The video for the single received its TV premiere on Red Nose Day

Famous for hits such as Letter From America, they have returned to the singles charts with a reworking of I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) for Comic Relief.

The re-recording, with comedians Peter Kay and Matt Lucas, is currently at number three, while the original track from 1988 stands at number 37.

Charlie Reid, who is older by 30 minutes, explains why the song was adopted for the charity fundraiser and how the Proclaimers' enduring success has far exceeded anything he expected.

It has been an exciting few days for you - not just with your chart success but because your beloved football team Hibernian lifted the CIS Insurance Cup.

The Proclaimers' favourite side Hibs beat Kilmarnock 5-1 on Sunday

It's been a very, very big week for us, and very emotional, with the record coming out and then the football. Hibs haven't won anything for 16 years so to get a trophy when you're a Hibs supporter is amazing.

We've a long history with the club. It's not a club you follow if you're a glory-hunter, put it that way, because you're consistently disappointed.

I took my kids along and Craig took his - to see their faces light up as the trophy was lifted was great.

How did the Comic Relief video come about?

Matt Lucas is a long-term Proclaimers aficionado, so he was already a friend. I think we bumped into Peter when we did Live8 at Murrayfield and maybe that's where he got the idea for doing the record.

With Peter, because of Phoenix Nights and all the things he's done before, he's filmed it in his head before he's filmed it physically.

It was so swift because he knew exactly what he wanted. We just turned up, sang a bit and went home, but it was very amusing to see all the different faces.

I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) has featured regularly in films and TV shows. Why has it remained so popular?

I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) was originally a number 11 hit in 1988

We've been out on the road consistently for the last six or seven years, and I would say the growth on that record has been phenomenal.

Even before this week, to me it was a much bigger song in the last few years than when it came out in 1988.

It's just one of those records that sticks around. It's really simple, with conventional instruments, and it works really well on the radio.

Have you ever tired of playing it live?

Never once, because usually you're playing the two, three, four songs that you're known for, and mixing them up with new songs. I've never found it a problem.

Did you ever lower your expectations of success in the years when you weren't in the charts?

We came into this to do what we wanted and to do it on our own terms, hopefully with some success. We've already vastly exceeded any success we thought we'd have.

Basically we're a band that plays live and puts records out. We don't expect to have huge hits, but we've had a lot more than we thought we would.

Do you ever see any of the other big Scottish bands of the late 80s, such as Deacon Blue or Hue and Cry?

Funnily enough with Hue and Cry, our bass player is the younger brother of Pat and Greg Kane, so there's a connection there anyway.

But every once in a while, we do bump into the guys from Texas or Deacon Blue.

What do you think of the musical about the Proclaimers which is about to be performed by the Dundee Repertory Theatre?

The duo's first hit album was in the charts for five months in 1987

It's very much endorsed by us. We've not seen any of the rehearsals yet but I think there are 20 or 21 Proclaimers songs in the show.

I think it's a play with our music in, rather than a Proclaimers musical as such, but it's set in Leith over the last 20 years and it involves a couple of families, I believe.

We're really desperate to go and see it when it comes out. I think ticket sales are going really well in Scotland in the four cities where it's playing, and I'm looking forward to it.

The Proclaimers' greatest hits album is released on 2 April.