Shropshire Star

Danny Dyer stars in new ‘heart-stopping’ series about Iranian embassy siege

The former EastEnders actor will star in Channel 4’s TV adaptation of Ben Macintyre’s The Siege, with Sherwood actor David Morrissey.

By contributor Lauren Del Fabbro, Press Association Entertainment Reporter
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Supporting image for story: Danny Dyer stars in new ‘heart-stopping’ series about Iranian embassy siege
Danny Dyer at the 2025 Bafta Awards (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

Rivals actor Danny Dyer will star in a new heart-stopping” and “emotional” TV series about the Iranian embassy siege.

Dyer, 48, known for playing Queen Vic landlord Mick Carter in BBC’s EastEnders from 2013 to 2022, will star in Channel 4’s TV adaptation of Ben Macintyre’s best-selling book The Siege, with Sherwood actor David Morrissey.

The six-part series has been adapted by Slow Horses and Veep creator Will Smith, and follows the events of April 30 1980, when six armed Iranian terrorists took 26 people hostage after bursting into the Iranian embassy in London.

Danny Dyer
Danny Dyer played Queen Vic landlord Mick Carter in EastEnders (Aaron Chown/PA)

The thriller follows the six-day stand-off between the gunmen, hostages and police and the Special Air Service (SAS) mission that broke the siege.

Ian Katz, chief content officer at Channel 4, said: “The Iranian embassy siege and the daring raid which ended it was an iconic moment that forged the ferocious reputation of the modern SAS.

“The show is a heart-stopping, emotional thriller that reveals the little-known motivations of the hapless hostage-takers and the very human reality of what went on inside the embassy as the world looked on, and Britain’s most lethal soldiers practised their high-stakes assault.

Danny Dyer
Danny Dyer will star in the series about the Iranian embassy siege (Ian West/PA)

Katz added: “It will change the way people understand the siege and reveal how close the famous SAS operation came to disaster.”

Dyer is also known for his roles in football films Mean Machine (2001) and The Football Factory (2004).

He will be joined by 200 Metres actor Motaz Malhees in a cast which includes The Crown star Alex Jennings.

A release date for the series is yet to be announced.