Danny Dyer: East End Boy

by Joe Allan

  So, while certain members of the Carter family would be more involved in the mystery than others, in reality, Lucy’s death signalled the end of their first phase of major plot threads, and during this brief pause Danny had time to reflect on what had happened to him over the last six months. He could be justifiably proud of his achievements, and as the show geared up to launch its biggest storyline since the Carters’ arrival, Danny was happy to take a back seat and settle into his new position as part of the EastEnders ensemble cast.

  The next landmark moment, and perhaps the crowning glory for Danny’s EastEnders journey so far, was the announcement of the 2014 British Soap Awards nominations on 28 April. Danny had nods in four different categories in total and was the sole representative of the EastEnders cast to make it through to the final shortlist of nominees for Best Actor. He told Digital Spy, ‘I’m quite excited and slightly anxious about it,’ adding, ‘I think the anxiety comes from the fact that I’ve only been in EastEnders for six months, so to be nominated for Best Actor is slightly overwhelming.’

  Danny’s only disappointment was the fact that his fellow cast-mate, Adam Woodyatt, hadn’t been specifically noted for his performance as Ian Beale. Taking to Twitter shortly after the announcement of the final nominees, he expressed his disbelief, saying, ‘It’s a travesty. I’m voting for ya anyway.’ He elaborated on this point to Digital Spy: ‘I also feel slightly guilty, because there are some really good actors in the show – especially Adam Woodyatt with some of the stuff that he’s been delivering lately.’ He continued, by way of explanation, ‘I think his big episodes just aired a little bit too late in the season, but he definitely deserves an award over me and I’ll be the first to admit that.’ But in the end, Danny was nothing but grateful to be nominated, especially in a category voted for by the general public, stating, ‘I’m proud to be representing EastEnders, though, so I’m excited about it.’ He later said to Paul O’Grady, ‘[Being nominated is] an honour . . . I didn’t expect it . . . thank you!’

  Elsewhere, while Danny was obviously thrilled to be nominated in the ‘Sexiest Male’ category, he told O’Grady, ‘It’s an odd award. I’m not saying age is a bad thing, it’s a beautiful thing . . . I’ve seen the kids I’m up against – they were born in the nineties, they’ve all got washboard stomachs … It’s a nice feeling. It’s good for the ego.’ In another chat, this time with the Radio Times, he joked, ‘I’m pushing forty, I’ve got a beer belly and I’m growing a pair of moobs. To every pot-bellied man out there, there’s hope for you all.’

  More serious nominations were for the hotly contested ‘Spectacular Scene of the Year’ award, for Danny’s work with Sam Strike on the show’s ‘coming out’ story, and with Kellie Bright in the ‘Best On-Screen Partnership’ category. Danny told Digital Spy, ‘Of course Best Actor would be nice – that would be an honour as it is voted for by the viewers, so I am thrilled that I have made the shortlist in such a small amount of time. But it would be nice to win “On-Screen Partnership”, because I’m nothing without Kellie and she’s been a real strength to me.’

  Win or lose, Danny knew recognition of this type was all the proof he needed to confirm his initial doubts about joining EastEnders were unfounded, and that the hard work he’d put in once he stepped onto the show had been worth it.

  In his interview on The Paul O’Grady Show, Danny mulled over the leap of faith everyone involved in his EastEnders journey had taken. ‘It wasn’t a guarantee. I’d just met Kellie, my wife, I’d just met my kids and we all got thrown in at the deep end – “Right, become a family, be realistic.” It could have gone either way. It could have been a complete car crash. But there is a lot of love between us all. I love them all. I’m rooting for them. I love it!’ Danny went on to say that the main pleasure, as well as the most testing element, of his new job was joining an established company of experienced and talented actors. He admitted, ‘To be in front of people like that, it’s inspiring. All you want as an actor is to be inspired and I’m inspired by the whole [EastEnders] family. I’m so proud of it.’ When asked about his future on the show, he was quick to underline he felt fiercely loyal to it and was now a fully integrated part of the EastEnders cast, saying, ‘It’s healthy that there’s this rivalry – between Corrie and “that farm lot” [Emmerdale] – but I want to be in the best soap. I don’t want to be second best. I want to be in the best one.’

