Your guide to EastEnders’ Carter family tree from Mick to Tina

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THEY’ve been gracing our screens since 2006 and have been at the core of heart-stopping plotlines. 

But amidst the drama, some EastEnders fans may find it hard to wrap their heads around who exactly is a part of the Carter family. 

Any EastEnders fan has heard of the Carters

Departures and grisly deaths may have gotten in the way of their happy routines throughout their years in Walford, yet the Carters remain an unavoidable staple on the British box.

The Carter family tree as we know it includes:

Stan Carter (1937-2015)

Timothy West as patriarch Stan Carter

Stan was the heart of the Carter family as the father of Tina and Shirley and the grandfather of Mick Carter, Carly, Jimbo and Dean Wicks.

Portrayed by actor Timothy West, he was introduced to viewers of the soap in January, 2014, when a desperate Mick visits him to borrow money.

A stern and authoritarian figure, Stan has not had the best relationship with his offspring and he was even estranged from his daughter Shirley.

This was mostly due to Stan’s drinking, which led a young Tina and Mick to go into care.

However, when Mick is accused of soliciting a prostitute, Stan firmly defends him, despite his grandson’s plea in court.

Stan fell ill and was caught going into hospital by Babe Smith (Annette Badland).

It was revealed that he was suffering from terminal prostate cancer.

Prior to his death, Stan pushed his daughter Shirley to reconcile with her own son Mick, to no avail.

He died peacefully, with Shirley at his bedside on April 10, 2015, and his ashes were poured into a dug trench on Ramsgate beach in September, 2015.

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Sylvie Carter (1942-2017)

Sylvie (right) struggled with Alzheimer’s disease

Much like her ex-husband Stan, Sylvie only made her first appearance in Albert Square in 2014, after being mentioned by other EastEnders character on numerous occasions.

The mother of Shirley and Tina, she was also the adopted mother of Mick after attempting to make her daughter Shirley miscarry.

Sylvie was played by Linda Marlowe.

She was first mentioned by Stan and Shirley in January, 2014, when both reminisce about how she left the both of them.

But it’s only when Shirley and Mick visit Sylvie’s sister, Babe, that viewers came to know her.

She had been living with Babe since being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, leaving her sister resentful and struggling to take care of her.

Despite her dementia worsening throughout her time in Walford, Sylvie has several moments of clarity, notably when she takes a shine to Mick and defends her daughter Tina after she was sexually harassed by men in The Vic.

While Tina insisted on taking her in, she realises that a care home would be best suited for Sylvie in the long-run.

But the day she was due to be assessed by social services, a 1960s-themed party turns deadly as the power cuts out while Sylvie is in her bath with her CD player plugged into the mains.

Sylvie is found electrocuted to death by a distraught Tina on March 30, 2017.

Shirley Carter (1963)

Shirley pose as her son Mick’s sister for years

The eldest of Stan and Sylvie’s two daughters, Shirley is portrayed by actress Linda Henry and made her first appearance in EastEnders in 2006.

She had a complicated relationship with her own mother Sylvie.

While dating Buster Briggs in her teenage years, Shirley became pregnant for the first time but only found out after four months, when her mother Sylvie barged into her bedroom, suspicious of her sudden weight gain.

Shirley was then pushed down the stairs by Sylvie and her aunt Babe, in an attempt to have her miscarry.

When this didn’t work, the pair decided to pass the baby off as Shirley’s brother.

She gave birth to Mick who was subsequently raised as her and Tina’s brother.

Shirley went on to have another baby with her childhood sweetheart Buster, named Dean.

Much like his half-sister Carly, he was adopted by Kevin Wicks.

Shirley has also gone through the pain of losing a child as her second son James “Jimbo” Wicks died of Cystic Fibrosis at the age of 20, in 2001.

Shirley is still an Albert Square resident and has wreaked havoc over the years.

She notably attempted to murder Ben Mitchell in 2012, after he killed her best friend Heather Trott but has also tried to drown her own son Dean when he tried to rape Roxy Mitchell.

More recently, in September, 2021, she was told by Gray Atkins to take her anger out on bad guy Phil Mitchell by hitting him over the head with a baseball bat after he insulted her sister Tina.

