What has Danny Dyer said about coming back to EastEnders?

DANNY Dyer fans were thrilled when he joined EastEnders back in 2013.

But after a nearly a decade on the BBC One soap, fans were left in shock when the actor revealed he was leaving Walford for good - with some still hoping he'll make an Albert Square return.

Who is Danny Dyer?

Actor Danny Dyer was born on July 24, 1977, in Canning Town, East London, and he is known for his work on both the big and small screen

Beginning his career at the age of 16, he was discovered by an agent who auditioned him for the part of Martin Fletcher in the Granada Television series Prime Suspect in 1993.

Some of his most memorable projects include The Football Factory, The Business, Human Traffic, Doghouse.

After this other TV jobs poured in, including roles in Cadfael, A Touch of Frost, Loved Up, Thief Takers, and Soldier Soldier.

Who did Danny Dyer play on EastEnders?

In October 2013 the BBC announced Danny would join EastEnders from Christmas 2013.

The actor played Queen Vic landlord Mick Carter, and made his debut alongside actress Kellie Bright, who plays Linda Carter.

However, after a decade in Albert Square, the popular pub landlord appeared to "drown" in an epic Christmas Day episode which aired in 2022.

Fans of the show will remember Danny's character Mick vanished in the sea after he dived into the Chanel to save his ex-wife Linda from drowning.

Why did Danny Dyer leave EastEnders?

Danny announced his EastEnders exit at the start of 2022, saying he wanted to pursue other ventures.

He said at the time: "The big news is I've decided not to renew my contract. That's all. That's not because I've fallen out with anybody, I love everybody.”

“All I got for the past couple of years was, ‘You still in that EastEnders? I don’t watch it anymore.’ Constantly, that was the thing,” he told Kugan Cassius on boxing YouTube channel iFL TV.

“When I first came in there was like seven or eight million people watching it, of course because of streaming services and all that stuff a lot less people do watch it.

He added: “It was more that people didn’t watch it anymore, ‘you still in that?’ it was all that sort of dialogue.

"It was a lot of people, a lot of young people, young people don’t watch it.”

Danny went on to say his character had ‘lost his way’ after divorcing Linda and marrying Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks).

“I didn’t quite know who I was playing anymore, it was an odd thing,” he added.

However, Danny has since revealed more reasons why he quit the BBC soap - and even took aim at some of his co-stars.

Talking in September 2023, the actor also said he felt standards dropped during the later part of his time on the soap.

Speaking at a fan Q&A in London, Danny said: “The first few years we f***ing smashed it. It was powerful s**t. The viewer listened to us more than these f***ing c* politicians.

“I was blessed with some amazing storylines, some s**te ones as well.

“They f***ed it up towards the end. It’s a shame it had to come to an end but I’d f***ing had enough.”

Danny also took a swipe at some unnamed stars and said: “I’ve worked with a lot of actors that are c***s, very selfish, it’s all about them.

“You need to look after your other actors. It’s about teamwork and looking after each other.”

The Sun previously revealed how Danny and co-star Steve McFadden, who plays Phil Mitchell, didn't always see eye to eye

It reportedly started after Danny's character was given the keys to the Queen Vic, which had been a Mitchell family staple for years.

What has Danny Dyer said about coming back to EastEnders?

Opening up about possibly returning to soap, Danny hinted that he could return.

Speaking back in September 2023, he told : "I don’t regret leaving, but it was really emotional for me.

"Mick’s exit felt like a real 'full stop', but maybe it was a 'dot, dot, dot'."