Ty Burrell, famous for his role as dorky dad Phil Dunphy in Modern Family says that the show writers are “making the world a better place”.

Speaking to the Telegraph while promoting his new film Muppets Most Wanted, Burrell said that he feels that the inclusion of a gay couple in the show has helped to normalise gay marriage.

He said, “This is probably a little overwrought, but I do actually think the writers are making the world a better place.

“It’s one of my favourite things about the show. I love it when I talk to conservatives and they’re describing all three couples, and they never mention that one of them is gay.

“That’s the brilliance of the writing. In a completely unaggressive, apolitical way, they are showing this couple as completely normal dealing with ordinary stuff. The banality of it is the most revolutionary thing.

“I think if you turned around and asked that same conservative person how they felt about gay marriage, that probably hasn’t changed for them, but the seed has been planted none the less. It’s progress and it’s the coolest thing. I think the television world has become a more permissive place.”

Talking about the show being hailed as progressive, he said “I don’t even think we’re a particularly edgy show, but I’m amazed sometimes, in a good way, at what we’re allowed to express. The kids are coming of age on the show, so we’re addressing puberty, masturbation, drinking, the first time a young woman has sex. These are the kinds of things parents are dealing with all the time, and I know the fans appreciate it, because people talk about it.”

Burrell stars alongside Ricky Gervais, Tina Fey and Kermit the Frog in Muppets Most Wanted.