latest boyfriend should keep his opinions to himself!"

With Nancy’s rant ringing in his ears, optimistic Max tells Lauren he’s sure he can get back into Linda’s good books by uniting her bickering children. But will his interference end up backfiring?

Alcohol Change UK offers information, advice and support with their questions about drinking and the problems that can sometimes be caused by alcohol. For more information, visit Alcohol Change UK's website.

Drinkline also offers free, confidential advice to anyone who is concerned about their own or someone else's drinking on 0300 123 1110 (weekdays 9am–8pm, weekends 11am–4pm).

Readers can also contact Drinkaware.

EastEnders airs on Mondays - Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.