Normal People star Paul Mescal has revealed that he is single and is itching to start dating again.

The 24-year-old has gained a legion of fans over the last month following the release of the teen drama, which has now been requested almost 40 million times on the BBC iPlayer.

The actor has been unable to fully enjoy his new-found heartthrob status, however, with the coronavirus lockdown forcing him to isolate at his flat in East London.

"To be honest I'm really looking forward to dating," he told the I'm Grand Mam podcast. "I'm trying not to think of it being weird because... look, we've been in lockdown for months.

"I've had no kind of opportunity to be like meeting somebody new or being remotely intimate with anybody.

"I think we're at the point where I want to get married and settle down. But you know that kind of hysterical thing where if lockdown ever happens again, I'm making sure that I'm married."

The runaway success of the show is thought to be a key factor behind the BBC's intention to relaunch BBC Three as a linear TV channel.