EastEnders guest star Keith Allen confirms previous role he nearly played

EastEnders spoilers follow.

Note: This article contains discussion of suicide.

EastEnders guest star Keith Allen has revealed that he was previously offered a different role on the soap.

Earlier this month it was announced that the Trainspotting and Robin Hood actor would be joining the cast of EastEnders in a guest role for a special episode.

The episode, which airs tonight (March 20), will focus on Phil Mitchell's recovery in a mental health unit where he meets and befriends a fellow patient named Gaz, who is played by Allen.

Appearing on The One Show, Allen said he was offered a role on the show over ten years ago when he was asked to play Danny Dyer's dad Buster Briggs, but turned it down.

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eastenders, keith allen as new character gaz

BBC

"I think they wanted me to play Danny Dyer's dad and I was constantly getting calls from Danny, 'Keith please, please come, please, please come and be my dad,'" Allen told hosts Alex Jones and Clara Amfo.

According to the actor, appearing on EastEnders was on his "bucket list" but his schedule wouldn't allow it.

"But I didn’t because I couldn’t commit to a contract," he added. "When this came up it was a bucket list thing. To do one episode is just perfect, and you can say that you have been in EastEnders. The caveat to that is, the actual enormity in terms of importance of this episode.

eastenders, phil mitchell sat next to gaz played by keith allen

BBC

"It's an honour to be honest, to be asked to be involved with it, and I think it’s an incredible subject matter to be touched upon."

Set over the course of four weeks, tonight's special episode will follow Phil as he begins treatment to address his depression and symptoms of psychosis after he attempted to take his own life during the soap's 40th anniversary episodes.

At the mental health unit, Phil meets and befriends Allen's Gaz, who helps him to open up and engage in therapy.

EastEnders airs on Mondays-Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.