“I think I need to go back and save my wife Linda.”

Former EastEnders star Danny Dyer has outlined his hope for reprising the role of Mick Carter in the soap’s 40th anniversary special.

The actor departed the BBC soap after a nine-year stint on Christmas Day back in 2022, with the character last seen disappearing into the sea after saving Janine Butcher and ex-wife Linda Carter.

The soap is currently preparing to celebrate its 40th anniversary in February next year, with a special live episode being the centrepiece of the occasion.

With Mick only being presumed deceased, there is plenty of scope for the character to return, with Dyer making a cheeky statement at the National Television Awards last month as he asked producers to “bring Mick back”.

Despite admitting that the remark was a “joke”, Dyer told the KISS Breakfast Radio Show – in which he appeared alongside Rivals co-star Emily Atack – that he would love to return to the soap, sharing: “I would be up for going back for the 40th anniversary, but nobody’s contacted me.

“I’ve chucked it out there. I think I need to go back and save my wife Linda, who’s now become a murderess. It does worry me a bit,” he added, referencing the storyline of The Six which saw Linda kill Keanu Taylor.

Whilst Dyer shared his opinion that Mick was indeed dead, one fan on Instagram suggested a plot device to circumvent the matter, writing: “Mick could come back but he might just be a ghost. Linda sees him or something.”

Dyer isn’t the only star to call for Mick’s return, with Kellie Bright, who plays Linda, stating last month: “I would love to do anything with Danny Dyer – work-related, just [to] clarify that! But I have no idea if he’s been asked to come back.

“Obviously, I would love to do anything with him, and I would love to see Mick and Linda together again. He’s a busy boy, he’s doing his thing, and I’m championing him from afar. I know that people would love it. We’ll see. I’d be surprised, but we’ll see.”

Dyer can currently be seen in new drama Rivals, the Disney+ adaptation of the Jilly Cooper novel. The actor plays Freddie Jones and had to don a wig and grow a sizable moustache for the role.

EastEnders airs on Mondays-Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast. Rivals is available to stream now on Disney+.