  It would seem Danny did indeed have his eye on the long game – an extended stay in Walford and a commitment to Mick Carter, the Carter family and an unequivocal pledge to return EastEnders back to the top of the ratings. There was no doubt the work was keeping the notoriously unpredictable Danny fully engaged, with much of his enthusiasm probably arising from his prior knowledge of what was about to unfold in Walford.

  The focus was about to swing dramatically back in the direction of the Carters, shining a spotlight on Mick and his relationship with his sister Shirley.

  After a failed reconciliation between Shirley and her estranged son, Dean, an argument breaks out in the Queen Vic, and finally we get a glimpse of Mick Carter as the Danny Dyer we have come to expect. Delivering on the promise Danny made when entering the show – that Mick’s darker side would only appear if his family were under attack – Mick takes a swing at Dean as punishment for insulting Shirley.

  With her relationship with her son at an all-time low, Shirley starts drinking and only stops after a heart-to-heart with Phil Mitchell. Phil tells her she should make amends and tell Dean she is sorry. Still drunk, Shirley runs towards the pub, saying, ‘I need to see my baby . . . I need to tell my baby I’m sorry.’ Expecting Shirley to run into the arms of Dean, it comes as a bit of a shock when she finds Mick instead, and falls into his arms sobbing, ‘I’m sorry.’

  It was quite a twist. Shirley turned out to be Mick’s mother, not his older sister, a fact made all the more powerful by the story not having been leaked to the press beforehand. In fact, it had only just been revealed to Danny!

  The decision had been made early in this particular plot’s conception to tell Linda Henry (Shirley) about the storyline, giving her a veto if she didn’t feel it was suitable. When she agreed wholeheartedly, the production team made the unusual choice to also keep all the other actors out of the loop.

  Leaving Danny in the dark about the shock revelation was another of Treadwell-Collins’ masterstrokes. The actor told Digital Spy, ‘I did not see it coming at all! It was a complete shock to me. Linda knew for three months before I did and she didn’t tell me, because she was told not to tell anyone.’ Reflecting on the scenes the pair had shared in the last couple of months, Danny started to put the pieces together: ‘I now get why Linda had been playing our scenes in a certain way. She’s known all along, so now I look back on our scenes and think, “Oh, so that’s why you played it that way!”’

  Danny recalled, on leaving Treadwell-Collins’ office, ‘When I found out, Linda didn’t know that I’d been told, so I sent her a little text message saying, “Hope you’re having a good evening, mum!” She rang me straight away afterwards so we could talk about it.’

  It was another example of the showrunner’s new approach. In an era of spoilers and up-front press reports discussing plot twists and actors joining and leaving the soaps, the decision had been made to keep some of the show’s major plot points out of the headlines prior to transmission. Perhaps Treadwell-Collins remembers fondly a time before soap opera storylines made the national newspapers, and the internet buzzed with gossip and revelations; when viewers would be genuinely shocked by the unexpected developments in stories and their favourite characters’ lives. It was a policy that would pay dividends over the next few months, with many unexpected arrivals, departures and disclosures involving the programme’s key characters and stories.

  When Shirley’s revelatory episode eventually aired, Danny was quick to send a message to his fans via Twitter, saying, ‘I wonder what my Lady Di is gonna make of this? thanx 4 the love I’m as fr
eaked out as u.’

  The actor had nothing but praise for the show’s decision to keep the plot twist under wraps, appreciating the extra dimensions and incredible shock value it would give the scenes between Mick and Shirley. He singled out Linda Henry for her recent work, saying in the same Digital Spy interview, ‘Mine and Linda’s scenes are always a joy. There’s always this underlying thing there between us. I’m always on the verge of tears when I’m acting with her, because there’s just something there underneath that you can’t quite put your finger on.’ He explained to Paul O’Grady, ‘When I work with [Linda], there’s electricity between us. She’s a brilliant actress. I buzz off it . . . I love her with all my heart.’

