Mick Carter is back on EastEnders… in some capacity! He may not have returned from the dead (yet), but the beloved character was the topic of conversation in a couple of scenes during tonight’s episode.

Mick, who was portrayed by Danny Dyer, seemingly met his end on Christmas Day in 2022, with the figure last being seen heading out to sea to save his ex-wife Linda following a devastating car accident.

Though Linda made it out safe and sound on her own, Mick’s absence has been felt in Walford over the past few years, and tonight’s instalment of the BBC soap saw the former landlady of The Vic celebrate his birthday.

In the beginning of the episode, Linda invited Ian Beale for a drink to commemorate Mick’s memory, though he was far more worried about the “monstrosity” – Elaine’s sign for Peacock Palace – that was standing in the street.

After Elaine made a reference to classic 1990s film Thelma & Louise, Ian took it one step further and noted the scene where a car is driven off a cliff. This upset Linda given the circumstances of Mick’s passing, while Elaine criticised Ian for his choice of words.

Ian attempted to make amends by bringing Linda a bouquet of flowers, with the character admitting that he thought fondly of Mick. Alfie made a tribute to Mick from the bar, while Linda accepted Ian’s apology.

Though a past storyline was revisited, the scenes also served as the foreground to explore the latest ongoing feud in Albert Square, with Ian and Elaine engaged in a bitter war of words over their respective businesses.

With the pair trading insults at the bar in a bid to get one over each other, Elaine thinks she has the final laugh as Ian is tasked with buying a round, but the schemer has a trick up his sleeve as he makes a phone call to the local councillor.

“Ian sees himself and his family as the entrepreneurial moguls of Walford,” says our EastEnders insider. “He doesn’t like having competition, and he dobs in Elaine with an official complaint to the council.”

“But just as his plan to get the sign removed seems to be working, Elaine comes across some valuable information,” teases the insider, but what could she have possibly discovered that could work in her favour?