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Is pop music better or worse now than in the ‘80s?
David: Songwriters come and go. Every era has good and bad bands. I do think Westlife are a better band than say, the Bay City Rollers in the ‘70s. Production techniques are better now of course which helps.

Pop Idol TV? Devil spawn or a genuine hotbed of creative talent?
David: I don’t think you should blame the shows. Blame the record companies. They’re the ones marketing this stuff. They’ve learned that a TV show can give you millions of pounds worth of advertising and marketing for free. They’ve become cleverer at marketing their acts. Will and Gareth are pleasant bubblegum pop but nothing more. Will is a bit more soulful but Gareth has the looks. I think they’ll go down as novelty acts, like Whigfield or Yazz in the ‘80s. I don’t think they’ll have a lasting impression on the business.

You received a lot of publicity after The Sun tracked you down selling burgers from a stall in Brighton. Upsetting?
David: God, no. Why? I find it weird that people are still surprised that I do that. Although I sell waffles now. We’ve gone a bit more upmarket and European. There’s more of a Riviera vibe to Brighton now so I’m trying to move with the times! Paul McCartney has just bought a house next to Fatboy Slim’s on the beach and you can often see Gary Numan flying his plane on a clear day. The thing is I have to make a living. I’m 45 now not 25. I still perform as David Van Day’s Bucks Fizz from time to time but otherwise I need to do something to fill my days. The money soon disappears.

Do you still like performing on stage?
David: Oh yeah. I bet if the Spice Girls ran out of money, and they must be close, they’d consider playing Butlins because you’re always hungry to perform. You don’t turn down any offers. Actually I’d still like to get into acting. I always wanted to do it but I got sidetracked by the music thing.