Danny Dyer (Mick Carter)

[Perdita]

Danny Dyer believes that EastEnders has catapulted his career.

Speaking on The Jonathan Ross Show, the actor said he can't remember his career before appearing on the popular BBC soap.

"It's completely engulfed my life," he explained. "25 years I've been an actor, I can't remember none of it… It's just taken over my life this role… and it's like I'm getting a bit of recognition all of a sudden, it's a strange feeling."

The 37-year-old also admitted that filming emotional scenes affect him, saying: "We have a laugh now and again [on the show], once every six months you smile, the rest you just sob your heart out… I'm sick of crying.

"The thing for me is I go there, I go to some dark places in my nut so that's real tears so you go home and you're still half crying."

Dyer went on to say that the gruelling filming schedule left him exhausted and sick at one point.

Mick waits for Linda as she gives her statement.
© BBC

"They had to get the doctors out and everything, I wasn't allowed to leave until the doctor came and he said, 'he's exhausted, you've got to let him go home'."

Speaking about the upcoming week of live episodes on EastEnders, he added: "It's a machine, to do it live it's petrifying… once you hear that music [the opening sequence], I don't care there will be bum flappage."

On his National Television Award win last week, the actor said it was a "scary" moment but he didn't prepare a speech: "I just thought, 'go up there and blag it'."

Dyer also told host Ross that he had been rejected for several parts in HBO hit Game of Thrones.

The Jonathan Ross Show airs on Saturday (January 31) at 9.20pm on ITV.

[Perdita]

Mick Carter's ongoing family problems come to a head in dramatic style on EastEnders this week as his beloved partner Linda gives birth early, which brings the difficult issue of the baby's paternity back to the fore.

Off screen, it's also a big week for Danny Dyer - who plays Mick - as he is in the running for the Best Actor prize at the British Soap Awards 2015, which take place in Manchester on Saturday (May 16).

Digital Spy recently caught up with Danny for a chat about the Carters' big week, what the future holds for Mick and his thoughts on the upcoming awards.

How does it feel to be up for Best Actor again?
"It's a lovely feeling. I've had such a mad year! Winning the National Television Award in January was something I never thought I could achieve, so I'm really excited about it.

"I'm up against Mr Woodyatt, but we're all on the same team and I think he probably just nicks it with the amount that he achieved on those live episodes. And Adam is brilliant - he's consistent and he knows his game.

"So I'm more rooting for Kellie, really. I really think Kellie deserves something, so vote, vote, vote for her please. She'll be very humble about it, but I think her work really does need to be awarded now."

Most soap fans would agree that EastEnders has enjoyed a strong year, so do you think that'll be recognised on the night?
"You hope so - but nothing's guaranteed, is it? All I know from being in the job is how hard we've worked to get the show back to where it needs to be. It's not easy and that goes for everyone - it filters through to the crew, the writers, the producers, and everyone involved with the show.

"We knew where we were. We've all had to knuckle down and these awards are a way of recognition, I suppose. It's been a great year for us, but it's been tough as well. It's not been put on a plate for us, we've really had to dig deep to get where we are. We're really proud of where the show is at the moment and I really do think we're at another level."

It's been such a tense few months for Mick and Shirley. Do you see them ever resolving their issues?
"With the way it's going at the moment, no! As long as Dean's knocking around, Mick's never going to get his head around the fact that Shirley is just walking around like she's only got one son. She's completely dismissing my L's argument and is just not believing it. That's killed Mick in a way, I feel. It's not just the whole mother thing, it's the fact that Shirley is saying she doesn't believe it at all.

"In her heart of hearts, surely Shirley does believe it because she has these little moments - like when she rang the Old Bill and got Dean nicked. I know that Shirley loves Mick dearly, so there's definitely mileage in it later on. But at the moment it's all up in the air and Mick is never, ever going to entertain her while she's living with that wrong'un."

For a while we thought that Mick might have killed Dean. Were you glad he didn't, or would you have liked Mick to go dark?
"I was in two minds, really. There was a part of me that did want to iron him out. After he raped Linda and tried to burn the house down, I thought, 'That's two strikes, mate, you're out!' But of course I think it's probably in the producers' interests that Mick doesn't become a murderer and become as bad as Dean.

"What Dean did to Linda was disgusting, so in that split moment, we posed that question of 'what would you do?' I think Mick was going to go there, but luckily he had Nancy there to snap him out of this weird rage that he was in. I think Mick has constantly got this rage bubbling away. Because he was in care as a kid, he's so protective of his family now. If anyone crosses his family, he just goes off his head.

"I think most men are like that, really. It's not even men who are into violence or anything like that, there's just something that snaps inside you - it's quite a primitive thing and you just want to protect.

"I'm glad with the way it turned out, but I don't know how it's going to pan out. As long as Dean is around, it's always going to be on the verge of exploding, so it's going to be interesting to play."

This week we see Mick and Linda's relationship in a bit of trouble. Can you tell us about that?
"We kick off massively over the Dean thing because we just haven't spoken about how we really feel. Linda is really coming to terms with it as best she can, but Mick's not. He's still struggling because Dean's been let off, he's living over the road and he's walking about.

"Then the baby comes and Mick has this overwhelming feeling of empathy towards the child, but then Dean turns up and puts a spanner in the works again. It brings back loads of memories for everyone, because it could be Dean's baby. So that's really tricky for Mick. He thought he was going to be able to deal with it and bring the baby up as his own, but now he doesn't know if he can.