Tina Carter (1974-2020)

Tina Carter was murdered in 2020

Portrayed by Luisa Bradshaw-White, Tina was murdered by Gray Atkins in December, 2020, after she confronted him with the knowledge he killed his first wife Chantelle, whom he was also abusing.

First mentioned in March, 2009, Tina first appeared in Walford in November, 2013.

She was married twice prior to this, to Mark Reynolds and a man named Andy.

Tina has had several romances in Albert Square, including with Fiona Mackintosh, Sonia Fowler, Sophie Dodd and Woody Wooward.

Her most notable on-and-off romance, however, was with Billy Mitchell as she even caused the latter’s breakup with his fiancée Honey.

After realising that Stuart Highway was behind a traumatic experience she had had during her youth, Tina attacked him twice.

Tina was the mother of Zsa Zsa Carter, whose father was Mark Reynolds.

Dean Wicks (1987)

Dean Wicks was a notable EastEnders bad guy

In memory of his brother Jimbo (who has only appeared in EastEnders through a home movie), Dean took on the nickname “Deano.”

Portrayed by Matt Di Angelo, Dean first appeared on the show in 2006 and left permanently ten years later, in 2016, after going through a hiatus from 2008 to 2014.

Dean has had a complicated relationship with his mother Shirley as she left him during his childhood after finding out about Jimbo’s Cystic Fibrosis.

He was, therefore, raised by Kevin Wicks, who he believed was his father.

He then bonded with her when recovering from a car accident, which leads Shirley to reveal his true parentage.

After finding out his father is none other than Buster Briggs, Dean threatens to commit suicide but is stopped before going through with his plan to set himself on fire.

While he hasn’t had the best of luck in love, he has been involved with Chelsea Fox, Shabnam Masood, Lauren Branning, Stacey Fowler and Lola Pearce.

He became a father to Jade after his one night stand with Shabnam, who was first named Roya before she was adopted. She now lives with her mother.

Deano has also had a few run-ins with the law as he was sentenced to six months in prison when he attempts to frame Sean Slater for the assault of Patrick Trueman.

He also raped his brother Mick’s wife, Linda.

His rocky and abusive relationship with Roxy Mitchell also led him to face justice after he attempted to rape her.

Pleading not guilty, despite his mother urging him to do otherwise, Dean was acquitted off-screen in August, 2016.

He was paid off by his father Buster to never return to Walford again.

Carly Wicks (1984)

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Portrayed by Kellie Shirley, Carly was Dean’s older sister and was also adopted by Kevin Wicks.

She first appeared in EastEnders in 2006 and left the show in 2012, after deciding to move to Australia.

Carly first moved to Walford with her adoptive father and brother following her split from her husband Nico Pappas and was estranged from her mother Shirley for a long time.

Both women have had a tumultuous relationship, bonding when Carly finds out Shirley had a one night stand with a man named Daniel (who was her biological father) before feuding once again, with Carly even spitting in her mother’s face.

She was romantically involved with Jake Moon and Sean Slater.

Devastated by her father Kevin’s death in a car accident, she travelled the world with her stepmother Denise Fox to scatter his ashes.

When Denise returns to Walford, she revealed that Carly decided to stay in Thailand.

However, Carly moved to Redfern, a suburb of Sydney in Australia.

She made a brief return in 2012, making amends with Shirley after her friend Heather was murdered by Ben Mitchell.

Carly even introduces her baby son Jimmy, who was named in honour of her brother Jimbo.

But in 2020, it was mentioned that Shirley and Carly only made peace temporarily as both women are still on bad terms.

Mick Carter (1977)

Mick Carter has been a Walford resident since 2013

First appearing in Walford in December, 2013, Mick has been portrayed by Danny Dyer who will be leaving Albert Square later during the year.

Mick’s main storylines include overcoming his fear of water, taking the blame for soliciting after being arrested, the discovery that Shirley – who posed as his sister – is his mother, coping with his wife Linda’s rape and alcoholism, the death of his grandfather Stan and becoming a father to Ollie.

He has been the landlord of The Vic pub since 2013, although he left Grafton Hill to take charge from 2017 to 2018, when Danny Dyer took a break from the show.

Mick returned to his landlord and bartender duties in 2018, although SharonWatts and Ian Beale have also been at the head of The Vic in 2020.

