Peter Cunnah

D:ream star Peter, 54, from Northern Ireland, is best known for hits such as Things Can Only Get Better and

U R The Best Thing

What was your first TV memory?

I always hid behind the couch when Doctor Who came on, which I think was quite common. It was scary! I loved the otherworldliness of it and the theme music. I’d never heard a synthesizer before.

Who was your first TV crush?

Jacqueline Pearce as Servalan, the bad girl in sci-fi series Blake’s 7. I thought she was really sexy. She had short hair before Annie Lennox did and used her wiles to get what she wanted. If she said “Hands up” you’d be “Yeah baby, no problem”.

What was your first TV appearance?

Strangely I was on Top Of The Pops four years before D:ream. I was playing guitar with a Derry band called Tie The Boy and, when the Radio 1 Roadshow hit town, I sneaked in to see John Peel and Janice Long to give them my single, evading the bouncers who were trying to kill me. They invited me down to Top Of The Pops and I introduced the Human League!

What is your favourite current show?

New Life In The Sun – it’s the ultimate escapism, catching up with all the couples in the Dordogne or Spain and thinking I really want to go there. There’s the sea, scenery, sunshine. I look out of my window here and it’s all overcast and grey.

Which TV show would you take to a desert island?

Blackadder series 2 to 4. It’s sublime and the writing got better and better. And when it ended, with the cast all going over the top in the First World War, it was so touching.

What TV show would you like to put out of its misery?

The Simpsons. It was great but they should learn from Fawlty Towers. It’s done! It’s time to stop. Move on, stop flogging it.

Guiltiest TV pleasure?

Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway. It’s like I’m clubbing in my home. The section where they went through the drivethrough was absolutely hilarious. It’s a comfort blanket and

they’re brilliant at it.

What are you up to at the moment?

My new single just came out, I have an album out in July and a show on Radio Ulster called Beats For Better Days which is devoted to positive music.

 Meet Me At Midnight by D:ream is out now