"Of course L's already bonded with this baby. She's carried her child inside her and she says that she loves this baby no matter what. So Mick has to deal with that. He decides that he needs to get some sort of test done, just to put everyone's minds at rest and just to make Dean f**k off, to be quite honest!"

Have the producers told you whether Dean will get his comeuppance?
"Well, he's got to get something. I don't know how we're going to wrap him up - well, wrap him up in a carpet I suppose! It's up in the air. I don't think Matt's any the wiser either. Matt's gone off to have other storylines now. He's been really busy doing other stuff so it might be a Christmas thing again, I'm not sure.

"But as long as Dean's around, it's always going to be there. I can't murder him, we know that - so it'll be interesting to see what they do. I do think Dean needs to admit it at some point. It doesn't make it right, absolutely not, but he definitely needs to admit it.

"I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm just as intrigued as the viewers about it. That's the great thing about this job - there's no beginning, middle and an end. You're always in the middle of it, really. And maybe I'm just at the beginning of Mick Carter - I hope so."

Would you like Mick to be happy, or would that be boring to play?
"You want a bit of both, really, don't you? It's a lot of fun playing all that happy and jokey stuff. When we first came in, it was all quite bantery and I did like playing that. Of course as an actor you want to play the other side as well, because it just makes it interesting for you. It's just getting the balance right, I think. It's just trying to keep it real to life and true.

"Life is ups and downs. You just bounce through having great moments and also having really s**tty moments, but that's life and you want to keep the audience on their toes. We've had a lot of heartbreak over this past year, so hopefully we'll come through that. We've got some nice things to come up. Of course there's going to be a little bit of darkness involved too, but that's the beauty of it."

Would you like Mick to get along with his father Buster?
"I hope so because I love Karl. I think he's a brilliant actor and I love what he does - I love what he's brought to the show. At the moment it's very interesting, but I really think there's some mileage in that. I've lost Stan so you might think I've lost my dad, but I actually haven't - I don't even know him yet but he's living over the road from me.

"Fingers crossed it all gets put to bed. I hope he starts believing the right man - which is me - elbows the wretch and we can crack on! I think there's some real capers with me and him to come up. I've always loved Karl, I've always respected him. It's a weird feeling to think that he's come into the show as my dad but I've got hardly any scenes with him! I really hope that we can sort stuff out with me and him, because that could be a beautiful relationship."

You've been kept very busy over the past year. Were the newspaper reports true about you being exhausted by the schedule?
"I was last year, absolutely. I loved it, I'm not going to lie - I think I did the most episodes anyone's ever done in a year. To just come into a show and do that was really difficult for me. If you've been here for a few years, you sort of get used to it and you get into the routine of it. You have years where you're really busy and other years where you're not, whereas I just turned up and I was just learning the ropes but I was in near enough every episode.

"I knew we had to do that to cement the character, but physically and mentally it was difficult. I'd just had a baby, so it was also trying to juggle my real life, which is very important, with my fake family life! It did break me towards the end, but my body sort of knew when to break. I did all the Christmas stuff and it was really hard, really harrowing. Then my body just went, 'You can't do it anymore. You need a rest'. Everyone could see that around me. I'd got the work done and they went, 'Okay, he needs a break'.

"They gave me an extended break over Christmas, but I loved it because the work was so good and you buzz off it. You just go on adrenaline, really, but your body does need to recuperate - especially if you're not sleeping because you've got a new baby indoors. You need to go home and rest and you're not really resting indoors, but of course that's life, isn't it? I can't really moan!"

As an on-screen dad, have you been proud to see Sam Strike do so well since leaving the show?
"I'm really proud of him. He's cracked right on. We were gutted when he left. We're still a bit gutted, to be fair.

"I don't think the show's for everyone, to be honest with you. It's a tough gig and he's a shy kid, Sam. He loves acting but I think the fame thing was tough for him. He's strong-willed and he's got a great heart, but I just think it was a bit overwhelming for him and he wanted to try other stuff, so now he's playing Leatherface and he's also been filming Silent Witness.

"I still see a lot of the kid. He comes and stays at mine quite a bit and asks for advice. I just wish him all the best. Hopefully he'll come back for a few eps. He's definitely up for that - to flit in and out.

"I'd be devastated if they recast Johnny, I'll be honest. Let's hope that they can come to an agreement that he comes back for a few eps."

[maidmarian]

It might be Christmas before Deans sorted!!!

[Perdita]

Only 228 days counting from today

[xx_Dan_xx]

Oh no, I had heard they had filmed the scenes wrapping this up, could that be a lie or is this a ruse?

[parkerman]

If this carries on till Christmas, Eastenders could be losing at least one viewer!!!!!

[tammyy2j]

I hope the baby is Mick's

I think Dean has the storyline of his kid with Shabham coming up so he could be around for a while

[Glen1]

If this carries on till Christmas, Eastenders could be losing at least one viewer!!!!!

Same here, that will make at least two then. Came very close for me after the Lucy Beale aftermath fiasco.

[Glen1]

Oh no, I had heard they had filmed the scenes wrapping this up, could that be a lie or is this a ruse?

If the Lucy Beale murder so called shortlist of culprits ,which incidentally was a complete betrayal to viewers imo. then I would not believe a word of it Dan, until proven otherwise.

[Dazzle]

If this carries on till Christmas, Eastenders could be losing at least one viewer!!!!!

Me too - that makes three of us here. You can bet they'll lose a lot of other viewers too if the three of us long-term EE fans are so fed up of Dean and the rape storyline.