Singer Tony Hadley had a busy 2020 lined up with gigs booked all over the globe from Scandinavia to Australia.

But Covid-19 changed all that for the former Spandau Ballet frontman so as he sat in his Buckinghamshire home, he thought it might be time to try something completely different.

A chance meeting he’d had with a broadcaster at a charity event 18 months before led to a phone call and before he knew it Tony had signed up to take part in a podcast.

It was something he’d never tried before but after just a handful of episodes it has become a huge success soaring to the number 2 position in the Apple podcast chart.

The “Stars Cars Guitars” podcast was the brainchild of broadcaster Alex Dyke someone who’d interviewed Tony about his career in the past.

He recruited Tony and legendary guitarist Jim Cregan, who played with Rod Stewart for more than 20 years, and before they knew it, they had a huge hit on their hands.

Tony, best known for Spandau Ballet hits like “True” and “Gold,” revealed they have already had interest from production companies with a view to turning the project into a TV show.

Speaking about the podcast Tony, who was once sponsored by Jaguar, joked he feels well qualified to speak about the cars and stars part but less so guitars.

He said: “When it comes to the cars and stars, I’m there but it would be fair to say that I’m not the best guitar player in the world.

“In fact, I’d go as far as to say I’m absolutely flipping useless.

“I can play bar chords and I can play enough to write and work out a song but that doesn’t mean that I can’t appreciate a beautiful, classic guitar.

“Nothing is rehearsed on the podcast and we want to make it as natural is possible while making it just as interesting for both women and men.

“Sometimes it can be funny, stupid and anecdotal.

“Sometimes it can be reflective as well, especially when we talk about our families and our home life.

“I guess it’s a chat about life, lifestyles, and tales about people you know.”

Listeners have already been treated to a story about Tony singing on stage with his friend Freddie Mercury at a Queen gig in New Zealand after an all-day drinking session.

The team have also met a collector who owns all the original cars from the hit TV series Minder and visited a restaurant in Southampton where Tony was mobbed by fans.

His life in Buckinghamshire is also something Tony wants to tell those listening more about after his move to the county nine years ago.

Tony, who lives just outside Thame, said: “Moving here is the best thing I ever did.

“The people are lovely, everyone is really friendly, it’s almost like going back in time. There is a real sense of community.

“There are smashing pubs and great restaurants and I sincerely hope that everyone working in those industries comes out the other side of the pandemic with their businesses intact.

“The schools are brilliant and I love visiting Aylesbury – some real thought has gone into the redevelopment there which is great to see.

“My wife Ali was dreading it when we moved here because she thought after six months, I’d be saying we need to move back to London.

“She was waiting for that day but that day has never come and it never will. There’s a sense of freedom here which you just don’t get in London.

There are plans for the “Cars Stars Guitars” team to visit an impressive list of guests including Rod Stewart, who is well known for his love of cars.

Tony said: “If you ask me where I’d like this project to go the dream would be visiting Slash of Guns ‘n Roses at his home in LA and chatting to him about guitars

“He could play the opening of ‘Sweet Child o’ Mine’ on the guitar he used for the original recording.

“We could then nip round the corner for something to eat in Slash’s favourite burger restaurant!”

Anyone interested in listening to Jim on the "Stars Cars Guitars” podcast can visit www.facebook.com/starscarsguitars