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Danny Dyer drops EastEnders drugs bombshell and slams 's**t' scripts - The Mirror


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EXCLUSIVE: Danny Dyer drops EastEnders drugs bombshell and slams 's**t' scripts

EXCLUSIVE: Actor Danny Dyer is opening up about his time on much loved Soap, Eastenders, after playing Mick Carter for nine years from 2013 to then departing in 2022

Danny Dyer [Danny Dyer]
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Danny Dyer is opening up about his time on much loved soap Eastenders(Image: Brett Cove/Shutterstock)

Danny Dyer has slammed EastEnders in a foul-mouthed tirade, saying the soap is now s***. Speaking at a charity event on Friday night, Danny gave a no holds barred account of his time on the show, recalling how hed often be drunk on set, and take Valium and diazepam before scenes.


He also told how stars had the hump when he joined as pub landlord Mick Carter in 2013 and made things tricky. Asked what he thought of the BBC show since he left, he said: S*** now though, aint it, he shrugged. Serves them right.


He took the part at a low point in his career after his Human Traffic and The Football Factory success had waned and with bailiffs at his door.


Danny played Mick Carter on EastEnders for nine years(Image: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)

Dad-of-three Danny, 47, claims he didnt get a warm welcome on Albert Square. I will be honest, it is a very clicky place to work, he said. We took the pub over from Jessie Wallace and Shane Ritchie. Kat and Alfie had an 11 year run and then they want to get rid of them.

So they brought us in and they had the hump. That was getting tricky. I was like Whats the matter with these people, Ive not made this call. So there was a lot of people blanking us when we turned up.


Whilst he looks back fondly on the first three years of working on the show, he said it went downhill from there. I really cherish those first three years,: he recalled, Then a new producer came in and sacked every f***er. It is a very ruthless job. I learned a lot. Nine years was enough for me.

Talking at the Paul Strank Charitable Trust event in Wimbledon, south London - where he donated thousands of pounds of his own money - Danny opened up about the emotional rollercoaster and how he struggled with the lack of downtime from draining scenes, saying there wasnt enough duty of care.

Danny spoke at the Paul Strank Charitable Trust event in Wimbledon(Image: Brett Cove/Shutterstock)


In a film you properly cry and go to a dark place, he said. You have time to recover. But on soap, you aint. On a soap, it f**** a lot of peoples heads up. I tell you most people in soap are off their nut. You meet them on the street and theyre f***ing lunatics, Im telling you.

If someone dies in your family, they wont even let you go to a f***ing funeral because it is such a machine there wasnt much duty of care there.

A spokesperson for the show last night rebuked the claim. In statement, they said: We would never discuss an individuals private matters however, we do not recognise these claims. EastEnders has extremely robust and well established procedures in place to safeguard the welfare of everyone who works on the show.


Danny, who has suffered from drink and drug abuse in the past - going to rehab in 2017 - said he would down pints on set, before bosses stepped in.

When I first arrived the pints were reaI, he recalled. I was slipping and sliding around having a few lagers and they found out, so they started to put TCP in the f***ing beer!

I was off my nut for a lot of that job, Ive got to say. I was on a lot of valium and diazepam, that is why. Still got that f***ing job done somehow.


Danny admitted that the producer of the show was not keen on a family unit, hence Mick Carter's departure(Image: BBC/KieronMcCarron)

Danny has seen a career resurgence since EastEnders gave him a chance, landing his first ever BAFTA nomination for his role in Sky comedy Mr Bigstuff.

Hes also received rave reviews playing Freddie Jones in the television adaptation of Jilly Coopers novel Rivals for Disney. He concedes hes got EastEnders to thank for it.


I was a snobby f***er going I will never go in EastEnders looking down my nose at it, he said. It saved my f***ing career. Id be f***ed without it.

Describing Rivals as his most lucrative job so far in his career, he revealed how daughter Danis appearance on Love Island gave him an expected boost in his pay packet.

My wages tripled when my daughter won Love Island, he told. Honestly, I was the father of the f***ing year and Id done f*** all. I thought, what a touch!


Currently filming the second series of racy Rivals, Danny has promised to flash more flesh for his return. I do think I will get my c*** out in the second series! he teased.

Danny Dyer stars in Disney+ hit show Rivals

Enjoying his current purple patch, Danny says hes always had faith in his ability despite various knockbacks in his career. "Ive always believed I had something about me and that I can act.


It is just a matter of never giving up, really. Especially in our world where you get used to a lot of rejection. Ive never faded into the shadows and always thought No, f**k it, I want to do something, I want to get out the council estate and earn a few quid.

Looking ahead to his next role, Danny says he wants to challenge himself and do something completely left field

I want to play a gay aristocrat, he said.

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