EastEnders star Danny Dyer has addressed his dramatic exit from the BBC soap, and whether his character Mick Carter is still alive.
Fans are convinced Mick didn't really die last December, despite tragic scenes that saw his character bow out "for good".
Danny has since discussed the "open exit" that the bosses of the BBC soap decided on, hinting that his character could return in the future after all.
It comes after Danny admitted he was confused by the exit storyline, and had actually wanted a confirmed death for Mick.
Christmas Day 2022 saw the much-loved character seemingly killed off, as he appeared to drown after a showdown with Janine Butcher.
He is currently presumed dead and lost at sea, while no body has been found, but the search has been called off.
But amid a new murder storyline on the BBC soap, and hints it could pave the way for Mick to return, Danny has now revealed all on a possible comeback.
Speaking on The Jonathan Ross Show on Saturday, he said of his departure: "It’s a very emotional thing, it’s such a big part of me."
He added when asked about filming the show: "I tell you what it is, I’m lazy. It’s f***ing hard. Thirty pages you’ve got to learn a day. It’s like a film a week.
"My final scenes were in the sea, in Ramsgate at 2am. We did the exteriors in the sea and the interiors you go to a water tank. But EastEnders couldn’t get Pinewood, so we had to go to Basildon."
He continued: "It’s all warm and lovely but to make it look like the sea they put broccoli juice in it. You smell of a***. It’s f***ing broccoli juice. Warm broccoli juice. It was very emotional, but I stunk."
Danny went on: "I do miss the people there, there’s no two ways about it but it’s a new chapter for me."
Asked about whether Mick was really dead, with his body not found and his actual death not on screen, Danny confessed he could return one day.
He said: "If it goes t**s up I can go back. I can turn up in three years’ time, walk in the Queen Vic smothered in seaweed. They wanted to keep it open. I’m very privileged and grateful for that job. It really did change my career and my life."
Danny added: "You don’t have much say in it, I just wanted it to be exciting and quite cinematic. It went down really well, a lot of people were quite touched by it. People were sending me all this stuff, TikToks of kids crying, it really upset them."
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
