Imagine going to work and having your shirt ripped from your back. Or enduring the fresh sting of grazed flesh, as nails tear down your torso.

A nightmare for most, but according to the Dreamboys, it’s all part of the job.

Now the ten-strong glamour act is coming to the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch , as part of their Fit and Famous tour, for what they promise will be the ultimate hen party.

“It’s not like the Chippendales, there are no mullets, no greasy bodies, no thongs and no cowboy hats involved,“ explains manager David Richards, who founded the group in 1997 and is a former Dreamboy himself. “It’s all tastefully done, it’s not like going to a strip club and it’s nothing like The Full Monty.

“My lads act, dance, sing, perform gymnastics, and they take their clothes off too.“ When I catch up with Essex-born David and four of his Dreamboys – Peter Carter, Florin Haidouc, Zane Hopkins and Lotan Carter – ahead of their show, they’re all fully clothed.

And it’s clear they take immense pride in their appearance. Preened, tanned and plucked to within an inch of their lives, their rippling physiques sport tans which would make even the most diehard of sun-worshippers jealous.

But it’s not all about good looks and buff bodies.

“You can look amazing, but you’ve got to have personality and charisma too,“ says David, “otherwise it won’t work. They’re all very, very big characters.

“They are your ideal, your dream, your Dreamboys, so we cater for lots of different people through the way they look.

“Some have a more ripped physique, some are more athletic, others are stockier, some are older. We’ve got an Italian guy, a black guy, a tattooed guy – whether you’re 18 or 80, there’s something for everyone.“ Although Lotan, 24, is quick to point out there are no geriatrics in their line-up.

A couple of them have showbiz backgrounds, Zane has appeared in Starlight Express and Lotan, who has been to a performing arts school, is the nephew of Louie Spence, of Pineapple Dance Studios fame.

They’re such big characters they’ve just landed their own television show, due to be screened in the coming months, and have appeared on a host of programmes from The X Factor to The Paul O’Grady Show.

However, it’s not all girls and glamour for the boys.

They reveal they have the odd spat backstage, from time to time suffer a bit of stage fright, it’s near impossible to maintain a relationship with a partner and that when performing, ladies and sometimes gents can be overly amorous with their attentions.

“We’re well behaved, we never swap phone numbers, we’re not allowed alcohol. But I did once swap clothes with a woman, I even had her bra on,“ says Lotan.

“It can be hell having a girlfriend, jealousy always comes in and if you’ve met your girlfriend at a show it can be even worse.

“It’s possible to have a partner, but she needs to be understanding. No-one touches us, but we do get naked.“ According to David, there isn’t that much nudity in the show, with only a few Dreamboys partaking in full-frontal exposure. But there are a lot of costume changes.

“What we’re doing is very modern,“ David adds. “It’s not a meat fest.“

  • Dreamboys are coming to Queen’s Theatre, Billet Lane, Hornchurch on Tuesday, January 21at 7.30pm. Details: 01708 443333, www.queens-theatre.co.uk