The Wiggles are set to fill some of Australia’s biggest arenas as a remarkable revival propels the children’s entertainers to new heights of popularity.

The group will launch its new Sparkle! BIG SHOW tour in Sydney in October before travelling across the country for performances scheduled through December.

The nationwide tour follows an exceptional year for the band, which has continued performing overseas and attracting new fans more than 30 years after doubts were raised about whether its 1991 debut album would succeed.

Blue Wiggle Anthony Field, the only original member still performing with the group, has discussed how The Wiggles overcame early scepticism, broke into the US market and continued after three founding members left.

Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, Field also revisited the decision to grow The Wiggles’ lineup to eight performers in 2021, a move criticised at the time by Senator Matt Canavan.

Field remembered one woman warning the group: “You’ll be lucky to sell 300 copies of that, at most.”

Contrary to those predictions, the debut album sold 100,000 copies through word of mouth, despite receiving almost no radio or television promotion.

Today, The Wiggles have 10 million YouTube subscribers and recently entertained 40,000 people over five days in New Zealand.

Those numbers underline the extraordinary transformation of a group once considered unlikely to achieve major commercial success.

The Wiggles began in 1991 when Field, then studying early childhood education at Macquarie University while performing with rock band The Cockroaches, joined fellow students Murray Cook, Greg Page and Jeff Fatt.

After trying out their songs at a Randwick childcare centre, the new group approached the ABC about producing an album.

Their breakthrough came when the Disney Channel started showing their performances four times a day in the United States.

Field recalled the moment a customs officer recognised him as the group arrived in America. He then turned to Murray Cook and said: “Things have changed, mate.”

The Wiggles went on to play 13 consecutive sold-out performances at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Even after achieving international success, the original members avoided financial conflict by agreeing to divide their earnings equally, regardless of which member wrote a particular song.

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Field said that agreement helped preserve their friendship and prevented the internal battles that have damaged other high-profile bands.

The group reached its most significant crossroads in 2012, when the other three original members chose to retire.

Field admitted he was surprised by their decision but was determined to continue performing.

He recalled telling his bandmates: ‘Boys, I really just love this. This is what I do. I don’t know what else I’m going to do if I don’t do this. So I’ll keep going if you’re happy with that?’

The transition was initially difficult, with audiences falling to around a quarter of their previous size before gradually rebuilding.

The next major change came in 2021, when Field expanded the group to eight performers, with four men and four women representing a broader range of backgrounds.

The decision attracted criticism from Senator Matt Canavan, who declared: ‘It was nice while it lasted. But you go woke, you go broke.’

However, Field said the expanded group had helped rejuvenate the band, with its popularity continuing to grow.

‘Look, it’s bigger than it ever was. Again, we have to represent our audience. And it really is bigger than ever now,’ he said.

‘We’ve got 10 million subscribers now on YouTube. We’ve just done 40,000 people in five days in New Zealand and had the most amazing time.’

The current line-up includes Ethiopian-Australian Tsehay Hawkins, Italian-Australian Caterina Mete, Greek-Australian Lucia Field, who is Anthony’s daughter, and Filipino-Australian Johnny Pearce.

The group has continued to attract major musical collaborators, recording three songs with late country music legend Dolly Parton and working with Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman John Fogerty.

Field said the collaborations had reinforced his belief that the group’s music should be taken seriously, regardless of its young audience.

‘What we did wasn’t kids’ music. It was music. I could never regret any part of playing what we do. I love it,’ he said.

The Wiggles’ latest tour will bring together performers from different generations, with Anthony and Lucia among the eight members taking to the stage for Sparkle! BIG SHOW.

Despite being the last original member still performing, Field said he had no regrets about dedicating his career to The Wiggles.

However, he admitted he was uncomfortable discussing his own achievements and had been nervous about the interview, adding that he was ‘proud’ to engage with thousands of children through music.

The Conservatives intensified their attack on alleged racism within Reform UK on Saturday after Raheem Kassam, a close ally of Nigel Farage, referred to Tory leader Kemi Badenoch as a “Nigerian scammer”.

Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake accused Kassam, a long-time adviser to Farage, of directing “racist slurs” at the leader of the opposition.

