IN 1991, when the first Wiggles album was being recorded, Anthony Field phoned old Cockroaches band mate Jeff Fatt to ask him to help out with keyboards. Jeff, who was renovating his home at the time, replied casually: “Sure, but how long will it take?”

Nearly 20 years later, Jeff is still making music with The Wiggles, the Australian pre-school children’s entertainers with a global following.

The Wiggles’ 2010 show takes the form of a circus that features acrobats, gymnasts and dancers as well as Dorothy the Dinosaur, Henry the Octopus, Wags the Dog and Captain Feathersword.

As their latest tour heads for York for three shows in one day at the Grand Opera House on Thursday, Charles Hutchinson chews the Fatt with Jeff, on the line from Malaysia.

Where are you playing on the 2010 tour, Jeff?

“We started in Hong Kong, we’ve done Singapore, and we did a show in Kuala Lumpur, which seemed to go well. We’re in Malaysia now, and we’ll be heading off to Dubai before we go to the UK.

“It’s really interesting to go to new places. We do the shows in English – we’ve just started being broadcast in Malaysia – and though we get some ex-pats we also get local Singaporeans and Malaysians.”

Why do you think The Wiggles have proved to be so popular?

“I think it has to do with where we’re coming from as performers. Three of The Wiggles were originally pre-school teachers and I was the only one who wasn’t, although the style of music I was playing wasn’t that different from The Wiggles, which is very pop orientated.

“Children can be very egocentric, which means that if you do everything at their level, it will work.”

Did you ever imagine The Wiggles would still be going so strong?

“All we ever though we’d be doing was putting out an album of children’s music and nothing more than that.

“Little did we know when Anthony asked me to come and play keyboards… I treated it as a throwaway thing. ‘How long will it take,’ I asked. ‘Two hours,’ he said – and two decades later I’m still doing it.”

What is the key ingredient of the live show?

“Interaction is pretty much our bread and butter, and we do love the instant reaction and the spontaneity, especially if the audience come dressed as Wiggles.”

How did The Wiggles settle on wearing skivvies?

“Originally we wore these garish, multi-coloured shirts, which really missed the mark with pre-school children. But then for the second album we donned single primary colours which, even before the children know your name, they can distinguish you by your particular colour.”

Why did you pick purple?

“That used to be my favourite colour, but my wardrobe now consists of lots of blues and blacks – which is probably something to do with my age!”

How do you keep fit for as many as three shows a day?

“I have a natural inclination to do a lot of physical things. I bike-ride, not as a sport, but I like to cruise down to the stores; and I take my British-made bike on tour with me.

“The shows are very physical of course, averaging two a day, sometimes three… and the parents tend to be as boisterous, as well as the children, so it can get really loud.”

Do audiences differ in their noise levels from country to country?

“The loudest are the Americans. We love the big cheer that goes up there when we enter the stage; it’s a real spine-tingling moment.”

What does the 2010 live show involve?

“It’s the Wiggly Circus; we’re taking a bit of a swerve in our direction with me and Anthony doing some acrobatics and gymnastics. To see a Wiggle doing that is great fun for the children.

“We have qualified gymnasts with us in the show so it’s really interesting for us and keeps us in trim – and in the true tradition of circus, you never know what will happen next. Sometimes the gymnastics don’t go to plan.”

What is the latest innovation in the world of Wiggles?

“Probably the biggest thing is the Sony PlayStation Singstar; it’s an interactive game that we’ve adapted for pre-schoolers, basically karaoke for kids that judges you on pitch, rhythm and melody.”

Have you had a go?

“No, I haven’t played it yet as it’s only just come out. Sounds fun, though.”

• The Wiggles Live In Concert, Grand Opera House, York, Thursday, 11am, 2pm and extra show at 4.30pm. Tickets update: still available for all performances on 0844 847 2322 or grandoperahouseyork.org.uk