Bad lad of British film Danny Dyer is coming to Kent to explain himself.

The EastEnders star will be signing a book described as ‘a spirited defence of his film career’ by Empire magazine and as ‘strangely delightful’ by the Daily Telegraph.

Although The Films of Danny Dyer – which charts the career of the bankable cockney star from Human Traffic through to the recent action thriller Vendetta – was strictly written by authors Jonathan Sothcott and James Mullinger, Danny collaborated closely with them.

“We had a blast pulling this book together,” said Danny, who will be chatting with fans at the book signing in Waterstones Bluewater on Sunday, June 22.

“I have worked with Jonathan on a number of films, so when he came to me with the idea for the book I said yeah, why not. I spent a couple of days with Jonathan and James going through everything, every film and anecdote I could remember. It’s an honest look at my career and I hope fans will love it.”

It is also a rare opportunity to see the star, who does not usually make many public appearances due to the gruelling EastEnders filming schedule. He joined the BBC soap with a bang on Christmas Day, playing Queen Vic landlord Mick Carter. Mick is a departure from Danny’s usual dubious characters, in that he is a disciplined family man committed to hard graft and devoted to his wife.

“It is a struggle, I ain’t gonna lie. I’ve always been real and true to myself and I think people respect that but I totally get that I’m on a family show so you’ve got to act a bit family-friendly,” said Danny, 36.

“I wasn’t that interested at first; I thought it would be obvious, they’ve approached me before and it’s always been the gangster, the villain, and I just thought, ‘Um, I’m not really interested in that.’

“When they explained this role, about taking over the Vic and coming in with a family, playing the alpha male but not in an obvious way, it was like all my dreams come true really.”

Of his former controversies, which include a column in Zoo magazine in which he appeared to give a reader aggressive advice on how to deal with an ex-girlfriend, Danny said: “I’ve got a bit of baggage that comes with the name Danny Dyer so I think I divide people completely down the middle.

“ I’m either a legend or a joke, but at the end of the day I’m just an actor. I do what I do and either you buzz off what I do or you despise it. At least I’m raising some sort of debate.”

"EastEnders is harder than I thought it would be. I make films and a good day on film is seven or eight pages, a good 12-hour day. On here you’re doing 45 pages a day, 20 before lunch, and the multi-camera thing is tough. It’s been completely full-on – you’ve got to be on the ball, there’s nowhere to hide on a soap. There’s no excuses for not knowing your dialogue."

Danny Dyer will be meeting fans and signing copies of The Films of Danny Dyer at Waterstones Bluewater on Sunday, June 22, at noon. The event will be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis. Call 01322 624831.