Shirley Carter left the soap this time last year after deciding that the death of her son Mick was too much to bear.
She decided to go and stay with her daughter Carly and say goodbye to Walford.
But some show devotees are convinced Linda Henry’s character will come back to help out The Six.
Viewers will know that Denise Fox (Diane Parish), Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth), Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) and Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal) are currently embroiled in a whodunnit storyline.
It all began when Linda went the extra mile when trying to protect her pal Sharon from being choked to death by Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters).
Now, fans are calling for barmaid Shirley to make a sensational comeback and give them a hand.
In a Reddit threat, one wrote, “She definitely needs to come back and sort her bloody son out. Does she still have shares in the pub, I’m lost now as to who owns what. I think Linda’s mum/George bought Micks’ shares off of Janice but I thought Shirley had some too.”
Someone else added, “I hope she’s back soon. Everyone in the Six bar Linda has an outsider they could possibly trust. Linda’s got her dope of a mum an a stepdad she’s known for less than a year, therefore no one.
“Despite their ups and downs I think Shirl would be there for her. Linda will completely crack up soon without support. She’s been on the verge for a while.”
Another replied, “OHHHHHHHH this is such a good observation, I hope you are right!
“If the subtext of the storyline is ‘women stick together’ then Shirley being there for Linda after all their agro over the years, would be some relief to a dark story.”
The Sun previously revealed that Shirley would be back after actress Linda has had a well-earned break from the soap.