EastEnders guest star Keith Allen reveals he nearly played major role alongside Danny Dyer
The role eventually went to another actor.
Keith Allen has joined the cast of EastEnders in a special guest role as part of Phil Mitchell's mental health storyline, but he almost appeared on the soap long before.
In tonight's instalment, a special episode will air documenting Phil's journey in the mental health unit, where he meets Gaz (Allen), who befriends Phil, who is having a difficult time and is reluctant to open up in therapy.
The episode will unfold over four weeks and follows Phil from the moment he begins treatment, as he prepares to face his inner trauma and understand what may have contributed to his depression diagnosis and his symptoms of psychosis.
Allen was delighted to have been asked to join the soap for the guest stint and revealed on The One Show that it was on his "bucket list", but he had been asked to appear on EastEnders once before.
He told hosts Alex Jones and Clara Amfo: "I think they wanted me to play Danny Dyer's dad and I was constantly getting calls from Danny, 'Keith please, please come, please, please come and be my dad.' But I didn’t because I couldn’t commit to a contract."
Audiences were introduced to Mick Carter's father, Buster Briggs, back in 2014 and he was played by Karl Howman for two years until his departure un 2016.
Allen continued: "When this came up it was a bucket list thing. To do one episode is just perfect, and you can say that you have been in EastEnders. The caveat to that is, the actual enormity in terms of importance of this episode.
"It's an honour to be honest, to be asked to be involved with it, and I think it’s an incredible subject matter to be touched upon."
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There is plenty more to come from Phil's storyline, with a special five-minute episode airing during Comic Relief to raise awareness.
In the episode, Phil will make friends with a patient called Andy (Jake Rory), who shares details of his time at a homeless youth hostel, and the pair soon realise they have a lot more in common than meets the eye.
EastEnders' executive producer Chris Clenshaw said of the storyline: "We're thrilled to be working alongside Comic Relief and Brandon Centre as we continue to explore the complex realities of Phil’s journey with mental health. Whilst seeking treatment, Phil and Andy quickly realise they have more in common than they first anticipated."
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EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer.
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Authors
Katelyn Mensah is the Senior Entertainment Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