Throughout the years, Mick has also had to cope with the knowledge he was sexually abused by Katy Lewis, during his time in care.

Katy Lewis was a 20-year-old care worker when she took advantage of 12-year-old Mick.

This resulted in Katy giving birth to a daughter named Frankie and Mick was made aware of her existence in 2020.

Involved with Whitney Dean (who became his son Lee’s wife) and Janine Butcher, Mick has been married to Linda Peacock since 2016, although their relationship has been hitting the rocks.

Lee Carter (1992)

Lee Carter is Mick’s eldest son

Lee made his first appearance in Walford in 2014 and left the fictional London borough in 2017.

Actor Danny Hatchard briefly returned to EastEnders on two occasions, in 2019 and in 2020.

When the Carters first move to Walford, Lee is serving in the army and talks with his mother Linda via the internet.

Lee’s main storylines include his battle with clinical depression and his turbulent relationship and marriage with Whitney Dean which involved cheating, pregnancy and abuse.

The former lovers made amends when Lee came back to Walford to help his mother Linda with her alcoholism.

Johnny Carter (1994)

Johnny Carter’s homosexuality caused conflict in his family

Born premature, Jonathan “Johnny” Carter is Mick and Linda’s second son and was portrayed by Sam Strike (2013-2014) and Ted Reilly (2016-2018).

One of Johnny’s main storylines involved his family, and more particularly Linda, coming to terms with his homosexuality.

He finds support in Whitney, although she is initially upset by his coming-out, feeling like he used her.

While attending a Pride event in London, Johnny meets Gianluca who ends up being his first boyfriend.

After obtaining permission to go on a gap year from his university (where he studied in the hopes of becoming a lawyer), Johnny joins Gianluca in Italy.

But their happy relationship turns sour and Johnny decides to return home to Walford in 2016, where he finds out about Linda being raped by Dean.

Johnny was eventually accepted for a training contract away from Walford and jetted off to Manchester.

Nancy Carter (1993)

Maddy Hill as Nancy Carter

Actress Maddy Hill took on the role of Nancy in January, 2014, when her character was ready to marry Wayne Ladlow, and has been a familiar face in Walford ever since.

Mick’s eldest daughter’s main storylines include her relationship with Wayne Ladlow, Dexter Hartman, and Tamwar Masood, who she was married to from 2019 to 2021.

She has also had to cope with the aftermath of her mother Linda’s rape, her epilepsy and feuded with her older brother Lee.

Nancy has been romantically been involved Liam Hickey, Kush Kazemi and has recently been linked to Zack Hudson, while their relationship is far from perfect.

Frankie Lewis (1990)

Frankie is the eldest of Mick’s children

Frankie is played by Rose Ayling-Ellis and first appeared in EastEnders in May, 2020.

She was first introduced as Ben Mitchell’s new friend and her character – who happens to be the soap’s first deaf character – was created to raise awareness for deaf people in the UK.

Frankie first becomes aware of her parentage when meeting Mick’s son Ollie, after Tina hires her as a bartender at The Prince Albert.

She revealed that her dead brother Harry was autistic and very similar to Ollie, who she ends up babysitting when Linda struggles with childcare.

She tells Mick she believes he could be her father, which the latter does not object to, although he asks that she keeps their link a secret, fearing it would make Linda relapse into alcoholism.

When she finds out from Mick that her mother was his care worker and that he was only 12 when she was conceived, she can’t help but storm off in disgust.

Frankie has also feuded with her half sister Nancy when she and Zack Hudson accidentally hit her with a car.

One of Nancy’s pranks also goes horribly wrong during Bonfire Night 2021.

Frankie was locked in the boot of her car when Liam Butcher steals it and drives off with it, with Frankie still in the boot.

She left Walford in November, 2021.

Other family members include:

  • Ollie Carter (2015), youngest son of Mick and Linda Carter
  • Annie Carter (2021), daughter of Linda and Max Branning, adopted by Mick
  • Jade Green aka Roya Masood (2008), daughter of Dean Wick and Shabnam Masood
  • Jimmy Wicks (2012), son of Carly Wicks
  • Zsa Zsa Carter, daughter of Tina Carter and Mark Reynolds

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