Danny Dyer rules out a Dirty Den style comeback to EastEnders
The actor has ruled out a reprisal of his role of Mick Carter in the soap
During an appearance on The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan on December 27th, Dyer was questioned about the idea that, without a body to confirm his character’s death, he may come back at some point in the future.
However, the actor was quick to shut down the possibility, telling the host: “I don’t want to”.
Leslie Grantham’s shock return to the soap as Den Watts set a precedent for such returns of characters who have been presumed dead, but whose true fate remains unsettled.
As a result of organising the firebombing of The Dagmar, gangland outfit ‘The Firm’ ordered the killing of Den in order to protect their turf. After being shot by a canal and 14 years of being thought dead, he returned to Walford in 2003.
When Gilligan raised the subject of Grantham’s comeback, Dyer replied:
“The geezer was on his arse. I don’t fancy it, Mo. I’ve done over 1,000 episodes.”
Mick is currently presumed drowned following a showdown with his wife Janine (Charlie Brooks) whose sabotage of Linda (Kellie Bright) came to light in the Christmas Day edition of the BBC soap.
In setting Linda up for drink-driving and to appear as an unfit mother, Janine drove a wedge between Mick and Linda and gave Mick the impetus to build a new life with her.
Mick’s blinkers finally came off during Sunday’s hour-long episode when Jada Lennox (Kelsey Calladine-Smith) returned to Walford and told him that it was Janine who put her up to calling the social services on Linda.
Scarlett (Tabitha Byron) further implicated her mother by revealing she was driving Linda’s car when it crashed – not an intoxicated Linda as Janine had made it look.
A newly-reunited Linda and Mick pursued Janine as she stole Sonia’s car and fled Walford to avoid the legal ramifications of her actions.
After a showdown on a cliff face, Janine drove her and Linda into the English channel, with Mick diving in to save them both.
After saving Janine and their unborn child, Mick failed to realise Linda had escaped the submerged car and was elsewhere on the beach as he returned to rescue her. This was the last time the character was seen.
EastEnders airs Monday-Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One
