Danny Dyer reveals why he feels he has ‘finally made it’
After years of being typecast as a hardman geezer on screen, Danny Dyer reckons he has “finally made it” after being cast as a hero policeman.
Danny Dyer reckons he has “finally made it” after being cast as a hero policeman.
The outspoken actor, 48, who up until now has been renowned for his “geezer” roles in the likes of movies The Football Factory and Human Traffic, is set to portray PC Trevor Lock in upcoming TV thriller The Siege.
The drama tells the real-life story of how the police officer – who died in 2025 aged 85 – played a pivotal role in the SAS raid that ended the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege.
Danny said on Virgin Radio about filming The Siege: “I am playing old bill – I’ve finally made it.
“I’m really excited about playing someone who’s a hero. This man only wanted to help old ladies cross the road and rescue cats out of trees and he got swept up in this very dangerous situation.
“I went to see his sons the other day. I had a lovely day, I must say. I spent the whole day in Upminster and they gave me their approval.
“I’m going to be representing Trevor Lock, so it’s going to be very powerful and it’s very relevant at the moment.”
Trevor was taken hostage in a siege on the Iranian embassy in London in 1980, before being freed along with 24 other captors after a six-day stand-off between members of a dissident Iranian group and the SAS.
It later emerged the unassuming cop had tackled the leader of the gunmen and saved the life of an SAS soldier – for which he was awarded the George Medal, which recognises outstanding bravery.
Danny’s casting comes as he warned “misogyny, sexism, homophobia and racism are all on the rise again”.
Saying Britain needs “some sort of reset” as he spoke about social division and politics in the UK, the actor, also famed for playing Mick Carter in the BBC soap EastEnders, made the comments in a cover interview with Rolling Stone UK ahead of the release of his new film One Last Deal, which sees him play a football agent.
Danny said about how he felt the UK had seen a troubling shift in attitudes in recent years: “Misogyny, sexism, homophobia and racism are all on the rise again.
“We’ve regressed as human beings, so we need some sort of reset, don’t we?”
Danny also spoke about the current political and social climate, describing deep divisions across British society.
He added: “We’re just so f****** divided right now. The working classes, no matter what colour your skin is, are fighting each other and the elites are taking the f****** p***.
“It’s now very apparent they’re taking the p***, but instead of everyone coming together and looking up, we’re just fighting and blaming each other.
“It’s petrifying to be honest with you, I don’t know why we’ve digressed so much as human beings.”
