Danny Dyer has revealed the surprising amount of money he was paid to go on the hit genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are? where he discovered that he was related to royalty in an unforgettable episode.
The actor, who left his EastEnders role of Mick Carter after 10 years over Christmas, starred in one of the most memorable episodes of Who Do You Think You Are? in 2016 as he discovered that he was descended from King Edward III and William the Conqueror.
It was revealed that King Edward III was his 22-times great-grandfather and William the Conqueror's 30th great-grandson.
Talking to The Times, Danny Dyer spoke about the moment he found out about his royal lineage and how much he was paid to go on the show.
“Mad, weren’t it? It’s an interesting process. They come to you. It’s a job, right? Eighteen grand. That’s a result, as you also get to find out a bit about your family.
"You tell them what you know, which wasn’t much, then they go off and you don’t hear nothing for five months. Then they come back and they might say we’re not going with this one. I know that happened to Ray Winstone and he was fuming. But they came back shaking. There was an energy…”
His royal family tree soon expanded as he also discovered that he was related to Henry VIII's adviser Thomas Cromwell and English soldier Sir John Seymour.
Following his Who Do You Think You Are? appearance, Danny filmed a TV show all about his royal lineage called Danny Dyer's Right Royal Family where he explored the lives of his royal and noble ancestors by finding out how they lived and getting involved in their hobbies and lifestyles.
However, despite his royal roots, the Royal family are yet to get in contact with Danny as he told What To Watch: "I haven’t heard anything from the Royal family. I’m clearly one of their embarrassing cousins they’ve got but don’t want to acknowledge. I could be mixing in those circles. I don’t know it would be nice if they did want to acknowledge it. Maybe one day."
Danny is appearing in Cheat, a brand new game show on Netflix which he is presenting alongside Strictly Come Dancing 2022 star Ellie Taylor. Cheat lands on the streaming platform on Wednesday, March 1, 2023.
