ENDER DANNY QUITS
Blow for Beeb as soap star joins Sky
by
EXCLUSIVE
Halina Watts SHOWBIZ EDITOR
EASTENDERS legend Danny Dyer has sensationally quit the BBC show after being poached by Sky in a six-figure deal.
The long-running soap has been plunged into crisis after Danny, 44, who plays pub landlord Mick Carter, signed for an upcoming drama.
It means he has severed the £1million golden handcuffs deal he signed with the BBC in 2018 which bars him from starring in shows on rival channels.
Danny and some of his fellow co-stars are said to be disappointed at the tight controls imposed by the Beeb which has stopped them doing other work.
It will be a huge blow to the show after bosses signed Danny in 2013 in what turned out to be a ratings winner.
Viewers increased and Danny won a string of awards for his role.
But lately the soap’s ratings have plummeted and morale on the programme is said to be at an all-time low.
Danny’s departure will follow a mass exodus of stars last year including Maisie Smith (Tiffany Butcher), Davood Ghadami (Kush Kazemi), Jake Wood (Max Branning), Laila Morse (Mo Harris) and Clair Norris (Bernie Taylor).
One source said: “Danny has offers coming in to him left right and centre, and a lot of the things he has wanted to do he can’t because Eastenders have such strict rules.
“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 an offer he couldn’t refuse.
“It’s a new chapter for Dan and he’s over the moon.”
Danny’s character
Mick has been involved in a string of explosive storylines including an affair with his daughterin-law, a heist gone wrong and the rape of his wife by his own brother. He won the Serial Drama Performance award at the National Television Awards in 2015, 2016, and 2019.
Bosses were so desperate to keep him in 2019 they raised his £400,000-a-year salary to close to one million pounds.
The source added: “There has been a lot of tension about Danny going as he is their number one star.
“To say they were upset to see him go is an understatement. But in the end they couldn’t convince him.”
Dad-of-three Danny, married to school sweetheart Joanne, 45, starred in dozens of films before Eastenders, including cult smash The Football Factory, Mean Machine and Dead Man Running. A friend of Danny said “He loves Eastenders but he feels the time is right to explore other roles.
“He’s incredibly grateful to the show and the opportunities it has given him and 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 a rest. He’s not sure how they are going to write him out but he’s hoping that they leave the door open for Mick.”
An Eastenders spokesperson said: “Danny will be leaving Eastenders when his contract ends later this year. He made Mick Carter an iconic character for which we shall always be grateful.
“However there’s still quite some time and plenty of explosive drama for Mick to come before he departs Walford.”
They were desperate to keep him but he’s driven
mad by rules