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Jools Holland and Squeeze reveal their first performance together in over 30 years wasn't planned
"That was not the purpose of it."
BBC
- Lewis Knight
- , Molly Moss
Published: Monday, 18 May 2026 at 10:57 am
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Jools Holland has revealed that his reunion performance with Squeeze on Sunday’s Later… with Jools Holland wasn’t planned at all.
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The original band members came together for a special performance of their 1978 debut single Take Me I’m Yours on the BBC show on Sunday (17 May).
Speaking about how the performance happened very organically, Holland recently told Radio Times: "It wasn't actually planned as a reunion performance, and that was not the purpose of it."
Explaining further, he said that Take Me I’m Yours "is something that we all performed together when we very first started, when we were very, very first beginning", adding that "it's one of the great songs that they wrote, and that's the reason they were coming on the show".
He continued: "When they came on, I rang Chris and Glen and said, because people previously have tried to persuade us with sort of, you know, enormous sorts of offers and all sorts of things to get back together, but circumstances have never really allowed it to happen.
"And so I said to them 'would you fancy, you know, I don't want to sort of, I don't want to barge in, but on the other hand, it would be nice to do something, it would be great to do something if you're there and if you fancied it'.
"And they said they would, so that's how it came together."
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Asked whether the performance made them nostalgic, Squeeze guitarist and songwriter Chris Difford said: "We weren't actually on the same stage, we were about 15 feet apart, but it was nostalgic, and it was just the the ambience of the three of us being in the in the room together was really really lovely."
Holland formed Squeeze in 1974 alongside Chris and Glenn Tilbrook, before leaving in 1980. He returned in 1985 for a five-year period.
Back in March, the band released their sixteenth studio album, Trixies, which features a collection of stories set in a fictional night club of the same name and was written by Glenn and Chris when they first met in 1974.
Speaking about how they've found the reception to the album, Glenn said: "It's sort of like being being back from the dead, because the last time we released a record in 2017 it sort of came and went without notice, really, which sort of said something about where we were."
Chris Difford, Jools Holland and Glenn Tilbrook and others on Later with Jools Holland series 68. BBC
He added: "But I think this record has such a great story. I mean, you can't be better than songs you wrote 50 years ago being good, you know, and that's a fantastic story, and I think there's something about capturing the past that's incredibly nostalgic for everybody, because everyone can remember where they were, if they've been alive long enough."
Chris added: “We've just been in Europe, and the first half of the show is the whole of Trixies, and it goes down extremely well. You know, the audience really loved the concept of it, and it seems like a common theme now that people are doing that, like Lily Allen doing the whole of her album on stage, for instance, which was brave for her, but I think it completely, completely worked.
"I think people want something different now. They just don't want, don't just don't want these to turn out and play the hits, they want to be challenged, just like we do."
Elsewhere in the interview, the pair were asked how their sound might have changed over the years, to which Glenn responded: "I think the songs change sort of organically, if you like, and every now and then you take a look at them, and I think the thing about playing old songs is that you have to give them the respect that they deserve, and that means paying attention properly. I think you know Squeeze in the middle of our career, sort of fell asleep a little bit on that watch, and we don't do that now."
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Authors
Lewis KnightNews and Trends Editor
Lewis is the news and trends editor at Radio Times and leads our approach to news, reactive content, and serving audience demands and interests. An obsessive fan of television and film, Lewis is a Nicole Kidman fanatic with a side of passion for science-fiction, art-house cinema and the latest HBO drama. Lewis has a degree in Psychology and a Masters in Film Studies. After working in advertising, Lewis worked at The Mirror for three years in community management and SEO, showbiz, film and television reporting.
Molly MossTrends Writer
Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
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