Danny Dyer to leave EastEnders in 2022
Landlord Mick Carter is saying goodbye to the square
Last updated 10th Jan 2022
Much loved EastEnders actor Danny Dyer has announced that he will be leaving the soap after nine years, news that has left fans shocked and upset.
Queen Vic landlord Mick Carter, who is married to Linda Carter (played by Kellie Bright) has become a staple of the Square and is a fan favourite, but it’s now been confirmed that his character Mick will be bowing out of the show later in 2022.
A BBC spokesperson said: “Danny will be leaving EastEnders when his contract comes to an end later this year.
“Danny has made Mick Carter an iconic character, which we shall always be grateful for, however we won’t be saying goodbye just yet as there’s still quite some time – and plenty of explosive drama for Mick – to come before he departs Walford.”
Other reports suggest that Danny decided to leave after being given an offer by a rival channel that he ‘just couldn’t refuse’.
According to the Sunday Mirror, Danny is leaving to appear in a Sky drama, a deal apparently worth six figures.
The source said: “Danny has offers coming in left right and centre, and a lot of the things he has wanted to do he can’t because EastEnders have such strict rules about what he can and can’t do.
“It’s driven him mad at times and he’s now ready for a change. But it hasn’t been easy to walk away, BBC bosses have been desperate to keep him. But he’s been insistent and when Sky approached they gave him an offer he couldn’t refuse. It’s a new chapter for Dan and he’s over the moon.”
An EastEnders source added to the publication that Danny made the decision ‘some time ago’ that he would leave this year, giving bosses ‘plenty of time to plan a huge storyline for him’.
They said: “It wasn’t a decision he took lightly but after playing Mick for nearly nine years he feels it’s time to give the character of Mick a rest.”
Danny landed a part in the BBC soap in 2013, and has since gone on to win multiple National Television Awards - in 2015, 2016 and 2019.
Mick is currently trying to fight off the advances of Janine Butcher, played by Charlie Brooks, who is meddling in his relationship with wife Linda, who is currently staying with her mum.
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