In one post on X, Kassam wrote: “How are people still falling for this Nigerian scammer? Don’t give her your credit card number and bank account details!”

In separate posts, he asked: “So Kemi, tell us the truth. Are you a walking gaffe or an illegal immigrant?” He also repeatedly used Badenoch’s full name, Olukemi Olufunto Adegoke Badenoch.

The Conservatives have demanded that Farage “come clean” about Kassam’s exact position within Reform. Kassam has been closely associated with Farage for more than 10 years and previously served as his chief of staff when Farage led Ukip.

Kassam was present at Reform’s London headquarters as recently as last week, although the party insists he holds no formal role.

The remarks came as Reform faces accusations that it is pursuing an “ethno-nationalist” agenda. Some MPs have claimed that only white people can be considered truly English. Kassam once described himself as a “one-man human shield” for Farage and said he would take the politician to steam rooms to prevent him from sweating in public.

Badenoch has enjoyed a rise in support since using her speech at the Conservative Party conference this month to condemn Reform MPs who have repeated the claim that whiteness defines English identity.

The dispute follows a difficult week for Reform, which faced renewed scrutiny over its candidate-vetting procedures after an undercover ITV investigation found several councillors and candidates expressing racist views and using offensive language. A Reform spokesman said: “There is no room for racism in Reform UK.”

Hollinrake told The Mail on Sunday: “It’s time for Mr Farage to come clean about precisely what role Raheem Kassam has within Reform. Does he have a paid position?

“Is he acting as an informal adviser? What influence does he have over Reform’s communications and broader political strategy?

“Reform says there is no room for racism in the party. How does that square with Mr Kassam apparently maintaining close links to Mr Farage while simultaneously directing racist slurs at the Leader of the Opposition?”

Kassam rejected the accusation and accused Hollinrake of using “woke, Leftist terms”. He said: “I’m Indian, but I don’t think it is racist to call me Indian. Kemi is a compulsive liar. She is, without doubt, a scammer.”

A friend of Kassam also claimed that a group of Conservative MPs had recently visited the restaurant he runs in Washington DC and asked him to work with them.

The friend said: “He has only been over from Washington for a few weeks and the Tories are already panicking, which is sort of flattering. But he has no intention of staying in London long term.”

A Reform insider said: “Raheem has worked with people on the political Right on and off for more than a decade, including the Conservative Party.

“Tory MPs dined at his Washington restaurant last year and asked him to return and work with them. They’re obviously attacking him now because he refused.”

A Tory source strenuously denied the claim.

Mr Kassam has sent a flurry of messages in recent weeks on X, including one containing footage of Mrs Badenoch speaking at her father’s memorial in 2022.

He wrote: ‘When Kemi Badenoch speaks to other Nigerians, she turns off her fake English accent.

‘She also tells them that she loves Nigeria just as much as England. And what’s all this about saying Islamic prayers in Nigeria? She is running to be PM while stating equal allegiance to another country??? How are people still falling for this Nigerian scammer? Don’t give her your credit card number and bank account details!’

Earlier this month, he criticised the version of the Bayeux Tapestry the Tories mocked up for their party conference, spoofing Labour figures such as Andy Burnham, John Healey and Sir Keir Starmer.

Mr Kassam complained that their version of the embroidery, originally depicting events from 1064 onwards, ‘includes their Nigerian leader, Olukemi Badenoch. This is Netflix-tier bad’.

Mrs Badenoch’s approval ratings shot up when voters were shown clips of her saying she didn’t want to live in a nation run by people who ‘debate whether my mixed-race children are English’ – including a leap from 40 per cent to 57 per cent among Reform voters.

Mr Farage has warned his colleagues to stop drawing lines around Englishness, ‘exchanging words’ with Suella Braverman after she suggested she could not be considered English because her parents were born abroad.

An architect wanted by police after failing to appear in court has lost a high-profile judging role at an international architecture competition following an alleged drunken attack on a Virgin Atlantic flight attendant and accusations of racism.

Simone de Gale, 44, came under scrutiny last week after missing a court hearing over charges linked to her behaviour on a February 5 flight from Dubai to London Heathrow, including assault by beating.

