Danny Dyer burst onto the British scene some 20 years ago, playing streetwise thugs with a twist in TV series like Prime Suspect 3 and The Bill and in films like Human Traffic and The Football Factory. He has hosted reality series, been an agony uncle in a lads’ mag and famously became great friends with and a protégé of playwright Harold Pinter.
Then, in 2013, it was announced that the 36 year old would play Mick Carter, Shirley’s brother, on EastEnders. Mick and his wife Linda were to come to town to run the Queen Vic, we were told, and they would bring plenty of love, laughs and drama with them.
In fact, this wasn’t the first time Danny thought about joining the cast. He was in talks to come on the show in 2009, but at the last minute he didn’t. At the time, he said, “I quite liked the idea, but actually, in reality, I just got cold feet.”
Danny had been known for years as the go-to guy to play hard geezers in low-budget productions, and that’s what people expected when he finally did join the cast. Many were much harsher than that. There was almost a sense amongst commentators that a laughable actor without much of a career left was joining a laughable soap without many stories left, in an attempt to revive public interest in both. The kinder amongst the critics simply said that no one had thought much about Danny or EastEnders for years.
Even the great Barbara Windsor admitted something was wrong on the show. She once said, “it’s in a bit of a state at the moment. It’s not getting there. We’re third. We’ve never been third – ever. So it needs working on.”
No one seemed to anticipate that Danny joining the cast of EastEnders would do much at all, it seemed – apart from Danny and producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins, the man who hired him, of course.
But then, people have always been quick to underestimate Danny – and EastEnders. There is a reason why both have lasted this long, and many point to their ability to constantly try new things and surprise their audiences. And with the story line about Mick’s son, Johnny. Johnny tearfully came out as gay to his father, and many assumed Danny’s character would react badly. But in fact, Mick tenderly embraced his son, telling him he was proud of him. With that simple moment, Danny Dyer changed a lot of people’s perceptions of him as an actor and drew even the most cynical critics in.
Even the acerbic Charlie Brooker said, “the old soap osmosis kicked in and, before long, I was caring about what happened to the characters. Rather than watching EastEnders so I could laugh at Danny Dyer, I was watching EastEnders because of Danny Dyer. He’s a canny choice because there’s something weirdly watchable about him.”
So what do you think? Is Danny Dyer the best thing to happen to EastEnders? Or is EastEnders the best thing to happen to Danny Dyer? Does it even matter, as long as the show and its characters continue to raise the bar? Let us know what you think in the comments.
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