Danny Dyer: 'Mr Bigstuff proved I made the right decision leaving EastEnders'
The former Mick Carter actor is set to co-lead a new Sky comedy.
Since his departure from EastEnders, Danny Dyer has gone on to spread his wings from the world of soaps. He's already graced our screens in Celebrity Bake Off 2024, Channel 5's Heat, BBC's Henpocalypse! and is now set to co-lead Sky's latest comedy offering, Mr Bigstuff.
Starring in the series alongside its creator and writer Ryan Sampson (Brassic), the new show follows two estranged brothers who find themselves under one roof but soon see their lives starting to unravel once in each other's company.
Speaking to this week's issue of Radio Times magazine about taking on the role of Lee in Mr Bigstuff, Dyer was asked whether he quit EastEnders because he'd read the Mr Bigstuff script or whether it was just a coincidence.
Dyer revealed: "Ryan was probably whispering in the ear of a witchcraft doll to tell me to leave… No, I needed to leave; this cemented that I'd made the right decision. People said, 'Oh he'll be back, he won't get more work'. How wrong were they?"
Chatting about writing Dyer into the series, Sampson said: "After Danny had a cameo on Plebs, I got it into my head to write something about us as brothers. I thought it was funny: I'm a tiny gay from up north and he's, well, Danny Dyer. A producer said, 'It's great – but you do know Danny's in EastEnders?'
"I hadn't considered that soaps film day in, day out, all year. I was crestfallen. But that weekend came the headline, 'Dyer quits EastEnders'. It was God's plan, talking to me through the Daily Express!"
Sampson leads the cast of Mr Bigstuff as Glen, who the official Sky synopsis describes as "a nervy perfectionist and carpet salesman striving to live the suburban ideal", while Dyer is Lee, "an alpha male with a prescription drug addiction and a biscuit tin full of their dad’s ashes".
The synopsis continues: "In the Sky Original, Glen and his fiancée Kirsty share a perfect, perfectly mundane life together. Sure, Glen's got crippling erectile dysfunction and Kirsty (Harriet Webb) has a secret shoplifting habit, but they're happy.
"That is until Lee comes crashing into their lives, whilst on the run from a past that's quickly catching up with him. The trio are forced together: a perfectionist, a fantasist and an anarchist all living under the same roof in an Essex cul-de-sac. It's not long before their 'perfect' lives start to unravel faster than the weave of a cheap carpet."
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Dyer left his popular role of Mick Carter in EastEnders at the end of 2022, and to this day, fans are still wondering whether he could ever make a return.
While the door to Mick's departure was left slightly ajar, Dyer has admitted that he'd only really return for a dream sequence to be reunited with former co-star Kellie Bright.
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In a recent interview with Heatworld, Dyer simply said of Mick's fate: "He's dead."
He continued: "Look, I take it as a compliment that people want me to go back. Who knows? If there’s no closure there, then maybe I would come back for a dream sequence. I don't think Mick could just rock up covered in seaweed!"
Read the full interview with the stars of Mr Bigstuff in the new issue of Radio Times magazine, out Tuesday 9th July – subscribe to Radio Times here.
Mr Bigstuff airs on Sky Max and NOW on Wednesday 17th July – sign up for Sky TV here.
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