Danny Dyer has opened up about why he quit EastEnders.
The actor left the BBC One soap in 2022 following dramatic scenes at Christmas when his character Mick Carter presumably drowned while trying to save his wife Linda.
Dyer has been critical of the show’s storylines in the past and now has told The Sun in a new interview that EastEnders‘ gloomy plots took a toll on him.
“EastEnders, it’s all quite dark and depressing and heavy stuff, so as much as I love acting and going to work, you know, that sort of stuff can really start playing on your brain,” he recalled.
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“I felt that I’d done the job, and I’d done it for nine years and done the best I possibly could. I was always ambitious to try other stuff, so I’ve rolled the dice.”
Since leaving Albert Square, Dyer has been filming the new sky comedy Mr Bigstuff as well as Disney+’s adaptation of Dame Jilly Cooper’s novel Rivals, alongside David Tennant and Emily Atack.
Still, Danny recently said he’d be open to returning to EastEnders for the show’s 40th anniversary in 2025 as a way to close off Mick’s story for good.
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“I think if they did it right, with the 40th anniversary coming up, if they came up with an idea of maybe Linda drunk or hallucinating, then I would come back and do some scenes with her,” he said. “You know, because I do miss Kellie, and I think maybe that would stop people asking me when I’m f**king going back!”
EastEnders airs on Mondays – Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
