More than thirty years after they stormed charts across the globe with a string of hits, Cheryl, Mike and Jay, who are perhaps best known for their colourful zany outfits and catchy Bucks Fizz tunes, are set to wow the crowds again with a brand new tour.

The band achieved massive success in the 1980s, but even those who weren’t born yet know their most famous hit, Making Your Mind Up – the song that won them the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest and catapulted them to worldwide fame.

Cheryl Baker is certain audiences will have the time of their lives if they boogie down to their show at the Wycombe Swan this weekend. 

"We have had a lot of hits, it wasn’t just all about Making Your Mind Up, so we have been performing all of our big songs, some old tracks that everyone loves and also some new ones. We work it all up into the old party atmosphere.

"There are lots of costume changes and lots of colour. The audience will go out with a smile on their face afterwards. If you love the nostalgia of the 80s, you should come to the show. It’s very colourful; it’s just one big party."

And will there be the infamous skirt ripping?

"Of course! We stopped doing it for years but we did a gig in 2004 and we ripped the skirts off and the cheer from the crowd was just phenomenal."

Cheryl, alongside Mike Nolan, Jay Aston, three out of four of the original line up and special guest Bobby McVay, are taking on a country-wide tour, with a view to taking it worldwide next year.

"It’s a busy year for us. We’re appearing at lots of festivals as well as the tour. Hopefully we will take it to Europe and Australia. We’ve been doing this again properly since 2009. We did a tour, just a small one to get the feel for it again and see if we wanted to do it properly and we loved it."

Cheryl describes the moment her life was turned upside down – Bucks Fizz were catapulted to stardom in 1981 after a mind-blowing performance at the Eurovision Song Contest which won Britain the coveted award.

"It was literally overnight and suddenly the world wants you. We went off on tour to Australia and then all these other places. It just changed our lives absolutely instantly. It was overwhelming but there was nothing we could do about it, we just went along with it. We just had no time to think about it.

"That first year we were out of the country more often than we were in it. It was just work, work, work. It was fantastic but really hard work. It was a very extreme situation to be thrown into.

"I have fantastic memories and we’re still making them now. It’s still really joyous and Fizz fans are wonderful. They follow us everywhere, they’re so excited."

Over 30 years on, and Cheryl admits that it’s easier this time round because she can enjoy the thrill of performing live without the pressure and because her relationship with her band mates has improved with time.

She said: "I did really enjoy being in the band back then, it was very exciting but I was just so young.  It’s definitely different now I'm a mum of two. I’m doing this again now because I love it and enjoy it just as much and we’re doing it now because we want to, not because we’re trying to promote an album.

"As a band, we get on better now than we ever did before. Jay and I were just on completely different planets. She was 19 and I was 27 when she joined so we didn’t have anything in common.

"But now it’s 25 years on, we both have kids who were born on the same day, we’ve both been through trauma and heartache and joy and we get on better now than ever before.

"And Bobby is fabulous. He’s the right age group that people who knew us, remember him too."

If you think Cheryl, Mike and Jay’s shows will be full of middle-age people reliving their younger days, Cheryl is adamant that there are a whole new generation of Fizz fans these days.

"There is a whole new generation of Bucks Fizz fans already, because our original fans have now got kids and they bring them to the show. It’s great because it makes our shows so much more fun now."

So what is next for the pop group? There’s an album in the pipeline and Cheryl hopes to continue touring for as long as she can.

"We haven’t had time to do a new album just yet, but when we do it will be half new material and half of the old favourites. We were supposed to do a new album before this tour, but we just didn’t have the time. We all have our own lives. We’re not going to sell millions of albums, but we’re doing it for our fans.

"This all I ever wanted to do and all I ever wanted to do as a child. I did lots of television, especially in the 90s but it wasn’t like a proper job to me, it was just a wage. Bucks Fizz and singing is a passion, it’s a joy. I’m in my absolute element.

"It’s so good to know we can still pull in an audience and why shouldn’t we? There are bands from the 60s who are still going, so why not if you’re doing something you love.

"I will still be ripping my skirt off when I'm 70!"

Cheryl, Mike and Jay are performing at the Wycombe Swan on May 17 with their Paradise Regained tour. Tickets are £20, available online at www.wycombeswan.co.uk or by calling the ticket office on 01494 512 000.