EastEnders fans gobsmacked as Danny Dyer and Linda Henry reunite after three years

viewers have been pleasantly surprised by the revelation that Shirley Carter actress is set to reunite with on screen, three years after their last appearance together on the soap. Fans got wind of the exciting news after Sky TV shared a series of stills from the upcoming second season of , a hit comedy starring Danny Dyer and Ryan Sampson.

One of the newly released images on was of Linda Henry, which is how some soap fans discovered that she was cast in the next chapter of the Sky Original comedy. The caption simply read: "Oh, they are so back," which resulted in a wave of excitement from people who have missed seeing Henry and Dyer interact on .

Several commented on the casting choice, with one person gushing: "Loving the fact Linda Henry is back with Danny Dyer!" Another jokingly asked: "Shirley what you doing babe? Get back to Walford please!" A third was left in shock, writing: "SHIRLEY???"

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Fans have been waiting for Linda to return to screens since she stepped away from EastEnders in December 2022. Her character left Walford in emotional scenes following the apparent death of her son Mick Carter (Danny Dyer), who vanished at sea while trying to save his wife Linda and partner Janine on Day.

Shirley struggled to carry on with life in the Square after the tragedy, and left to stay with Carly Wicks and her grandson. Fans briefly started to hope she might return when Dean Wicks turned up in Walford last October and claimed Shirley had suffered a breakdown.

Despite Linda Carter's attempts to contact her, Shirley did not make a comeback, and viewers were left wondering if the character would ever be seen again.

While EastEnders executive producer Chris Clenshaw previously reassured fans that "it won’t be the last you see of her", Linda Henry has remained on an extended break from the soap.

However, her surprise casting in Mr Bigstuff means viewers will have a chance to see the actress back in action. Mr Bigstuff first aired in 2024 and became Sky Max’s highest-rating new original comedy in three years.

Ryan Sampson, who has also worked on Plebs and Brassic, wrote and stars in Mr Bigstuff. The SkyTV comedy follows the story of Glen, a mild-mannered carpet salesman whose quiet life is thrown into chaos when his estranged brother Lee (played by Dyer) suddenly comes out of hiding.

The second series of the show was filmed late last year in London and Essex, and is expected to premiere on Sky and NOW in 2025. Sampson teased the upcoming episodes, saying: "Mr Bigstuff series 2: filthy secrets, dirty lies. Someone’s gonna have to come clean."

Harriet Webb will also return as Kirsty, Glen’s down-on-her-luck fiancée, alongside new cast members such as Linda Henry and Rula Lenska, who are popping in for a cameo.

In the photo SkyTV released of Linda, she can be seen looking very sternly at someone off-camera while dressed in black work gear. She is said to be playing a "no-nonsense, hands-on mechanic at the family haulage firm" called Pam.

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