Bare skin, brawls and clandestine smooches – Danny Dyer pulls no punches in the second series of Mr Bigstuff, even crossing paths with a former EastEnders co-star.

Danny Dyer’s stellar performance in the debut season bagged him the 2025 TV Bafta for Male Performance in a Comedy Programme. The show is back with Danny and creator Ryan Sampson reprising their roles as Lee and Glen, two brothers bound by blood but strained by secrets and familial dysfunction.

While the emotions run deep, Mr Bigstuff stays true to its comedic roots. The stunts are back in full swing, with Danny giving it his all. “It’s very physical. It was a whole day of me having a tear-up,” he admits, “I don’t mind that stuff, but it’s getting a bit more difficult as I get older.”

One particular fight scene sees Lee squaring off against members of a working men’s club – a spectacle that left even Ryan in awe. “Danny was very impressive, he’s like Errol Flynn when he gets going,” he marvels, “I’ve never seen anybody do that before. It’s really technical and knackering.”

Joining the mix of bruises and banter are some familiar faces, including Taskmaster’s Fatiha El-Ghorri returning as Aysha, and EastEnders stars Alan Ford, who portrayed Stevie Mitchell, and Linda Henry, better known as Shirley Carter. “I love Linda,” gushes Danny, who played Shirley’s son Mick in the BBC soap. “I wanted more scenes with her.”

Both actors drew from their own experiences to perfect the tumultuous sibling dynamic. “They’re at each other’s throats, aren’t they?” says Ryan, 39. “I have siblings, and we sometimes tear strips off each other.”

Danny’s real-life brother Tony served as inspiration for Glen and his character Lee. “We’re only 18 months apart but we’re so different, a little bit like Lee and Glen.

“My brother hated football when he was a kid. His best friend was a girl and he loved playing with Barbies,” Danny, 47, recalls. “He was the bane of my life because being in an East London school, he was being bullied for it and I was fighting his battles a lot.

“He’s a straight man, but he wanted to play with dolls. There’s nothing wrong with that at all.” Then there were the games they enjoyed together.

“We used to play a game called Judo Mermaid. He was the mermaid so he would put my mum’s tights on his head and I was Judo. I’d turn up, a bit like Columbo, with a celery stick in my mouth, and solve crimes.”

However, in Mr Bigstuff the comedy takes a darker turn for Glen when his fiancée Kirsty – portrayed by Harriet Webb – begins acting peculiarly. She’s harbouring a secret that could shatter everything. As viewers will recall, Kirsty shared a stolen kiss with Lee at the end of series one. She’s buried it ever since.

Yet in reality, Harriet confesses she can’t be trusted with her own secrets. “I’m very much an over-sharer,” she confesses, “I once lied about how many sausages I’d eaten. Then immediately, after telling the lie, I revealed the truth.”

The stakes are high when a mysterious blackmailer enters the scene, threatening to expose secrets that could jeopardise her relationship with Glen. “Throughout series one, they told each other, ‘No more secrets,'” Harriet explains.

“They made a pact, especially after he found out about Kirsty’s shoplifting. So to have another secret, although I’m not the only one, is a lot.”

But it’s not just Kirsty’s ethical quandaries that drive series two. Lee and Glen delve into their father’s history, leading Lee to uncover something potentially earth-shattering about their identity.

Filming wasn’t always a breeze for Harriet, particularly recalling a challenging day on set in Canvey Island, Essex. “There was one day dedicated to a scene in episode five and Ryan told me, ‘I can’t wait for this,'” Harriet recounts.

“And I was like, ‘It’s going to be hell, I’m going to have to be on the verge of tears for an entire day.’ That was my biggest challenge this season.”

For Ryan, the romantic scenes posed the greatest difficulty. As a proud gay man, portraying intimacy with Harriet was something he had to acclimatise to.

“I’ve written a lot of sex scenes and kissing,'” he admits, “But actually doing it… There was one moment Kirsty was like, ‘I think you grab my boob now.’ That might only be the second boob I’ve grabbed.”

The chaotic love triangle, intense family squabbles, and heart-wrenching moments are all delivered with the quirky humour that turned Mr Bigstuff into an unexpected success. The second series ups the ante, promising even more drama. Regarding a third instalment?

The cast is ready to go, but creator Ryan admits he’s still working out the details. “I’m waiting to see what the viewers think,” he reveals. “But season two ends on the biggest plot twist I could think of. That’s the jumping off point for series three. I already have a few ideas.”