Episode 6081 (17 February 2020)

Summary[]

Linda revels in her divorce from Mick but her happiness is short-lived when she comes to blows with Shirley - and things only gets worse at the Thames boat party when she continues to throw alcohol down her throat and embarrass her family. Patrick grows fed up of Isaac's behaviour towards him and pleads with Sheree to tell him the truth. Sonia is stunned when the police turn up.

Whitney watches from the Brannings' window at Mick, the knife still firmly in her hands, as Mick sits alone beside himself after removing his wedding ring. Whitney reaches for her mobile and calls an anonymous number for help.

Phil has made his way back to the Square and gotten his hands on a gun from the assistance of Shirley. A tipsy Linda shows Shirley the signed divorce papers. As Linda starts getting rowdy in the bar, Shirley attempts to knock her down a peg or two. Linda insults her capability of responsibility, to which Shirley responds with a thump to her face. Linda whacks her back, and the in-laws begin to affray.

Mick comes to Whitney's aid, and she directs him to Leo's lifeless body. Mick decides that the best way forward is to phone the old bill but quickly changes his mind when Whitney observes her future behind bars. He orders her to get ready for the boat party to have an array of alibis and plans to get rid of the knife from the deck.

Shirley explains to Linda that her actions are attempts to save her marriage. She confesses that their reason for the conflict is down to jealousy - she's resentful of the connection her son and Linda have. Realising the damage her actions have caused, Linda leaves Mick a voicemail expressing her apologies and admiration.

The residents begin to board the coach for the boat party. Shirley has a change of heart on attending and decides otherwise. While Linda spots Mick comforting Whitney across the Square and instantly assumes the worst, to which she orders the driver to leave without them.

Later that evening, the guests board The Smith-Holland. Those left behind manage to make their way there. Phil has managed to smuggle his way on board with the gun in tow, and Ben arrives just in time before they set sail.

Sonia returns home earlier than expected and discovers a deceased Leo. She's stunned when the police come knocking at her door.

The party has got underway aboard the boat. Patrick gets annoyed at Isaac's lack of respect towards him and decides he wants to come clean after all, while Denise reminds Jack to warn Ian that Peter and Lauren have split.

Linda gets hold of the microphone and publicly announces her beliefs that Mick and Whitney are having an affair. Mick reminds her that their reason for split is down to her embarrassing behaviour and her lacking traits of being a fit mother. Jack finds Whitney looking over the river with the knife in her hand. Mick manages to butt in just in time to explain the reason behind her arm of a weapon - she's due to cut the cake. After listening to Linda's voicemail, Mick tells Whitney he can't get rid of Leo's body after all and is going to the police.

Meanwhile, a drunk Linda finds her way to the kitchen where a bottle on the top shelf greets her. As she goes climbing the cabinet and Patrick confronts Isaac to reveal all, the boat brutally rattles causing a stir. Linda falls backwards, and the bottle hits her head, knocking her unconscious.

Meanwhile, on the party deck, the captain announces that there's been an incident and all guests need to evacuate the boat immediately. Tina barks that she heard a gunshot, while the captain tells everyone that the boat has taken on water and a filling has started in the bottom deck - where Linda is. As the guests become frantic, Mick goes in search for Linda. Linda slowly starts coming too and realises she has gotten her foot trapped. She screams out for help, directing Mick to her location. Mick calls out for help as he struggles to set Linda free. The water begins to rise abruptly, and the lights blurt out. Linda tells Mick to leave, "think about the children." He refuses, if the boat goes down, they're going down together.

Credits[]

Main cast[]

Recurring cast[]

Tracey - Jane Slaughter
Jo - unknown actress (uncredited)

Guest cast[]

Leo King - Tom Wells
Captain Matthew Cox - Charlie Carter
PC Paul Campbell - Jack Gogarty

Locations[]

Albert Square
The Queen Victoria - Public, hallway, barrel store and upstairs flat
25 Albert Square - Living room, kitchen and hallway
River Thames
The Smith-Holland

Notes[]

Leo King is stabbed by Whitney Dean and dies.
Despite being credited, Keanu Taylor did not appear in this episode.
This episode was the first of four to commemorate the show's 35th anniversary. This episode focused on the perspectives of the Carter and Trueman family.
To celebrate the soap's milestone, the majority of the drama took place along the River Thames, the key feature of the programme's archetypal title sequence.
To mark the milestone occasion, the opening and closing titles were altered to reflect the darker, more eerie tone of the episodes. The same titles were used back in 2015 in a special flashback episode which unveiled the killer of Lucy Beale.
Several "easter eggs" were incorporated into the anniversary episodes to celebrate the soap's milestone and to reference significant features and characters in the history of the programme. Among these where: The captain of the boat was named Captain Matthew Cox, taking the surname from the resident that was found dead in the first episode - Reg Cox. The boat in which the characters board was called The Smith-Holland, named after the surnames of the show's creators Julia Smith and Tony Holland. The boat disaster took place near Fassett Dock, taking the name of the place the producers based Albert Square's design on from Fassett Square in Dalston. And the coach the characters boarded was called Hewitt's, taking the surname from the malicious Christine Hewitt who embarked on an affair with Arthur Fowler in 1992.
The opening scene of the episode contained various montages of the disaster, before generating into a generic black background with the additional title "Seven hours earlier..."
Ray De-Haan was credited as the stunt co-ordinator for this episode while Daz Parker, Belinda McGinley, Kelly Dent and Andy Pilgrim were the stunt performers.
Radio Times synopsis: To mark the soap's 35th anniversary, episodes this week cover the events of one day from different angles.
Viewing Figures: First UK broadcast - 6,092,473 viewers (chart placing unknown).