| Mick Carter | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| EastEnders character | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Danny Dyer as Mick Carter (2014) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 2013–2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | Episode 4769/4770 25 December 2013 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | Episode 6615 25 December 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Created by | Dominic Treadwell-Collins | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Dominic Treadwell-Collins | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Mick Carter is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders played by Danny Dyer, making his first appearance in the show in the episode originally broadcast in the United Kingdom on 25 December 2013. Dyer's casting was announced on 1 October 2013 with that of his on-screen partner, Linda Carter, played by Kellie Bright. He is the son of established character Shirley Carter (Linda Henry) and is a member of the Carter family. Mick immediately becomes the new landlord of The Queen Victoria public house, bringing Linda, their son Johnny Carter (Sam Strike/Ted Reilly) and pet bulldog Lady Di with him. They are later joined by daughter Nancy Carter (Maddy Hill), son Lee Carter (Danny Hatchard) and other members of the extended family. In January 2022, it was announced that Dyer had quit the show after nine years in the role of Mick, and his final scenes aired on 25 December 2022.[2]
The character was created by Dominic Treadwell-Collins, who came up with the idea of the Carter family before he became the executive producer of EastEnders. The character was influenced by Treadwell-Collins' own father. Dyer was asked to play Mick and he accepted because the role was not typical of other roles he has played, and he was happy that Mick's partner would be played by Bright. Mick is described as a family man who is patriotic and kind, and it was said that he has a good partnership with Linda but they fight "like teenagers". Dyer has based the character of Mick on former Queen Vic landlord, Frank Butcher (Mike Reid).
Mick's storylines have included overcoming his fear of water, taking the blame for soliciting after being arrested, the discovery that Shirley is not his sister but actually his mother, coping with Linda's rape by his brother Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo), the death of his grandfather Stan Carter (Timothy West) from terminal cancer, becoming a father to Ollie Carter, blaming Nancy when Ollie is seriously injured during a fight between her and Lee, discovering that Lee instigated a robbery at The Queen Vic, ongoing financial issues and developing feelings for his daughter-in-law, Whitney Carter (Shona McGarty). Dyer took a short break from the show in early 2017. Mick has also feuded with former friend Stuart Highway (Ricky Champ) and was framed by Stuart for his attempted murder. Since then, he has supported his wife through her alcoholism, leaving the Queen Vic and finding out he has a daughter after he was sexually abused as a child by Katy Lewis (Simone Lahbib). In 2022, Mick's marriage to Linda finally ended after she sent him divorce papers, at the instigation of Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks), with whom Mick develops a relationship. He then married Janine in December 2022, but reunites with Linda on Christmas Day after Janine's lies are exposed. Their happiness, however, is short lived when Mick is lost at sea after attempting to rescue Linda during a car accident.
Dyer's casting received a mixed response, with Daniel Kilkelly from Digital Spy feeling positive about the new character but calling it a risk, as Dyer is so well known, Vicky Prior from the Metro saying Dyer could be "the saviour of the soap". Several critics, as well as Dyer himself, hoped that he would help increase the show's ratings, but the casting was criticised by domestic violence charities because of previous comments Dyer was alleged to have made. Dyer has won several awards for the role, including the TV Choice Award for Best Soap Actor in 2014 and the National Television Award for Outstanding Serial Drama Performance in 2015, 2016 and 2019.
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- ^ Full name shown on presumed death certificate, EastEnders episode dated 9 May 2023
- ^ Watts, Halina (8 January 2022). "Danny Dyer quits EastEnders after being poached by Sky – plunging soap into crisis". Daily Mirror. (Reach plc). Retrieved 8 January 2022.