  Discussing where the plot thread was going, Danny told Digital Spy, ‘This is a massive revelation for the audience, but they’ve found out a long time before Mick will. I think it’s a while off [until] Mick finds out.’ With only Phil Mitchell and Stan Carter in on Shirley’s secret, at the time of writing, there is still a long way to go before the truth is likely to come out.

  As things started to get back to normal for the Carters after the revelation, Mick says, ‘What I want is no more lies . . . promise me.’ Unfortunately for Mick, you can’t always get what you want, and the family still had plenty of secrets up their sleeves, and as everyone knows, no secret stays buried forever in Walford.

  With the dust barely settled on that week’s twist, it was time to find out who’d won 2014’s British Soap Awards. The ceremony took place at the Hackney Empire in London on Saturday 24 May, and the EastEnders cast and crew were out in force. Pointing to her on-screen husband on the red carpet, Kellie Bright said, ‘I’m excited for him. I hope he wins.’ Danny, however, seemed unusually reserved and distracted throughout the ceremony. His demeanour probably had more to do with the stiff competition he was facing rather than him saving himself for the Sellebrity Soccer tournament at Norwich City Football Club the following day. Perhaps he had an inkling of how the event was going to play out, as he failed to win in any of the categories in which he was nominated. It was practically a clean sweep for Coronation Street’s Julie Hesmondhalgh and David Neilson, who between them picked up six awards for their performances as Hayley and Roy Cropper in Hayley’s heartbreaking cancer and assisted suicide storyline. It wasn’t a total washout for the Carter family, though, as Maddy Hill picked up the Best Newcomer award for her portrayal of Danny’s screen daughter, Nancy.

  Danny posted a message to his Twitter followers the next day, saying, ‘Can’t lie . . . bit gutted about the awards thing. Just want to thank everyone who voted for me. Massive love to every single one of ya.’ In reality, it is unlikely Danny was genuinely too disappointed by the evening’s results, as the ongoing Lucy Beale story and the events currently unfolding in the Carter household were bound to push EastEnders back to the top, making them obvious front-runners for next year’s awards.

  It is clear that the Carters are set to remain a focal point within the show, with the EastEnders scriptwriters eagerly thinking up new ways to tease out their secrets and torture them with deeply buried revelations from their past. Everyone involved in the first five months of the their reign could feel justifiably proud of their work – and none more so than Danny. The great British television audience are a canny lot. They can sense real chemistry and won’t be fooled by stunt casting simply for the sake of it. Dramas like EastEnders and Coronation Street only survive and prosper if they can retain the interest and affection of the viewers. Explosions and deadly infernos have little emotional weight compared to the most profound moments between a loving father and his youngest son, a husband helping his terminally ill wife take her own life, or the heartbreak experienced by a father on hearing his daughter has been murdered. Lucy Beale’s death, the Croppers’ unwavering commitment to one another and the togetherness of the Carters during their continuing storylines appear to be ushering in a new age of soap drama. One where human stories, and the real-life consequences that flow from them, take centre stage and offer the audience characters they can believe in and root for.

  As a group of relatable characters, portrayed by the talented actors chosen to bring then to life, the Carters are unstoppable. As Linda proclaimed to her son, Johnny, ‘There ain’t no can’t in Carter.’ With the flawless creation of Mick, a unique, engaging and fully-rounded figure, it would appear EastEnders’ future was looking secure. Danny could take a breath, safe in the knowledge that the door to the Queen Vic would remain open, with a pint waiting for him on the bar, for as long as he, and his family, desire Walford as their home.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  THE FUTURE

  As a piece of positive PR, or as the first step in his ongoing career rehabilitation, Danny joining EastEnders seems to have delivered more than anyone could have hoped for. Looking back over his first six months on screen as Mick Carter, Danny confided, in an interview with Digital Spy, ‘I think there were a lot of people who wanted to see me fail, because there was a lot of hype. There’s a lot of haters out there for me.’ However, he had to concede, ‘I think coming into EastEnders was probably the best move I’ve ever made because it changed people’s perceptions of me so much.’

