It is one of the most beloved British television series of all times and Dad’s Army has now been transformed into one of this year’s most hotly anticipated films.

Crouch End actor Daniel Mays landed a coveted role as Private Joe Walker, a part played in the original by Islington-born James Beck, who died suddenly during filming of the sixth series.

We caught up with Daniel to find out how it feels to be part of the iconic franchise.

On his character Private Joe Walker...

“Walker is your archetypal London spiv,” explains Danny Mays of the unit’s wheeler-dealer. “He’s come to Walmington because he’s hiding from something in London, but then he realises that this small community is an absolute goldmine. He’s your classic rogue – a charmer and a complete ladies man. The inside of his suit jacket is lined with reams of watches and tights. He adds a lot of energy and humour to that group, and he’s never frightened to go up against Mainwaring. He’s a bit cheeky and can cross that line a little bit. He’s a great member of the gang.”

On how he got the part...

“My agent told me to go and meet Olly,” he recalls. “He’d seen me in another spiv-type role (on stage) in Mojo in the West End and you couldn’t have had a better audition for Walker. He sat down and said, ‘Danny, I want you to do it.’ He told me the cast and I said, ‘Where do you want me to sign?’”

He adds: “They could have cast purely comedic actors, which would have been a different approach to it,” points out Mays, “but you have to apply pathos to this story and flesh the characters out as three-dimensionally as possible and they’ve done that through the casting. You don’t want it to be one note. It’s certainly a classy cast to be involved in.”

On the day it made headlines...

“It was all over the media,” he laughs, “and in one newspaper our heads had been cut out and put on the bodies of the original cast, which was a bit disconcerting! That was the first thing we all commented on: ‘Oh my god, have you see the paper today?’ But very quickly, because Ollie was a fantastic director and Toby (Jones) was so confident and didn’t put a foot wrong, we put that to one side and made it ours.”

On the challenge of reinventing the beloved series...

“We tried to make it our own as much as we could,” says Mays, “but obviously you do have the ghosts of those other performances rolling around in your head so you have to embrace that as much as possible.” As for Private Walker: “Jimmy Beck’s portrayal of him was so on the money,” says Mays, “that I realised that was the way to go about it. I know there are other actors who’ve attached some sinister edge to him, but I don’t think he’s like that at all.”

On filming in Bridlington Old Town with members of Dad’s Army fan clubs...

“They all started cheering when we came out of the pub in costume,” grins Danny Mays. “I was a bit taken aback when they started singing the theme tune! It cemented in my consciousness the affection the public have for Dad’s Army. I thought, ‘We’ve really latched onto something here.’”

He recalls another memorable moment: “I was standing on a cliff with Michael Gambon, and this sea lion kept popping its head up to see what was going on and who all these people were.”

On his castmates...

“I remember seeing Michael Gambon in The Caretaker when I was at RADA,” enthuses Mays, “and seeing Tom Courtenay in The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner at secondary school, and Toby Jones in anything he’s done. They’ve got such weight and calibre, and they’re all so professional. We had such a laugh on set. It didn’t really feel like work. We didn’t stop laughing.”

Dad's Army is in cinemas now. Details: dadsarmymovie.co.uk