Shirley Carter
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| EastEnders character | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Shirley Carter | |
| Portrayed by | Linda Henry |
| Duration | 2006— |
| First appearance | 7 December 2006 |
| Marital status | Divorced |
| Home | 89 George Street |
| Family | Deano, Carly, James |
Shirley Carter[1] (previously Wicks) is a fictional character in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. She is played by Linda Henry.[2] She made her first on-screen appearance in December 2006, and appeared in Walford on New Year's Day 2007.
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[edit] Background
Shirley is the mother of Deano and Carly Wicks and the ex-wife of Kevin Wicks. She also had another son, James, who died. She left home when her children were young, and they did not see her until 7 December 2006, when they hitched a lift with her, not knowing who she was.
[edit] Storylines
Shirley was first seen when Kevin took Carly and Deano, and the Fox and Trueman families (Denise, Chelsea and Libby Fox and Patrick and Yolande Trueman) on holiday to a village called Kingston in Dorset. Kevin's old friend Dylan, who lives in Kingston, tipped Shirley off about Kevin's being there, and they planned to introduce Shirley to Carly and Deano.
Shirley broke into Kevin's rented minibus, and found the rental deed, also discovering that he lived at 31 Albert Square, Walford, E20.
She watched the house the families were staying in, and when Deano and Carly left to walk to the village, she offered them a lift. She was pleased when Carly, a mechanic, fixed the fuse in her car's cigarette lighter. As a thank you gesture, she offered to take Carly and Deano for breakfast, but when they declined, she offered to take them to lunch. They said they would meet her, though they both said to each other that they did not want to.
Dylan was later seen chasing Shirley in his car, as she was speeding up to the holiday house. She knocked on the door, and Kevin was surprised to see her. Kevin told her to leave Carly and Deano alone, but she said she had never stopped thinking about them. Dylan took her back to the village.
Carly and Deano later decided to take her up on her offer of lunch. She took photographs of them, saying that she was just testing her new camera. As they were about to go to lunch, Dylan took them back to the house, as Dylan had called Kevin to tell him they were with her, and Kevin told Dylan to get them away from her.
As Kevin drove through the village to go back to Walford with Carly, Deano, the Foxes and Truemans, Shirley called him on his mobile, withholding her own number. She asked Kevin to tell Carly and Deano that she was thinking about them, and hung up. She was then shown to be looking at the rental deed of the minibus, showing Kevin's address and mobile number.
On 31 December 2006, Shirley walked out of her job in a pub in Kingston, saying she had family to visit. On 1 January 2007, she arrived in Walford, prepared to tell Carly and Deano her true identity — until she walked into Kevin. He dragged her into the men's public toilets, where he made her beg to see the children. When the argument continued onto the street outside, Carly saw Kevin grab Shirley by the throat. When Kevin left, Shirley made her way to Walford East tube station. Carly followed her and purposefully bumped into her. Although Carly knew by this point that Shirley was her mother, she kept the pretence that Shirley was the woman who she met in Dorset. Shirley introduced herself as Sue, and Carly took her for a drink, and later took her back home. Kevin and Denise returned home, and while Shirley took a bath, Carly forced Kevin to admit that Shirley was their mother. When Shirley returned downstairs, she asked Carly and Deano if they had a hug for their mother. Carly threw her out, and she went to The Queen Vic, where she flirted with Garry Hobbs and Minty Peterson, and gave her address to Denise, who later passed it on to a depressed Deano.
Deano paid her a visit only to see her through the window, drunk with a man. Deano was upset by this, and ended up having a car crash, hurting himself and Chelsea and knocking down Abi Branning. Chelsea called Shirley and she joined the family at the hospital, causing chaos. When she was met with a cold reception, Shirley decided to leave her family again, but when Deano told Kevin that he thought Shirley had left seventeen years previuosly because of him, Kevin made Shirley stay to put things right with Deano. Shirley lived at 31 Albert Square with Pat, Kevin, Denise, Carly, Deano, Chelsea and Libby. When Deano was released from hospital she decided to leave Walford, after arguments continued with both Carly and Kevin. AS she prepared to leave Walford, Garry helped her by securing the lease on Denise's old flat, 89 George Street. On the night she was due to move into the flat, she had an argument in The Queen Vic with Pat. This led to her telling Pat Kevin's secret, which left Pat shocked.
On 29 January, Carly grew suspicious and she and Deano forced Kevin to tell them his secret. He told them that he was not their real father. Shirley then revealed that Carly's father was a man named Daniel, and she could not remember Deano's father's name.
[edit] Family
- Sons: Deano Wicks, James Wicks (deceased)
- Daughter: Carly Wicks
[edit] References
- ^ "Shirley Carter profile page", bbc.co.uk. URL last accessed 2006-12-07
- ^ "Linda Henry to join the cast" bbc.co.uk, URL last accessed 2006-09-12
