Danny Dyer is set to take some time off from 'EastEnders' to appear in a play.
Danny Dyer
The 40-year-old actor - who is known for playing Queen Victoria pub owner Mick Carter in the long-running series - has asked bosses if he can take six weeks off from the soap next year so that he can star in two plays alongside Martin Freeman.
A source told The Sun newspaper's Bizarre column: "Danny will need to take at least a month and a half away from the soap.
"He needs to spend a considerable amount of time in rehearsals and on stage so it only makes sense to give him a break from filming.
"He's a huge part of the show and viewers love him so obviously nobody wants to see him away for too long. But this is something he's really passionate about."
Danny will star in 'A Slight Ache' and 'The Dumb Waiter' from January 31 to February 23, 2019 after he became close friends with the writer Harold Pinter in 2000.
The productions will be part of a series of show that will run at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London from September to February 2019 to mark 10 years since the talented playwright passed away at the age of 78 following a battle with cancer.
Speaking about Harold in 2013, Danny said: "I miss him, you know, he was a good influence on me. He was the only person who I feared but loved."
Danny's break from the show - which he joined in 2013 - comes just over a year after he took an extended hiatus because he was struggling with exhaustion.
It's not yet known how bosses will temporarily write him out of the soap.
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