We can exclusively reveal that Kirsty MacColl's 1981 hit "There's A Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" was written following a London encounter with Elvis Presley. The late Ms MacColl discovered Presley working behind the counter of a suburban fish and chip shop some two years after the King's apparent death.

Following up a tip-off from a reader, we tracked the King down to a two-bedroom maisonnette in a Croydon sidestreet.

Elvis was reluctant to be interviewed, but did spend a couple of minutes talking to our reporter. He confirmed that he had been in England since September 1977 and had worked at the Gracelands Fryer until his recent retirement. Now 73, Elvis barely resembled the global superstar as he opened the door in an old cardigan and slippers.

"Well, I'm kinda shook up that you've found me" he said, "I've heard the fuss about sightings of me but didn't think that anyone would actually believe them", he said.

"It's hard to keep a low profile when you've been this famous, but they've all rallied round me at Gracelands".

Despite recent stories alleging a meeting with Tommy Steele in London in 1958, we were able to confirm a rather different version of events:

"I did meet Tommy Steele in London, but it was '76. I had always wanted to try some genuine English fish and chips; Tommy found the Gracelands Flyer in the phone book for me. We popped in to give it a try and the batter was so good, it turned out to be a life-changing experience for me", said Elvis.

"Tommy and I came up with a plot to fake my 'death', so that I could live my dream. We thought it had worked until now. Kirsty MacColl was the only other person to find out. The Gracelands Fryer wasn't that popular, to be honest".

No-one from the Gracelands Fryer was available for comment, but a sign outside the premises did warn that no more than two school children were allowed in at once.