No, just to assure you that, despite rumours, I did NOT get the call; I suspect they might not have been able to insure me.

Whatever - I would have refused and will still refuse.

I WAS however asked to do Celebrity Wife Swap.

Likewise my reply was NO WAY.

I am delighted to contribute to new, exciting, entertainment ideas (as Celebrity, X Factor, Strictly, Millionaire, Deal... all were when they started) but I shall never do series 3 or 4 or 5 of a then tired format.

JK2006 wrote:


I WAS however asked to do Celebrity Wife Swap.



Did they get Pete Burns to replace you ?

How could you be on wife swap, when you don't have a wife to swap!!

Exactly Robbie - and anyone knowing anything about me should know I'm not likely to have one, let alone want to swap her.

You should have an open mind about this - who knows you may suddenly get the urge to get a wife !! Never say never ! but I agree that swapping one is very tacky !

It does sound bizarre that you were approached to do Celebrity Wife Swap, they obviously didn't do any research.

I have watched 'I'm a Celebrity' in dribs and drabs, and has become a tired old format, however, I have found David Van Day and Timmy Mallett very entertaining. Did you ever meet David Van Day JK? On various programmes (over the years), I have seen him on, he always comes across as very arrogant and living in the past believing he is still a heart-throb.

Is that right or is it more the power of TV editing?

I actually seem to remember producing him and Teresa once, for Michael Levy, but that might be senility creeping in.

JK2006 wrote:
I actually seem to remember producing him and Teresa once, for Michael Levy, but that might be senility creeping in.

I think you did, but not a Dollar, but when they were both in GUYS'N'DOLLS - who recorded for Michael's MAGNET label.

Correct Dixie - was that before or after Dollar?

Do you remember the names of the tracks?

Guys and Dolls came before Dollar, there big hit was "Theres a whole lotta loving going on"

It's worth remembering that in the early eighties Dollar worked with Trevor Horn, giving him his first big break as producer after the Buggles hits and helping pave the way for ABC, Frankie GTH, Art of Noise etc. The records they made together are very much of their time but still sound great.

Clyde Ankle wrote:
It's worth remembering that in the early eighties Dollar worked with Trevor Horn, giving him his first big break as producer after the Buggles hits and helping pave the way for ABC, Frankie GTH, Art of Noise etc. The records they made together are very much of their time but still sound great.

Yes... I recall myself and my family loathing Guys and Dolls and dismissing them as manufactured pap and when David and Thereze broke away and formed Dollar groaning even more at the fluff they were putting out. They were awful!

Then... they went with Trevor Horn and turned out a string of memorable pop singles which, yes, very much of their time, still hold up well today. "Hand Held In Black and White", "Mirror Mirror" and "Videotheque" were and remain faves of mine. Of that collaboration, Dollar ended up falling apart whilst Trevor Horn became hugely in demand, becoming one of the 80's biggest producers, so Dollar certainly played a major part in putting Horn on the map.

Yet despite all that even back in that 1978 to 1982 period whenever we saw Dollar on TOTP, we always thought David Van Day was a tw*t (choose your own vowel!) exuding a smug arrogance that made one cringe. It was comical when Dollar reformed for that "Reborn In The USA" show a few years back when Sonia launched into VanDay with all manner of accusations! Thereze cracked up and little wonder the reunion quickly fell apart.

I saw Dollar on one of these "Here and Now" tours and they were very good. They produced a great performance, sang well, and had a good chemistry.

David Van Day has just been trying to earn a living doing what he does best, singing and performing. He joined Bucks Fizz in the 90s and even created his own rival version of Bucks Fizz.