Phil Collins, known best for his role as the lead singer and drummer in Genesis, appears to have dramatically announced his retirement from the music industry.

In an interview with The Times newspaper, Collins said he had no plans to tour again and that any future writing was unlikely to become an album.

Unusually, the former Genesis star chose to make his announcement by reciting the lines of a famous Basil Fawlty sketch.

“Zoom! What was that?” Collins said. “That was your life, mate. Do I get another? No, sorry that was your lot.”

Collins’ bombshell comes at the end of an interview which sees him candidly talk about his career, including his 2001 ‘Urban Renewal’ album, which was a compilation of famous hip-hop hits.

“'Urban Renewal' was sweet because I’ve been – unfairly, I would say – plonked in the middle of the road because of a handful of songs,” Collins said.

“It came at a good time for me, because you do take a bit of a browbeating and, as you get older, you become better at accepting it and realising why it happens.”

Collins was also asked if he minded being most-known for one song, his famous ‘In The Air Tonight’, which was used recently in an advert for a chocolate company.

“Do I mind? Well, if you’re ever remembered at all, it’s only usually for one or two things. With me, it’ll be: ‘He faxed his wife a divorce’, which is actually bollocks, but that’ll be on top of the headstone.

“And then, further down, you’ll have ‘Da-dum, da-dum’ . . .”

You can watch the infamous advert HERE.

(by Jason Gregory)