Says Scott as he slurps from a bottle of Coke. Here we go again. Brace yourselves for yet another story about how 5ive are majorly overworked and therefore The Stoppiest Band In Pop. ‘ Yeah, I had a “sem on” all day, for no reason at all,’ he casually continues.

Eh? It takes a second to sink in that the spikey-haried 18-year-old is actually talking about his *willy*. ‘ But it was okay, coz although we were recording Fully Booked, I had a long top on, so nobody could see the bulge.

Oh, that’s alright then (cough). So what was prompting his trouser-stirrings? Is it the show’s lad icon Gail Porter? Apparently not.

Lads get them anytime,’ he confides. ‘ When you’re least expecting it, You’re like, “Oh dear, I’m standing to attention,” and it’s for no reason at all.’

Standing to attention? Where's this conversation going?
'I think about sex alot. Any boy who says he doesn't is a liar. I reckon i have dirty thoughts around every three minutes.'

Nice image. So how do you make the trouser-tent vanish?
' I think horrible thoughts,' he laughs. 'Well, not horrible, but about something that wont turn me on. Like, "Mum, mum, mum." But sometimes, if it hasn't properly gone, it'll pop up again and i'm like, "Oh no. NO!"

Moving on, Let's go back to Five's amazing rise to success over the past year. They cracked the States, something that took the Backstreet Boys years. But their gruelling schedule and the pressure, combined with a severe lack of rest took their toll.

'If you'd interviewed me a month ago, I wouldn't have been very nice,' Scott admits, 'We're not horrible people, we were just having a hard time. We were all over-tired and needed a break.'
In fact Bliss's last photo shoot with Five (see September '98), Scott broke down and sobbed on Rich's shoulder when the boys were asked to pose for yet another photo. The shoot was swiftly terminated. It seems the band worked so hard that even their personal dreams of celeb- dom were shattered.

'You find out how much make-up everyone wears, 'cause they're so tired- its like that with us. We had loads under our eyes, so we looked fresh.'

While the make-up was trowelled on, critics speclulated on how long a fed-up Five could last. Now, Scott says, Five were starting to wonder that too.

'The start of August was my lowest point,' He sighs. ' We went from promoting in America, to Austrailia, then straight back to London to film the video for Everybody Get Up. We had one day off, to sleep, then we left for Austrailia for a week then onto Japan for another week, working all the time. After that we were supposed to go to Taiwan, but we really couldnt face it.'

After months of of being told what to do every minute of the day, there was a rebellion in the Five ranks. The boys couldn't stand their hectic schedule anymore. Scott continues:

'We actually turned round to our management and record company and said, "We're not asking you if we can cancel, we're telling you, We're not going to Taiwan." That was it, we'd really had enough.'

Talking to Scott now - backstage at the first ever SMTV show - you wouldn't believe he could ever look rough. After ten days in the sun he's looking the best we've ever seen him. Tanned, Smiling and ready for action.

'It's weird that people rate me as being a good-looking lad,' he smiles. 'I don't get it, cause i'm just normal. I don't class myself as a popstar. And if you asked, people would tell you i haven't dropped any of my mates. I know they're my real friends and they'll come up to me and give me a cuddle, even the lads,'

For every good friend, though, there's a heap of pretenders regularly arriving on Scotts folks' doorstep in Pitsea, Essex, where he's lived all his life.

'I get lads knocking on my door with their girlfriends to take pictures, and i think "Your not my mate - your just boasting about me, like, 'Scott's one of my best friends." Then i get the lad that hasn't phoned me in a year, but acts like he's my mate. I've got no time for people like that It's sad. Then you get that ex-girlfriend thing:"Oh, I'm sorry I dumped you," and I just say, "Oh I bet your really sorry now."

Two Hours later we're lounging around in a plush photo studio, post SMTV and post pizza prob (we had to re-order when Scott explained he wouldn't eat anything other then a cheese and tomato puree one. He hates real tomatos). And Scott's moved on from Ex-Girlfriends to current ones. Or lack of them.

'I wish I was seeing someone,' he says getting up to rifle through the selection of posh togs he's got to choose from today, 'But i'm not - although a lot of people think I am. I'll walk down the street with my sister and they'll think she's my girlfriend. Or i'll be walking along with one of my best girl mates and i can hear people calling her a slag cause they think i'm going out with her, I hate that.'

Hmm, so Scott wouldn't be telling any popstar porky-pies then, and have a love-goddess secretly stashed away at home?
'No way,' he says laughing. 'I might be a popstar, but i'm allowed to have a girlfriend so i wouldn't need to lie. Its not down to our management, like it was with Take That. Mark Owen had a girlfriend the whole time he was in the band, and wasn't allowed to tell anyone.'

Theres a pause as he checks out some seriously cool jeans for the shoot, and he adds a cheeky afterthought. 'So, at the moment i haven't got one. But even if i did have, i wouldnt tell you anyway,' Oh cheers.

Even if there isn't a future Mrs. Robinson in tow at the moment, surely Scott isn't a complete girl exclusion zone?
'Are you mad?' He splutters, flashing the pearly whites he's been keen to keep hidden just 'cause one of his front teeth is a little bit crooked. 'Of course i'm not. If i hadn't even touched a girl during the last year, people would start worrying about me, wouldn't they? But its a very personal thing and I really don't like talking about things like that. Obviously a few things have come my way in the last year, but i'm not going to give anything away.'

What, not even a hint at how many fair maidons he's snogged since joining Five?
'Absolutly not, no!' Scott denies any liasons with fans. 'Sorry, that just doesn't appeal to me. Can you imagine if I kissed a girl and ended up in her bedroom and my face was plastered all over her wall? And what if my poster wasn't on the wall and thought, "Wicked she's not a fan" and then I laid down on her bed and she asked if she could put some music on and she turned the light off just as When The Lights Go Out started on her sterio? I'd be like, "Go away get out of here!'

I point out the fact that as he says these words, across the nation, thousands of fans are breaking down in tears at the thought of never nabbing their number one Five. As if assesing the tragic consequences and the unamused response from his record company, he adds

'But girls out there don't need to worry. If someone sees me for me and not being a member of Five, I'll recognise that. If they genuinly like me, they've gotta chance. Just gimme a smile.'

Would you sleep with someone on a first date?
'I'm not going to definately say no,'cause it could happen. But i haven't yet, so i don't think i would.'

How would you rate yourself in bed?
'I'll leave that to the girls to decide. But its easy to tell if she enjoyed it. And ive always satisfied my girlfriends, so i've never had to be worried.'

How important is sex in a relationship?
'I think the most important thing is trust. I love to have a kiss and a cuddle and to lie with someone rather than having sex.'

Do you get a lot of sex?
'No, i'm not shagging all the time. In fact, it's very rare. Too rare for my liking.'