Danny Dyer turns in an emotional, sweary acceptance speech at the NTAs

Obviously Danny Dyer – when faced with the kind of emotion that accompanies winning an award for your craft – wasn’t going to be able to keep things clean.

And so last night, he turned the airwaves blue with a sweary, but emotional speech as he accepted the award for Best Serial Drama Performance for his role as Mick Carter in EastEnders at the National Television Awards.

“I can’t believe that wow! Thank you!” he said, as he was handed the gong by Lorraine Kelly, having bested the likes of cast-mate Bonnie Langford, Coronation Street’s Jack P Shepherd, and Emmerdale’s Emma Atkins.

“I want to thank all my EE mob over there you’re like my brothers and sisters.

“I just want to say to all you young kids living out there in poverty who don’t think they’ve got a right to dream or hope, do not let that define where you’re going in life, you can whoever you want to be.

“I want to dedicate this award to Harold Pinter, he believed in me when no one else did.

“I’m getting f***ing emotional now. I don’t know what’s the matter with me, for f**k’s sake. I live by two rules, curb your ego, nourish your soul goodnight.”

A sheepish Dermot O’Leary had to clean up the mess, saying: “Yeah, we’re sorry about that. Don’t give the award to Danny Dyer!”

Dyer worked with the revered British playwright Pinter early in his career, appearing in three of his plays, and forging a close friendship.

Last night’s win marked his third NTA in the Best Serial Drama Performance category, having also won in 2015 and 2016.

Held at the O2 in London, other winners included Bodyguard for Best New Drama, with its star Richard Madden also winning Best Drama Performance, and Peter Kay’s Car Share, which won Best Comedy.

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