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A former EastEnders star is reportedly set to reprise their role as a villain after seven years away from the soap.

EastEnders 'brings back huge villain in time for gripping Lynda Carter plot' ahead of dramatic Christmas murder mystery involving soap's matriarchs By Owen Tonks For Mailonline Published: 18:17, 21 October 2023 | Updated: 18:19, 21 October 2023 e-mail 4 View comments Matt Di Angelo is reportedly set to reprise his role as EastEnders villain Dean Wicks after seven years away from the soap. The actor, 36, was last seen in the BBC serial in 2016 when he was acquitted of the rape of former Walford resident Roxy Mitchell ( Rita Simons ). Viewers of the soap had been speculating Dean would make a comeback after EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw previously teased a gripping Halloween storyline for Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), with eagle-eyed fans spotting a picture on social media which appeared to show Dean sat in Albert Square pub the Queen Vic. And Matt is already said to be back on set filming scenes for Dean's big return. Dean raped Linda in the Queen Vic pub in 2014 which lead to her breaking down and recounting her horrific ordeal to husband Mick ( Danny Dyer ) on Christmas Day that year. Comeback? Matt Di Angelo, 36, is reportedly set to reprise his role as EastEnders villain Dean Wicks after seven years away from the soap (pictured on EastEnders in 2016) A source told The Sun : 'Dean is the ultimate villain so to bring him back was a genius move especially with everything that’s coming up this autumn. 'There’s also the small matter of the big murder at Christmas, could it be Dean’s body under the tree? 'We know that Linda is one of the women involved, and this just throws another name in the mix. It’s a very exciting time.' The BBC declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline. Linda is set to be in for a big shock this Halloween as revealed by soap boss Chris: 'Poor Linda’s struggling this Halloween as it’s the first one without Mick. 'Obviously she wasn’t with Mick this time last year, but Halloween was very much their thing, and something they did together in the Queen Vic. 'So, she’s trying her best to make a go of things, but she gets one hell of a surprise that she doesn’t bargain for.' EastEnders bosses have been teasing a huge Christmas storyline where viewers will find out the identity of a dead body seen in The Vic. On screen: The actor was last seen in the BBC serial in 2016 when he was acquitted of the rape of former Walford resident Roxy Mitchell (Rita Simons) (Matt pictured in 2016) Drama: Soap fans had been speculating Dean would make a comeback after EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw teased a gripping Halloween storyline for Linda Carter (Kellie Bright, pictured) Gripping: Elsewhere, EastEnders previously aired a flash-forward scene of this year's Christmas Day episode which showed Walford's leading ladies standing over a dead man (L-R: Stacey (Lacey Turner), Suki (Balvinder Sopal), Linda (Kellie Bright), Sharon (Letitia Dean), Denise (Diane Parish) and Kathy (Gillian Taylforth) pictured) The BBC soap made history in an episode back in February when they teased a flash forward, but the identity of the corpse and the killer were kept secret. It is still over two months until fans will find out who the victim of the Christmas murder is however some viewers believe they are one step closer to finding out. Some soap fans believe it will be Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) who falls victim to the killer whereas others were convinced it will be Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) who dies this Christmas. Ian made a huge return to EastEnders this summer, as he arrived in Walford alongside his wife Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins). Shock: The legendary London-based soap focused solely on the storylines of the square's matriarchs in the flash forward BBC Halloween Danny Dyer Rita Simons Soaps Share or comment on this article: EastEnders 'brings back huge villain in time for gripping Lynda Carter plot' ahead of dramatic Christmas murder mystery involving soap's matriarchs e-mail Add comment Read more