Webber makes 'Itsy Bitsy' confession

Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber has broken an 18-year silence by confessing that he produced Timmy Mallett's 1990 hit 'Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini' as a bet with his wife.

The theatre impresario said he updated Brian Hyland's 1960s song and brought Mallett on board to ensure the tune's chart-topping spot.

The 60-year-old told The Sun: "[Madeleine] bet that me, a 'pompous' composer, could never produce a pop hit for the summer. It was a ridiculous idea, I had to keep Madeleine quiet."

Yesterday, teacher Everton Barnes claimed he sang most of the vocals on the hit as Mallett couldn't reach the top notes. The 45-year-old deputy head from Luton said he decided to speak out after hearing the former Wacaday presenter singing the song in the jungle on I'm A Celebrity.... "I feel it's a great shame Timmy is going around singing the song when he knows it's not his voice on it," he said.

Oblivious in the jungle, Mallett and his fellow contestant David Van Day have started planning a pop comeback with a song inspired by the experience entitled 'Biff Baff Boff'.