With a past more colourful that Matt's molecular mouldings, the time has come to haul those Busted bandits in for a thorough going-over!

We suspect Charlie's too posh to be in a band. Shouln't you be hanging out with Prince William instead of bouncing about on stage?
Matt: Charlie knows more about rock music than anyone I've ever met so he deserves to be in a band. He is extremely posh, though. He says things like, 'Perishing' with a straight face! I don't even know what some of the words he uses mean! His brother plays rugby with Prince William and he knows who Charlie is - so he practically hangs out with royalty.
Charlie: (BLEEP) off I am too posh! Not at all! I don't know Prince William actually but Matt's right, my brother does and my parents have met him.

Matt Jay, does the phrase, 'If the wind changes, your face will stick like that!' mean anything?
Matt: Yeah, my mum used to say that to me all the time! When the band first started, I'd never really had my picture taken before so I was really nervous and just started acting like an idiot to calm myself down. I don't make those faces in the comfort of my own home! I don't do it as much now but still I think it's funny.

Examining video evidence, Simpson, chasing Miss McKenzie through a field in your Y-fronts ran a high risk of fall-out from your pants. How do you respond?
Charlie: Well, I actually had to wear a thong! It wasn't a proper thong, though, it was a flesh-coloured gym thing - a boy's thing to keep it all in! I was angry about having to do it at first, but then I thought, whatever, it's a video so go with the flow.

And then there's the matter of crushes on Miss McKenzie and Britney. Aren't you too old for that?
Charlie: No, not at all. You can have crushes right the way through university and beyond that level y'know! There's no age on it.
James: It's only been two years since I left school and that's when we wrote some of those songs.

We put it to you, Mr Jay, that you're addicted to dying you hair. Would that be correct?
Matt: Ha-ha! James started writing a song the other day about what would happen if I dyed my hair so much that my hair would fall out! I just get really bored of always looking the same. I don't know what colour I'll go for next. On an old Blink 182 video, Mark's got this really psychedelic purple hair so I'm thinking about having that done when I get bored. If my hair did all fall out, I don't know whether I'd shave it off - I might look like Phil Mitchell! Charlie: I think it could well fall out. That's OK though, I think we could use a bald popstar!

Can you tell us how genuine the bands punky image is?
James: It's a lot more real than people think. When we turn up for photo shoots we look like the scruffiest pile of poo. We only scrub up if we've had make-up artists around us.
Matt: My image is definitely genuine. We're a pop band who take a big influence from the whole American punk thing. Blink 182 are my favourite band in the world and I love New Found Glory, too. Would I like Busted to sound more hardcore? I'm enjoying it at the moment, I'd never say never cos every band has to grow in some way. We're not gonna move too fast; we're not going to become Slipknot overnight!

Does the fact you're not manufactured make you feel superior over other pop acts?
Charlie: I don't know if we're better. I think we're more real though - that's my opinion. I give total respect to band that are manufactured and are good though, like *NSYNC, Justin and JC have amazing voices.
James: I think we do something different and are a lot more real than most pop bands cos what we write about is ourselves.

But with a real rock band we'd expect live performances - and you sometimes mime!
James: We often don't have the opportunity. A lot of times we'll turn up for a TV show and have to be in and out within an hour - so, you either go on a television show and promote your single or you go home. We've never had any lessons in miming - that's why we're rubbish at it!
Charlie: When we appear on programmes like the Saturday Show they're not equipped for bands to perform live anyway, no bands ever do.

James, tell us about Charlie and Matt. Do they hog the limelight?
James: Not really - it's not about being in the limelight. When I joined the band, I wasn't thinking that I wanted to be in the front. The kick I get out of being in Busted is not about how many magazines we get in; it's how good the songs are.

So.. girls. Was your Britney song just a ploy to meet her?
Charlie: It didn't work though, did it?!
Matt: I've gone off Britney recently - she's not in my A-list anymore. Elizabeth Hurley will always be in my A-list, and Jennifer Lopez is beautiful! We've no songs in the pipeline dedicated to them though - it's time to move on!

Matt, could there be something going on with you and a certain Kym Marsh?
Matt: I once said she was an attractive girl. But I'm really good friends with Jack! Jack's a geezer, he's such a top lad. I was once asked if she was fit and I said yes, cos she is very fit, no lying about it. But also, she's married..

And please tell us how it feels to be a toyboy?
Matt: I'm just having fun - y'know. There's a bit of an age gap.. sorry, it's private stuff.

Is there anything you'd like to apologise for, boys?
Matt: I'd like to apologise to Nicola Girls Aloud - I called her a 'rude (BLEEP)ing (BLEEP)', but the press took it out of proportion, it's true that I said it, but I got carried away - she's probably just shy! I was a bit harsh and judged her too quickly.

So how do you plead to the above charges of crimes against pop?
Matt: Crimes against pop? Pop has no rules so I plead not guilty!
James: In our defence, we write our own songs and just want people to like them.
Charlie: I plead not guilty! As for the posh thing, I just speak properly, I speak the Queen's English!

Busted, we hereby sentence you to 653 hours of community service, to be spent instructing hard-of-hearing OAPs on how to do the dance to The Fast Food Song while wearing pensioner Herbert's, Alfred's and Seymour's mouldy dentures!