  Speaking to the Radio Times in May 2014, Danny talked about the massive impact the EastEnders job had on him as a man, as well as on his career. ‘My life as an actor has turned around so much these past months … I went through a stage where I made some bad decisions and became a joke. Now people are saying I’m a good actor again.’ Danny went on to make it very clear he was fully committed to EastEnders and intended to be playing Mick Carter for quite a while, echoing the comments he made when he first joined the show, saying, ‘I’m here for the twenty [year] stretch. As long as they want me, I’ll stay.’

  While it looks likely Danny is set to remain a fixture in Albert Square for the foreseeable future, he may yet decide he still wants to explore other opportunities, and not abandon his fifteen-year-old film career. He told the Sun in April 2014, when asked then what his long-term career plans were, ‘One hundred movies, that’s my goal.’ It was clear he still got a kick out of film-making on this grander scale, and that may be where his ultimate destiny lies.

  Over the years, he has helped generate an estimated £18 million at the box office, and although he admitted to Attitude that he’d had his ups and downs – ‘I had a lot of success – putting bums on seats, then it went a bit to s**t’ – it seems making movies was still top of Danny’s wish list. Talking to Total Film magazine, he confessed he was optimistic that his EastEnders bosses would respect his desire to continue working on other projects: ‘They’re flexible . . . They understand totally that I’m not just this unknown actor . . . Obviously I’m appreciative, but if a movie comes along and I give them a bit of notice, they’ll write me out for a bit.’ He elaborated on this in an interview with Paul O’Grady, joking he needed to stick with film, ‘Just so I can swear … I need the release.’

  Danny’s commitment to EastEnders was borne out in another interview with Attitude magazine, where Danny confirmed he planned to stay on EastEnders. ‘As long as EastEnders allow it, I can flit out, go and do a movie, come back to Mick Carter … But at the moment, Mick’s in my heart and I want to see where we can go with it.’

  A few film projects had been mooted. One he accepted was a British gangster thriller featuring Spandau Ballet’s Kemp brothers – Martin and Gary – which would see the rock stars return to the big screen together for the first time in over twenty years. Starring alongside Danny, it would place them firmly back in the same territory as their most successful acting excursion, The Krays, back in 1991. The film was directed by J.K. Amalou, who had shot Danny’s Deviation in 2012, and filmed under the title Assassin in September 2013. The film was completed, but has so far failed to materialize and currently has no official release date – possibly due to the Kemp brothers’ continuing commitments to Spandau Ballet, rather than a comment on the film’s quality.

  Durin
g an interview with Hunger TV in 2010, when Danny had just turned thirty-three, he talked about his future in the film industry, admitting it was a tough profession in which to maintain the quality of your work and achieve any degree of longevity. ‘I’m still young and learning every day. I love the idea of writing and directing something, and putting talented, up-and-coming people in it, giving them a shot.’ He revealed his wish to repay a debt of gratitude he still felt to the drama teachers who had first encouraged him and to the Interchange programme, which gave him his first step into the industry. He especially wanted to help those who might be in the same under-privileged position he had been in, hoping to provide help to ‘people who haven’t done the drama school thing, who are raw’. Danny also expressed his desire to direct his daughter, Dani (then aged just fifteen), in his own film, maybe going some way towards reversing the fortunes of her father and help her pick up the first BAFTA with the name Dyer engraved on it.

  While both of these dreams remain unfulfilled, he was helping Dani get her first taste of the acting bug. When questioned by Askmen.com if he wanted to see his own children take up acting, Danny said, ‘I’d encourage it. There are a lot of bitter people out there who have jobs that they hate and the key to life for me is doing something you love doing.’ He concluded, ‘I’ll support her in whatever she wants to do . . . as long as it isn’t lap dancing!’