Joe Strummer: Has worked as a solo artist

Although the band enjoyed huge success in the UK and US, their fortunes began to fade when Headon was sacked in 1982 because of his drug problems.

Mick Jones was sacked the following year, and Strummer and Simonon continued with replacements.

But they found their 1985 album Cut The Crap was a commercial and critical disaster.

After leaving the band, Mick Jones formed Big Audio Dynamite, while Strummer has been a solo artist and filled in as singer with The Pogues.

The Clash finally made number one in 1991 when Should I Stay Or Should I Go? was used in a jeans commercial. But the band members resisted the temptation of a lucrative reunion.

Now the group are releasing an album of live tracks, From Here To Eternity, which is made up of live recordings personally selected by Strummer, Jones and Simonon.

But they are determined the band will not reform.

"Whatever a group is, it's the chemical mixture of those four people that makes a group work, and you can take one away and replace them with whoever you like and it's never going to work," said Strummer.

Westway To The World will be shown on BBC Two at 2130 BST on Saturday 2 October.