Danny Dyer

In Rivals (2024), Danny Dyer's Freddie Jones is a self-made businessman whose affability is part of the attraction. Dyer makes his decency engaging without asking us to be astonished that he can play it. We warmed to Freddie more than we expected, because his kindness gives us someone to care about amid the crowded plotting. This is a rewarding use of an actor too often restricted to the roguish or threatening. We recommend the series, though the accumulation of subplots can become tiresome.

The breakthrough was Moff in Human Traffic (1999), followed by a succession of working-class and hardman film roles through the 2000s. The Football Factory (2004), directed by Nick Love, helped establish the hooligan association. Love and Dyer have made five films together, a substantial part of that screen identity. The direct delivery of working-class dialogue was an asset, but the casting grew repetitive. Some of the work before EastEnders slipped into self-parody; familiarity alone was no longer enough.

Joining EastEnders as Mick Carter in 2013 gave him a role that required emotional depth over a long stretch. The Queen Vic's landlord needed to remain convincing well beyond an entrance or a confrontation. Dyer's consistency mattered here, and the part revived his career. It also makes the softer work that followed easier to understand: he had already shown that he could hold our interest without being confined to another hardman film.

The post-soap move to Rivals puts that warmth inside an extravagant adult comedy. He fits an ensemble that plays the nonsense with enough conviction to make it funny. Freddie's romantic side is especially welcome, opening up a possibility that the old hardman casting did little to encourage. We would like more parts that give him someone to care for and allow him time to show it. If the hardman films have put you off, start with Freddie.