“Babe, I’ve got a pair of tits,” Danny Dyer replies when I bring up the renewed sex symbol status his role in Rivals has sparked. We’ll agree to disagree.

When the adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s 1988 novel hit Disney+ back in October, nothing could have prepared the Football Factory star for the frenzy it would set off.

The actor’s portrayal of the sensitive, working-class-boy-turned-tech-millionaire Freddie Jones – and the character’s slow burn romance with Lizzie (played by Katherine Parkinson), struck the hearts (and according to plenty of thirsty tweets, loins) of viewers. 

“I honestly thought everyone was going to laugh at me,” he says. “It wasn’t the best wig and I had this big old moustache. Well, I got it completely wrong, it went the opposite way – although tell you what, I do miss the ’tache.”

You and every Rivals viewer in the country, Danny. But in a series featuring a fully naked tennis playingRupert (Alex Hassell), a frequently shirtless Declan (Aidan Turner) and a power-hungry Tony (David Tennant), why does he think the nation is so fired up over Fred-Fred? 

Well, his answer knocks me for six (even more so than the fact he’s called me “baby” three times in this interview and I’m ready to keel over).

“Masculinity is so fucked that I think the idea of me playing a kind character is sexy, I don’t think kindness has been seen as something sexy for a long time,” he explains. 

He’s not wrong though, is he? The bar for dating is so low it’s in hell and we’re at a stage where a man being genuinely compassionate is actually the sexiest thing they can do. And, bloody hell, Danny does it well.

“I’ve got two daughters, so I understand they don’t go for the kind, loyal, honest boy. They go for the unattainable boy that, you know, breaks their heart, makes them cry a lot, a bit like Rupert,” he adds.

“Then suddenly, you’ve got Fred, little Fred-Fred who is sort of powerful and clever and all these things, but also quite shy and he actually sees Lizzie for who she is.” 

Throw into the mix that Danny himself was once the posterboy forof badly-behaved lads, and the result? A side plot line becoming the sexiest thing about a show full of, well, sex.

But speaking of his daughters, what does his family make of the internet’s collective lusting over him? 

“They laugh, especially Dani, she finds it hilarious – and my wife finds it hilarious as well, to be fair. They just didn’t get it, but then, then they saw Rivals and went, ‘Oh, we get it now’.”

They’re not the only ones – Danny’s recent incredible performance in Rivals has thrown his career and acting ability into the focus of many a think piece. Within days of the bonkbuster being released, it seemed that every other publication had an article voicing their surprise at the Harold Pinter protégé’s talent.

Yup, need we remind you that Danny was mentored by the famous playwright – and starred in three of his productions. So, where is all this surprise about Danny’s brilliant performance in Rivals coming from?

Where we might have disagreed on his sex appeal, we are in agreement that there’s classism at play when it comes to the sometimes harsh public opinion of him.

“Broadsheets are having to admit through gritted teeth that I’m actually alright at what I do,” he tells me. “There are just bits of the media that have always associated me with being a hard man and violence. I was a little bit offended by some of the reviews saying that the biggest plot twist was that Danny Dyer could act.”

After decades of pigeon-holing Danny into a nothing more than a lad-cinema actor, the middle class audience who’ve feared him, are now giving him plaudits. The irony? “I’ve never actually played a hard man, it’s always a hard man who questions his identity,” he points out.

It’s true – look at the actor’s back catalogue and, sure, he’s been typecast as a Cockney geezer struggling with drugs/violence/gangs (and sometimes all at once) but at the heart of every project is a character who is trying to change his ways. But for many, the typecasting was just a reflection of who they perceived Danny to really be.

And in reality? He’s a complete and utter softie.

“I cry A LOT – especially when it comes to my children, they choke me up constantly. I cried the other week when my son was playing rugby and he scored a try. He just picked the ball up and just kept on running and I was fucking sobbing.

“I was trying to be a tough rugby dad, and I was just in pieces and I couldn’t help it, you know? It was so overwhelming, his little face, so happy because he’s done it.”

Yes, there have been scandals and roles that I’m not sure will ever be shaken from Danny’s reputation. But now, in a different era of his life and career, it’s time we see Danny Dyer for the talent he is – and always has been.

“I’m really in a sort of resurgence right now, I suppose,” he explains. “And I’ve grown up a lot, I’m not as much of a lunatic as I was back in the day and way more appreciative of the work I do and I take it very seriously.

“I’ve been around a long time. I started acting when I was 14 and I’m pushing 50 now. And I think the first half of your career, you’re learning, and the second half you can put it all into practice and I feel that I’m in a strong position as an actor because of it.”

We’d argue that Danny is one of the hardest working (and self-reflective) men in telly – the 47-year-old has six films coming out within two years, hosts a podcast with his daughter Dani (with whom he’s about to take over a caravan site for a new Sky TV show), campaigns for the working class like there’s no tomorrow and is ever increasingly being seen as a political pundit.

We’re chatting today as he’s partnered with Frank’s RedHot for his latest role as “The Codfather” – the man doesn’t stop.

“I’m exhausted. It’s only February, and I’m fucked already,” he tells me. “I’ve just done a film in Ireland and I’m the only one in it. It’s a one-man show, and it’s me on the phone in an office, and it’s a really clever, brilliant story. I just wanted to test myself whether I could pull it out of the bag, and I did it.”

He’s hosted everything from documentaries to game shows and there aren’t many genres that Danny hasn’t turned his hand to when it comes to films – although there have been rejections for deeply unexpected roles along the way.

“I actually auditioned for Batman And Robin – to be bloody Robin, could you imagine? A fucking Cockney Robin,” he confesses. Yup, we were robbed of a George Clooney and Danny Dyer superhero combo, but as Danny reminds me, “it was a shit film anyway so that was a lucky miss.”

The actor also has a string of television awards (including The British LGBT Award prize for ‘Straight Ally’) behind him for one of his best known roles as Eastenders’ pub landlord Mick Carter (forever and always in our hearts x) – a role people are still hoping he returns to, despite the character being killed off. Well, seemingly, it is a soap after all.

Calling soap acting “the hardest discipline of all”, Danny is still wrapping his head around people’s fixation on a potential return to Eastenders.

“I suppose it’s a compliment that people give a fuck and go ‘when you’re coming back’ – it means they care enough for the character. I suppose it’s a compliment, but it’s the only job that people will ask you when you’re coming back. 

“Any other job, you finish it, people like it and they move on with their lives, but they still want to see a bit of Mick.”

Fortunately, a return we can guarantee is that of Freddie Jones. Disney+ confirmed that the hit show would be back for a second season late last year and we’re already ecstatic to see more of Danny back in action at his best.

And to those who are still trying to get on board?

“They need to catch the fuck up...”

To learn more about the campaign, and keep up to date with more exciting installments of the ‘Codfather,’ please visit @franksredhot_UK.