Danny Dyer’s first post-EastEnders role revealed – and it’s a million miles from Walford
IT’S ten months since it was revealed Danny Dyer is to leave EastEnders for good.
But as he now prepares to bow out next month, I can finally share details of the gritty new drama that tempted him to quit Albert Square after nine years.
He will play the lead in an action thriller called Heat, on Channel 5, and begin filming in Victoria, Australia, this month.
He told me: “I can’t wait to get amongst this beautiful piece of work in Australia. I’ve always been intrigued about working there.
“It’s my first gig since EastEnders. Heat has a powerful, dark script and strong Australian cast and crew. Let’s have it!”
The plot unfolds during Australian bushfire season as two families who are long-time friends visit a secluded home for a summer holiday.
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As secrets and lies unravel it becomes a tinderbox — and not everyone will make it out alive.
Danny is joined on the cast by Neighbours alumni Olympia Valance and Richie Morris as well as Darren McMullen from 2021 romcom flick Christmas On The Farm, and Jane Allsop off Aussie TV drama Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries.
The four-parter will test Danny beyond his EastEnders role as Queen Vic landlord Mick Carter — who he has played since 2013 but will depart this Christmas in an explosive storyline.
The Sun revealed in May that Danny was linked to the project.
It came after he announced in January that he was leaving BBC1’s EastEnders, and said: “I’m still looking for that defining role. Maybe it is there, maybe it isn’t. But I’ve always been quite ambitious, and I had quite a long career before EastEnders.”
He’s also signed up to host a travel show for E4 with his Love Island daughter Dani, and a gameshow for Netflix called Cheat.
Greg Barnett, Commissioning Editor for Channel 5 and Paramount+ said: “I’m delighted that Danny is joining Channel 5 for his first major drama post-EastEnders.
“Heat is a nailbiting thriller and I can’t wait to see him bring his talent and energy to it”.
Neither can we.
CROWN’S NEW DIG AT ANDY
THE Crown will take a subtle swipe at Prince Andrew’s car-crash Newsnight interview when the Netflix drama returns for a new series next week.
One episode includes the line, “People tell me I put my foot in it” – said to be a reference to his controversial 2019 chat with Emily Maitlis.
In the new, fifth series, Andrew talks to the QUEEN about pictures of his wife Sarah Ferguson having her toes sucked by financial adviser John Bryan on holiday.
He tells his mother: “They’re in St Tropez doing something unmentionable – sucking Sarah’s toes, Mummy. People tell me I put my foot in it . . . but at least I don’t put it in someone’s mouth.”
There’s a similarly subtle dig in series four, referencing his fall from grace due to the friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
In that one, Andrew is talking to the Queen about his latest girlfriend, an American actress who plays a young woman in a soft porn movie.
She is seduced by “perverted, older predators” and when Her Majesty asks if it’s legal, he responds: “Who cares?”
KIM IN A BIT OF DIS DRESS
LOVE her or hate her, Kim Kardashian sure knows how to grab your attention.
She did just that earlier this year, by arriving at the Met Gala in New York wearing the dress Marilyn Monroe poured herself into to sing Happy Birthday to US President John F. Kennedy in 1962.
But it was far from a fairytale behind the scenes, as shown – blow by blow – in yesterday’s episode of Hulu’s The Kardashians.
Kim bragged: “I’m a shapeshifter, I can squeeze into anything,” as she tried to convince the dress’s owners, Ripley’s Believe It Or Not tourist attraction, that she could fit into the £4.2million dress.
But in her first try-on of the gown, she couldn’t pull it over her hips.
In scenes that can be watched on Disney+, Kim said: “I just was, like, devastated.”
And she was left fuming when the company stepped in to prevent her from trying again.
At that point, Kim sent in her “momager”, mum Kris Jenner , to demand they let her have one more go.
Kim then embarked on a dangerous three-week crash diet to fit into the famous dress, sparking debate across the world.
FLING FOR GORDON
PROUD Scot Gordon Ramsay is ready to bring the delights of his homeland to a global audience – and we’re not talking foodie delicacies.
He is behind a new dating show called The Highland Fling, where a troop of Scottish lads will take single women from across the world on a string of dates.
A TV source said: “Think The Bachelor meets Braveheart. These Scots are here to prove that whatever they’ve got under their kilt, they are the most eligible men going.”
Gordon’s role is more on the production side and a pilot has already been filmed.
TOM EYES OWN FASHION SHOW
KNITTING-loving diver Tom Daley wants to jump into a new career on the telly – with his sights set on fashion.
The Olympic champion won acclaim for BBC documentary Illegal To Be Me, visiting some of the most homophobic countries in the Commonwealth for his campaign on gay rights, and he now hopes for more work on television.
He told podcast How To Fail: “I’d love to be a TV host. Maybe work in film and TV.”
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Tom, who’s released a range of pullovers, added: “I would love to have a London Fashion Week show. I’d love to learn more about fashion design.
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“I’m one of those people who has so many things I want to try. I’m of that mind if I want to try it: If you don’t ask, you don’t get.”