EastEnders star Danny Dyer has spoken to Digital Spy about the shock Carter reveal which aired in Thursday night's episode (May 22), admitting that he didn't see the big twist coming.
The latest edition of the Walford soap saw Phil Mitchell realise that Dyer's character Mick Carter is Shirley's son, not her younger brother as everyone on Albert Square currently believes.
Show bosses managed to keep the bombshell revelation under wraps until transmission, ensuring that fans were surprised by the storyline twist.
Linda Henry, who plays Shirley, was made aware of the plot some time ago, while Dyer was told more recently.
Speaking to Digital Spy about the top-secret storyline, Dyer commented: "I did not see it coming at all! It was a complete shock to me. Linda knew for three months before I did and she didn't tell me, because she was told not to tell anyone.
"When I found out, Linda didn't know that I'd been told, so I sent her a little text message saying, 'Hope you're having a good evening, mum!' She rang me straight away afterwards so we could talk about it!
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"Dominic Treadwell-Collins, the show's executive producer, had put the story to Linda first and he said, 'If you don't want it to happen then it won't happen', but she was thrilled with it."
Dyer added that when he looks back on Mick and Shirley's scenes, he now sees that there was always more to their relationship than met the eye.
He explained: "Mine and Linda's scenes are always a joy. There's always this underlying thing there between us. I'm always on the verge of tears when I'm acting with her, because there's just something there underneath that you can't quite put your finger on.
"I now get why Linda had been playing our scenes in a certain way. She's known all along, so now I look back on our scenes and think, 'Oh, so that's why you played it that way!'
"This is a massive revelation for the audience, but they've found out a long time before Mick will. I think it's a while off that Mick finds out."
Digital Spy understands that Treadwell-Collins has been planning the Mick/Shirley twist ever since the inception of the Carter family.
Show chiefs tried to maintain the secrecy surrounding the storyline by only sharing the details with a minimal number of cast and crew, as well as censoring scripts for cast members who were not involved in the scenes.
Dyer has been nominated for four British Soap Awards this year, including the viewer-voted Best Actor and Sexiest Male categories. Voting remains open until 3pm on Friday on the British Soap Awards website.
EastEnders: Danny Dyer on awards, Mick's future and Carter clan shocks
