Is Dean Wicks leaving EastEnders? Why soap actor Matt Di Angelo could leave Albert Square for good
DEAN Wicks shocked many Walford residents when he returned on Halloween last year.
The character – played by Matt Di Angelo – had been off-screen since 2016 when he was acquitted of the attempted rape of Roxy Mitchell.
Many thought his return was part of The Six flashforward episode taking place on Christmas Day, where a male body would be seen dead on the Queen Vic floor.
However, Dean lived to see another day and Keanu Taylor was the victim instead.
But in a further twist this week, The Six decided to frame Dean for the crime after so far going unpunished for his other twisted and evil crimes.
With things not looking good for Dean, here’s everything you need to know about the storyline, and whether actor Matt is leaving EastEnders.
What crimes has Dean Wicks committed?
Dean didn’t start out as a villain, but in 2014 when he returned to the Square the first time, he revealed his evil side.
Dean raped his sister-in-law Linda Carter but has never been held accountable for it.
He also attempted to rape Roxy Mitchell as previously mentioned, but again, was never convicted.
Since his latest return, he has tormented Linda over her ordeal, and even got her to record a false confession that he didn’t rape her to stop him going to the police over George Knight.
Then when his teenage daughter Jade came to stay, he started tampering with her medication to stop her moving to Pakistan with her mum, Shabnam.
He also switched off her oxygen supply at the charity fundraiser, causing her to collapse, and blamed Jean Slater for what had happened to her.
Why have The Six framed Dean?
During Tuesday’s episode, Harvey Monroe clashed with Dean over his treatment of Jade and blaming his girlfriend Jean.
Dean was smug and said: “You can’t touch me, any of you….say what you like, none of it sticks.”
Harvey went on to rant at Stacey about the injustice of it all, saying: “Men like that, that’s what they do.
“They make people’s lives a living hell and then somehow they never seem to face the consequences, they just walk away scott free every time.”
It gave Stacey the idea to frame Dean for Keanu’s death, and consulted with Kathy before securing the murder weapon – a meat thermometer – and heading to Dean’s flat with it concealed in her coat.
Stacey pretended she wanted to make peace with Dean before he heads to New York with Jade, while glancing around the apartment to try and find a good place to place the weapon.
Is Dean leaving?
If The Six manage to pull off their plan to frame Dean, he is likely to be arrested by the police.
If they managed to find enough evidence to charge him, Dean could find himself convicted of a crime he didn’t actually commit, although it would be karma for all the bad things he has done in Walford.
It’s left some EastEnders fans wondering if Matt will be leaving the show once and for all.
While the actor and EastEnders haven’t confirmed what will happen to Dean in the long term, Matt did speak about his return when it was revealed in October last year.
He said: “It felt like the right time for me, but also for Dean. When Mick was alive, Dean wouldn’t have dared to come back to the Square because there’s no way Mick would have stood for it.
“Rightly so, because what Dean did to Linda is unforgivable and even his parents Shirley and Buster turned their backs on him.
“But now Mick’s dead, I think it’s opened up that door to allow Dean to return as Linda doesn’t have him there to back her up.
“Without Mick, Dean can twist the narrative, and he has more chance of getting away with it.”
EastEnders airs on BBC One and is available on BBC iPlayer.