Danny Dyer clears up EastEnders rumours – but doesn't dismiss comeback
That NTAs moment shouldn't be mistaken for an announcement.
Danny Dyer has offered some clarification on those EastEnders return rumours, which surged following a cheeky skit at the recent National Television Awards 2024.
The actor and his Rivals co-star Katherine Parkinson presented the award for Best New Drama, just prior to which he paid tribute to his former colleagues on the BBC soap, telling them that he missed them.
He went on to say "bring Mick back!" – referring to his soap character, who had a seemingly fatal exit from the programme – which some fans interpreted as a genuine tease of plans to come.
Alas, the actor appears to have confirmed that it was intended to be received only as a joke, with the gag being that his current co-star Parkinson has no idea who Mick is.
In an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com ahead of the launch of Rivals on Disney Plus, Dyer and Parkinson reflected on the newsworthy moment, which they fear may have been misread by some viewers.
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"The thing about the NTAs is you don't get a script," began Dyer. "I did say I missed my EastEnders lot because I've got some very close friends there, but the joke was that I go 'Bring Mick back'... and Katherine says, 'Who?'
"That was the joke. I think some people chuckled."
Parkinson interjected: "I was trying to cut him down, not the show. But he's too popular."
Dyer admitted that he "didn't think" the comment would get such a "mad reaction" from fans at the venue or watching at home, and ultimately stopped short of saying a firm 'no' to the possibility of returning to EastEnders.
He added: "It’s not down to me, I don’t make these calls. I’ve put it out there and let’s see what happens. We might be busy on the second series of Rivals so you know, Walford or Rivals – maybe I can do both.
"Maybe Mick turns out with a moustache back in Walford because he’s doing Rivals – and a fringe."
Previously, Dyer has suggested that he considers his EastEnders character to be dead following a dramatic exit in the 2022 Christmas special, where he was presumed to have drowned – although no body has yet been found.
The actor also said recently that the success of his subsequent projects have "cemented that I'd made the right decision" by leaving EastEnders and disproved doubters that he could sustain a career outside of the soap.
"People said, 'Oh he'll be back, he won't get more work'," he told Radio Times. "How wrong were they?"
Rivals is available to stream on Disney Plus from Friday 18th October 2024. You can sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
