Danny Dyer's Channel 4 show films in Sunderland as university head lands starring role

Sunderland will soon be seen on TV in Danny Dyer's new Channel 4 series How To Be A Man, with a university head landing a starring role in the soon to be launched show.

Danny has been working on a number of different projects since his dramatic exit from EastEnders at the end of 2022, when his much loved character Mick Carter plunged into the English Channel to rescue childhood sweetheart Linda, only to never be seen again and presumed dead.

Fifteen months have now passed since ex The Business and Football Factory star Danny's departure from the BBC soap and now he is making a return to screens in How To Be A Man, which will see step out of his tough guy persona to embark on an insightful journey into the evolving landscape of masculinity. At a time when some believe traditional masculinity has been labelled ‘toxic’, Danny will ask men across Britain what they think it means to be a man in our society, and what the future is for the male identity.

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And his search for answers took him to the University of Sunderland, where he sat down with Dr Rebecca Owens, Head of the School of Psychology and the developer of the university's male psychology module, the first of its kind in the world. As well as chatting to Danny in a university lecture theatre, Dr Owens met with him and a group of Sunderland students at a go-karting venue in the city to explore sex differences in competitiveness.

Talking about filming with Danny, Dr Owens said; "I feel so grateful that Danny linked in with us at the University of Sunderland to highlight the importance of considering male psychology. We had a great day – the karting experiment worked like clockwork and the students had a fabulous time, they really did us proud.

"Danny was very forthcoming and open when discussing with me his own interests in this area and motivation for doing so. Danny clearly recognises the challenges males are facing in the 21st century UK and is working hard to raise awareness of it and highlight potential opportunities for us as a society to ensure our men and boys aren’t being lost and overlooked."

Danny Dyer: How To Be A Man debuts on Channel 4 on Wednesday, April 17 at 10pm and will also see him interview a politician, psychologists, a mental health expert, a fitness expert, a sex therapist, an influencer, male victims of domestic abuse and members of the Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus.