Danny Dyer has addressed the possibility of an EastEnders return in the future, and it is sounding positive for Mick Carter fans.

Having just celebrated its 40th anniversary, the BBC soap has seen a number of familiar faces return to Albert Square over the last few months, including Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) and Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley).

It seems that Danny was willing to join them, but never received the call, he revealed on The Late Late Show.

‘I do get a lot of people asking if I’d go back and I’ll be honest, I would have gone back if they’d have asked me, but they didn’t ask me. I think they’ve got the hump with me now, I don’t know why!’

However, he previously told Metro that he fears the show has ‘missed the boat’ now.

‘I think, because I’m not coming back for 40th I think I missed the boat – it needs to be something special, I think, for Mick to come back.’

Danny left the role of Mick in 2022, with his final dramatic scenes airing on Christmas Day.

After reuniting with childhood sweetheart Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), Mick embarked on a car chase to catch Janine Butcher, with all three of them ending up in the sea.

Having rescued Janine, Mick dived back in for Linda, unaware that she had managed to drag herself to shore, and hasn’t been seen since.

In the months that followed, he was presumed dead, though fans are still hopeful that there may be a chance he survived.

Danny was quick to joke that as soon as his character was paired with murderess Janine, he knew it was time to leave the show to pursue other projects.

‘I just felt like I wanted to try and do some other stuff. I wanted to role the dice,’ he explained on the chat show.

‘They put me with Janine, and when you end up with Janine, you’ve got to get out. You know she’s going to murder you eventually! So, I had to leave.’

He went on to reiterate the fact that he isn’t ruling out a return, saying: ‘Who knows? Maybe I will go back. If the appetite’s still there for it, then maybe bring Mick back.’

He spoke more candidly in an appearance on Rob Beckett’s Smart TV, saying: ‘Mick’s got a kid with Janine, how mad’s that? That’s why I left.

‘They f****** put me with Janine. I thought, “I’ve [got to] f*** off”‘

Since leaving EastEnders, Danny has taken on a whole range of projects, including hit series Rivals.

He has also starred in Sky Max comedy Mr Bigstuff, and is the lead in new film Marching Powder.

In an interview to promote the movie with HeyUGuys.com he said: ‘Well, I think one of the reasons why I made the decision to leave the soap – and I’ll be honest – [was] to bring stability, and it’s a hard job to leave.

‘We never quite know when the next pay cheque is coming or when your next job.

‘You could have a really good run, and then it just stops for seven months, and you go, “Oh, maybe it’s over for me”.

‘So, it takes that away but, of course, it’s like you’re crossed off every cast in this. That’s the other thing.

‘You’re not available. You’re getting paid every week, you know, in a high-profile show.’

Reflecting on the recent EastEnders live episode, Danny revealed that he had tuned in, and was reminded of being a part of the 30th anniversary celebrations.

‘It reminded me of when we did the lives last time and it was Who Killed Lucy Beale? and it was a week of lives.

‘I was watching it and I could just see their a**** flapping. The fear of when you do lives…

‘I’ve got to say, they pulled it out of the bag,’ he praised.