‘EastEnders’ boss Dominic Treadwell-Collins based the Carters on his own family.
The BBC One soap’s executive producer has revealed he invented the characters Mick and Linda Carter, played by Danny Dyer and Kellie Bright, after being inspired by his own parents.
He shared: "The Carters are my family. My father was an Irish immigrant named Michael Collins, my mother a hairdresser from Kilburn, named Linda. So Mick and Linda Carter."
The 37-year-old TV producer added that grumpy Stan Carter (Timothy West) is based on his grandfather while Mick and Linda’s sons Lee (Danny-Boy Hatchard) and Johnny (Sam Strike) are him and his brother.
He explained: "Stan Carter is my granddad, a former Billingsgate fish porter who was a big powerful man and now sits in his chair still trying to rule the family.
"There is the difficult brother. I was the other son, like Johnny Carter. The story of him coming out as gay to his mum was my story, too."
Dominic – who has seen the soap go from strength to strength since taking over the realms last year – claims he’s happy to continue in the job as long as he maintains creative control.
Speaking about the pressure to include more storylines about ethnicity, sexuality or disability, he added to Radio Times magazine: "As soon as someone starts imposing editorial decisions, we fight back, because we know what we’re doing. The day I start box-ticking is the day I leave."
EastEnders boss based the Carters on own family
