Danny Dyer’s career: The highs and lows

Soap fans rejoice! Danny Dyer is about to become ‘EastEnders’ royalty after signing on to play the new landlord of the Queen Vic. It’s a fitting crescendo to his eventful career as stage and screen actor, documentarian, magazine columnist and much more besides. Here’s an affectionate tribute to some of the career highs – and lows - of Albert Square’s newest resident.

His feud with Mark Kermode
With a CV that includes titles like ‘Malice in Wonderland’, ‘Dead Man Running’ and ‘Pimp’, its not surprising that film reviewer Mark Kermode regularly slates Dyer on the radio. In an interview with The Independent, Dyer was asked how he’d react if he met Kermode: "I'll probably just put the nut on him... He thinks I'm the most ridiculous human being on this planet and that I shouldn't be an actor. I think he forgets that Pinter asked me to be in three of his plays." Speaking of which…
 
Harold Pinter was a huge fan
Dyer was picked by the legendary playwright for his debut production of Celebration in 2000 - the first play Pinter had written for 15 years. Dyer accepted the role even though he didn’t know “who the f**k Pinter was". The duo became mates and Dyer would star in two more of his plays. Eat your heart out Kermode.

[Danny Dyer joining Eastenders cast]

The September 11 tweet
On the 11th anniversary of the attacks, Danny paid tribute to the victims in his own special way – by calling the terrorists “slags”. See the unintentionally hilarious (but also massively inappropriate) tweet below. It was swiftly deleted.

He guest starred in Casualty
Enders fans will be relieved to hear Dyer has history with BBC soaps, having guest starred in an episode of ‘Casualty’ in February 2012. The actor gave an unusually dramatic (and actually sort of convincing) performance as mysterious new paramedic Rossy, successfully playing down his geezer-ish charms. “What attracted me really is the fact that I don’t really get many opportunities to dress up like this,” Dyer admitted, showing off his fancy new green uniform. “’Casualty’ is a massive show, so I was honoured that they asked me [to do it].”

His infamous Zoo article
A lowlight for Dyer was undoubtedly the ghost-written ‘agony uncle’ article for Zoo. Asked by a reader for advice dealing with a girl who dumped him, he said: “the other option is to cut your ex's face, and then no one will want her”. He said it was a bad joke and never expected it to make it into the mag, but there was a huge backlash. 

[Danny Dyer comedy makes £602 at the box office]

When he was mistaken for a taxi driver
Dyer played London cabby John Smith in awful farce ‘Run For Your Wife’ (branded ‘funny as leprosy’ by one infamous review), meaning he had to shoot various scenes out and about in a taxi. Only fans started to recognise Dyer, believing the actor had fallen on hard times and was actually working as a driver. “People was like pulling me over and going, 'Dan, I know your career's going through a bit of a bad stage, but are you driving a cab now?'” the actor admitted at the movie’s Leicester Square premiere. “It was a bit of a kick in the bum to be honest."

The UFO documentary
Dyer made a documentary for BBC 3 in 2010 called ‘I believe in UFOs’ that explored his lifelong passion for extraterrestrials and mixed occasional sweet moments - like meeting lifelong idol Sir Patrick Moore - and bizarre interviews with alien believers. Sample quote from Danny speaking to a crop circle ‘expert’: “You come across any circles that were done by humans, or all they all from that mob up there?”

He was in two Grand Theft Auto games
A CV highlight for the Dyer was lending his distinctive mockney tones to cult 80s-set video game ‘Grand Theft Auto: Vice City’, back in 2002. Dyer voiced Kent Paul, a young cockney who claimed to be a criminal mastermind, in the insanely popular title and earned himself a cameo spot in 2004 follow-up ‘Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas’.

When he died his hair ginger to impress Ray Winstone
For 2006 made-for-TV movie ‘All In The Game’, Dyer was offered the role of Ray Winstone’s son. The one condition for working with his idol was that he dye his hair ginger. Dyer reluctantly agreed, expecting Winstone to applaud his dedication. “I walk on straight on set,” he said in this hilarious (but NSFW) interview. “First thing Ray says to me? “What you done to your hair you ginger c**t?! I was absolutely devastated.” Dyer also blames the dye for his hair prematurely thinning and said he will sue channel 4 (who made ‘All in the Game’) if he goes bald.