EastEnders legend Danny Dyer reveals love for Mick Carter amid week of twists surrounding character's fate

Danny Dyer has spoken about his love for Mick Carter in a major week for the character in EastEnders.

The BBC One soap aired some big developments about Mick this week, despite Dyer's exit from the role back during Christmas 2022.

Mick's soulmate Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) was told this week that Mick had died a fortnight ago and his scheming second wife Janine Carter (Charlie Brooks) was handling arrangements for his funeral.

However, Linda's new partner Max Branning (Jake Wood) discovered from Janine that this was a scam to ensure she didn't lose the life insurance payout she previously received when Mick was declared dead, meaning Mick's body had not been found, and his fate remained a question mark.

Threatened by Linda's continued love for Mick, Max kept Janine's secret and told Linda it was Mick's body. Afterwards, a distraught Linda shared the news with her children.

When speaking to Radio Times at our BFI screening for Disney+'s Rivals on Tuesday (10 November 2026), Danny was asked about his continued work with showrunner Dominic Treadwell-Collins, who created Mick and Linda Carter back in 2013.

Of course, we couldn't help but ask Dyer about the 'discovery' of Mick's body this week.

When asked about the recent developments: "Well, I've heard some stuff, yes."

Dyer then jokingly mused: " Is he dead? I mean, where the f**k's he been?"

When I revealed my hopes that Mick could somehow make a miraculous return to reunite with Linda ahead of actress Kellie Bright's exit from the soap in 2027, he revealed his love for the characters and their importance to Dominic Treadwell-Collins.

"That's very kind of you," he commented, "Yeah, I know Kellie's leaving."

He revealed: "I love Mick and Dominic; Mick is Dominic's dad. Mick and Linda are based on his own family, and so it was a real honour to play his dad, whom he lost when he was very young."

Finally, Dyer reiterated: "I love Mick, and I love Kellie, my Linda, my El."

We'll have to wait and see if Mick and Linda fans will get their wish of a surprise reunion!

In the meantime, Linda has more than enough to deal with in the run-up to her exit.

The former Queen Vic landlady has just become a first-time grandmother after eldest daughter Nancy Carter (Maddy Hill) gave birth via surrogate to the son of Linda's eldest son, Lee Carter (Danny Hatchard) and his estranged partner Jess Fang (Emma Lau).

Lee himself is currently struggling with alcoholism, but he finally turned a corner this week when he asked his mum, Linda, for help.

Next week, Linda is proposed to by deceptive Max and the pair become engaged, setting the stage for her to become the (new) fifth Mrs Max Branning on New Year's Day 2027.

Will all go without a hitch? Will Linda discover Max and Janine's lie about Mick's fate?

Either way, the Carter clan will all be leaving Walford in 2027...

Read more:

• EastEnders legend Charlie Brooks reveals reason why she returned to Janine Carter role 4 years on from exit
• EastEnders legend Jo Joyner returns to Walford set for Branning 'family reunion' - 8 years after last Tanya appearance
• EastEnders star teases "fire and carnage" when Penny Branning's baby paternity secret is revealed
• EastEnders favourite Balvinder Sopal teases Ash return is "grenade" to the Panesar family unit this autumn

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Authors

Lewis is the news and trends editor at Radio Times and leads our approach to news, reactive content, and serving audience demands and interests. An obsessive fan of television and film, Lewis is a Nicole Kidman fanatic with a side of passion for science-fiction, art-house cinema and the latest HBO drama. Lewis has a degree in Psychology and a Masters in Film Studies. After working in advertising, Lewis worked at The Mirror for three years in community management and SEO, showbiz, film and television reporting.