Ealing Magistrates’ Court heard that de Gale allegedly attacked stewardess Sarah Jane Buckland, accused her of racism and shouted: ‘I’m an architect and you’re just a f***ing air hostess’ after being asked not to disturb a sleeping baby.

The incident reportedly began when the architect was politely told not to walk along an aisle where passengers—including a family travelling with their nine-month-old child—were asleep.

Described as ‘really aggressive’, de Gale allegedly swore repeatedly at members of staff, telling one: ‘You’re a f***ing dumb air hostess. You need to learn your place.’ She was also accused of jabbing Ms Buckland near the collarbone and grabbing her cardigan.

De Gale said she was stranded in Dubai and did not attend the latest hearing. She was subsequently convicted in her absence of assault by beating and being drunk on an aircraft.

She was also found guilty of behaving in a threatening, abusive, insulting or disorderly way towards a crew member, as well as using words or behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.

The Daily Mail can now reveal that de Gale has been removed from her role as a judge at this year’s World Architecture Festival.

The prestigious awards ceremony, taking place in Florida this year, draws leading names from across the global architecture industry. De Gale had previously been featured on the event’s website.

Her profile was removed following Thursday’s hearing at Ealing Magistrates’ Court.

A spokesman told the Daily Mail: ‘The organisers have requested that Simone de Gale step down from the judging panel this year.’

The Daily Mail contacted de Gale this week but received no response. The email address published on her website also appears to be unavailable.

De Gale runs her own architectural practice, which she founded in 2009 after receiving support through a bursary from The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust.

In 2015, she met the Prince of Wales at an event organised for the trust, where she appeared alongside Stephen Lawrence’s mother, Baroness Doreen Lawrence.

According to biographies and professional profiles, de Gale has received several industry honours, including Architect of the Year at the Women in Construction Awards in 2017.

Her LinkedIn page says her work has included contributing to London Underground infrastructure for the Westfield shopping centre in White City in 2005 and designing staff facilities for Gazprom, the Russian state-owned energy company, in 2006.

She also worked as an architecture writer for the Huffington Post from 2016 to 2019, a period during which she appears to have published six articles.

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De Gale was also appointed as a board adviser at The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust and became Head of Planning at The Belgravia Society in June 2024.

The organisation, based in one of London’s wealthiest neighbourhoods, says it is a charity set up ‘to create a civic society in Belgravia with an holistic approach to the community’.

De Gale is still listed as a committee member on the charity’s website.

She has also previously fronted a government message under the Conservatives in 2021, appearing on posters for the Department for International Trade’s Made in the UK, sold to the world campaign.

At court on Thursday, it was heard de Gale’s personal assistant contacted officials to say she had been stranded in Dubai since September 8 and was due to return to the UK this weekend.

Prosecutor Sinan Ors told the court how de Gale became verbally abusive and threatening towards members of the cabin crew, before physically assaulting stewardess Ms Buckland.

Giving evidence, Ms Buckland described how the incident began when de Gale – who has previously been pictured meeting both King Charles and the Princess of Wales – attempted to cross an aisle near a sleeping family.

Ms Buckland told the court ‘I said to her: ‘Would you mind not crossing at the cross aisle?’

‘I say it every flight, and she came straight across and started shouting at me: “You’re a f***ing dumb air hostess. You need to learn your place”.

‘She called me racist. “You’ve only said this to me because you’re racist”.

‘It was just a barrage of those words.’

Asked how de Gale had been speaking, she replied: ‘Really loudly, really aggressive. It happened so quickly.’

Ms Buckland said de Gale had demanded to see the captain, shoved a phone camera in people’s faces and made repeated references to her own profession.

‘She was pointing. “Get me the captain now. You’re only saying this to me because you’re racist, and I’m an architect and you’re just a f***ing air hostess”.’

Her account was backed up by passengers on board the flight, who told the court de Gale had repeatedly accused staff of racism, boasted of earning more money than them and claimed stewardesses were ‘only there to serve drinks and food’.

When arrested on arrival at Heathrow Airport, bodycam footage shows how she told officers ‘I don’t think that’s possible,’ before adding: ‘I recorded everything on a video.’