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"It&amp;#039;s no secret that EastEnders has needed a shake-up, something which now seems to be well under way at the show&amp;#039;s HQ with today&amp;#039;s announcement that Danny Dyer has been cast as the Queen Vic&amp;#039;s new landlord Mick. If you haven&amp;#039;t already seen the news, Mick is the younger brother of established character Shirley Carter and will be joining Walford at the end of the year alongside his wife Linda (Kellie Bright) and their family.  EastEnders has already made a couple of other casting announcements since the appointment of new executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins, but there&amp;#039;s no doubt that today&amp;#039;s is the most eye-catching and surprising yet. You only have to look at the reader comments on previous Digital Spy articles about Dyer to know that reactions to his casting will definitely be mixed - his various on-screen portrayals of bad boys have received both praise and derision. Many love his outspoken off-screen persona, while others find him grating. Even though the news is bound to spark a lot of debate today and beyond, there are plenty of reasons to be positive about what&amp;#039;s to come.  First and foremost, Dyer has a strong screen presence which is going to be crucial when it comes to taking over such an important role in EastEnders. Recent new characters to join the show have seemed to stay on the sidelines with no clear direction, while the plan for Mick is for him to join the Square and take on his new job straight away. Dyer should definitely be up to the task of hitting the ground running.  We&amp;#039;re also relieved to hear that Mick won&amp;#039;t be yet another hardman character for Dyer, with show chiefs billing the new arrival as a family man who is a &amp;quot;big softie&amp;quot; at heart. Dyer has often expressed a desire to move on from bad boy roles, so it should be interesting to see how he rises to the challenge. Publicity-wise, the recent EastEnders returnees have shown that two million extra viewers won&amp;#039;t suddenly appear overnight due to one actor. That said, bringing in a familiar face certainly can&amp;#039;t hurt the show and his on-screen arrival is bound to provide a big talking point, especially in Mick&amp;#039;s early episodes. On the flip side, taking on such a well-known actor - especially a divisive one - also comes with risks. There&amp;#039;s always the possibility that fans will just see the storyline as Danny Dyer moving into the Square rather than new character Mick.  It&amp;#039;d also be a shame if Dyer&amp;#039;s profile led to him departing the show after only a relatively short stint after lots of hype, as we&amp;#039;ve seen recently with Sue Johnston and Michelle Collins at The Rovers in Coronation Street.  More than anything, and regardless of who is playing the character, we&amp;#039;re pleased to see that EastEnders seem to have taken on board some of the recent suggestions which have been at the top of fans&amp;#039; wishlists for quite some time. Die-hard viewers have spent most of the year calling out for a new family to take the show forward into a new era, so news of fresh faces should go down well with many viewers.  The future of The Vic itself has often been up for debate too, with some viewers finding the current set-up stale and lacking atmosphere, so a change there will be welcome too.  If handled correctly, the arrival of the new family could make us genuinely excited to see scenes at The Vic for the first time in a while - with new dynamics, friendships and rivalries to shake things up. After a rocky time for EastEnders of late, let&amp;#039;s hope fans can accept the new arrivals rather than calling for them to &amp;#039;get outta&amp;#039; their favourite pub. What do you make of Dyer&amp;#039;s casting? Share your thoughts using the usual space below! Digital Spy Soap Scoop video - press play below to watch Amie Parker-Williams reveal all the gossip on Cameron&amp;#039;s Emmerdale escape, Will under pressure in Hollyoaks, the latest Platt dramas in Coronation Street and a relationship crisis in EastEnders.  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/eastenders/news/a519785/danny-dyer-joins-eastenders-is-he-right-for-the-queen-vic/>