To celebrate his 75th birthday, legendary musician Phil Collins has sat down for a rare and candid world-exclusive interview with Zoe Ball. The conversation forms the centrepiece of the TV special Phil Collins: Eras – In Conversation, scheduled to air on BBC Two and iPlayer on 31 January 2026.
The special serves as the finale to the five-part podcast series, Eras: Phil Collins, which arrives on BBC Sounds at 6am on Monday 26 January, with a subsequent broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in the early hours of Sunday 1 February.
Personal Struggles and Recovery
In the remarkably open interview, Collins discusses the "convergence" of health issues that have challenged him in recent years, including kidney failure, multiple knee operations, and a battle with alcohol.
"I had everything that could go wrong with me," Collins admits, revealing he now requires a 24-hour live-in nurse. Reflecting on his period of heavy drinking after retiring from the road, he notes: "It all caught up with me and I spent months in hospital. But I wouldn’t have missed any of it for the world."
Future Music on the Horizon?
Despite his physical setbacks, Collins teased the possibility of a return to the studio. He revealed he has "half-formed" ideas and unreleased tracks he remains fond of. "The things that are ahead for me... is go in there and have a fiddle about and see if there’s more music," he says. "Maybe life in the old dog. You’ll see."
A Career in the Spotlight
The interview traces Collins’ journey from a young drummer auditioning for Genesis—recalling how a "security blanket" of drums made his eventual transition to frontman psychologically difficult—to his global solo superstardom. He also reflects on the pride of touring with his son, Nic Collins, who took over drumming duties for the band’s final tours.
The Eras series also features contributions from Robert Plant, Sir Bob Geldof, and Sir Richard Branson, providing a definitive look at the man who helped define the sound of British pop and rock for over sixty years.
Photo credit: Will Ireland courtesy of Concord Music
