The wonderful Muppets are coming to Greenwich, taking over The O2 for two days next month with their first ever live shows in the UK.

They will be performing on Friday, July 13 and Saturday, July 14, for two evenings and a matinee. Tickets for The Muppets Take The O2 are on sale now

Ahead of this, we caught up with the legend that is Kermit the Frog for a chat.

What’s tempted you to play the Muppets’ first ever live shows in the UK now?

The Thames. What can I say: I’m a frog, I love water.

But it was also a chance to come home to England, where we made the original Muppet Show, and give the audience a chance to see us live on stage.

Y’know, back in the day, lots of folks asked if they could sit in the audience for The Muppet Show. But it was a small theatre, and we couldn’t fit everyone in. Well, now that we’re doing The Muppets Take The O2, you can finally be there in the audience for all the music, mayhem and unspeakable nonsense we can muster.

What can fans expect from your shows at The O2?

Boomerang fish. Singing chickens. Dancing penguins. And, of course, lots of great musical numbers, all-new live versions of classic sketches like ‘Pigs In Space’ and ‘Muppet Labs’, plus surprise guest stars and a performance from Miss Piggy that has to be seen to be believed. I’ve seen it and I still don’t believe it.

News Shopper: Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog are seen at The O2 ahead of their live shows. Photo by Antony Jones/Getty Images for AEG - The O2

Can you tell us anything about your ‘special guests’ for the shows? Are there any London celebs you’re looking to get involved or perform with – a Kermit and Stormzy double act or Piggy and Adele duet?

Yes, I can tell you that there will be London celebs and famous faces, along with their bodies, joining us on stage. But it wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you more than that.

I love your idea about me and Stormzy working together, and a Piggy and Adele duet. Have you ever considered giving up this interview business and becoming a Hollywood agent?

What have been the highlights and issues with putting together such large-scale live shows?

The highlight was getting everyone together in one place to put on a show. The issue was keeping everyone together to actually do the show. As a rule, each of the Muppets tend to march to their own drummer…and when that drummer is Animal, you never know where they’re going to march off to.

News Shopper: Kermit the Frog talks about the Muppets' shows at The O2

What do you do to stay in peak condition for gruelling schedules and live performances?

Personally, I like to play football….English football, not the American kind. There’s nothing better for staying in shape than running around the pitch. The only difficulty is that, being green, I’m often mistaken for turf. I hate it when the groundskeeper tries to plant me back in the soil.

What’s the best thing about being in London going to be?

We all look forward to different things. For me, it’s the weather. This city really has great weather….if you’re a frog.

For Miss Piggy, visiting the Royal Family, whether they’re expecting her or not. For Gonzo, it’s bog-snorkelling.

But the best part of all is the people. Everyone is so friendly and kind and forgiving of the last time we came to visit.

What’s your favourite memory of London from any of your previous visits?

We were presented to Her Majesty following a Royal Command Performance. There is no experience like that anywhere else, and we were honoured and thrilled. And Miss Piggy is still trying to straighten out form her curtsey.

How does being in the UK differ from your home in the States?

Because you drive on the other side of the street. When I cross the street, I have to remember to look the other way. That may not seem important to you, but when you’re a frog, getting across the road is a very big and difficult deal.

News Shopper: Kermit the Frog talks about the Muppets' shows at The O2

What’s the biggest challenge with travelling the world in such a large group as the Muppets?

Getting through customs. You’d be surprised how many customs officials have never seen a boomerang fish before. And trying to explain that it’s part of the show only makes matters worse.

We were obviously very sad to hear about the break-up of you and Miss Piggy. Not wishing to pry too much (we’re actually very nosey), do you have a current love interest you’re able to tell us about? If not, perhaps you might like to meet a lovely lady in London when you visit?

Thank you for being so polite, though nosey, about this. Miss Piggy and I have gone our separate ways romantically, but we’re still good friends and love to work together. She’s currently seeing a lot of other men, and from what I understand her dating calendar is booked through 2019.

As for me, I’ve been too busy getting this show together to spend much time dating. But if any lovely London lady is interested in interspecies dating with a short green frog, I’m available.

Our royal family is becoming more Hollywood with Meghan Markle joining, so perhaps a frog is the next logical step and you could woo one of our princesses? You will be performing in a royal borough after all …

I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Over the years, I’ve been kissed by a quite a few women who were disappointed that I didn’t turn into a prince. I’d hate to disappoint the Royal Family, too.

News Shopper: The Muppets will be bringing their madness to The O2 in July

Speaking of the royal borough, will you be spending any time in Greenwich outside of The O2 when you’re here? What local sights are you looking forward to seeing? Are you hoping to mix with the locals while you’re here?

We can’t wait to spend time seeing Greenwich. In fact, we’re already planning to do that ‘Climb Over The O2” urban mountaineering challenge. I just hope we can get down, or we may have to do our show on the O2 instead of in the O2.

And, of course, we’ll be going to see the Old Royal Naval College. Gonzo is fascinated with old royal navels, but I think that’s something else, isn’t it?

And Miss Piggy has plans to go to the Greenwich Meridian Line and declare herself the greatest of all time.

But mostly, we’re looking forward to wending our way through the borough meeting people, making friends and trying to find our way back to The 02.

Forty years after you first hit the big time, what do you think is the secret of the Muppets’ enduring popularity?

In all those years, one thing hasn’t changed - people still love to laugh. They want to believe that in a world filled with all kinds of craziness, there’s still room for our kind of foolishness.

The Muppets’ dream is about singing, dancing and making people happy…and that a dream that gets better the more people you share it with.

News Shopper: The Muppets will be bringing their madness to The O2 in July

Have the Muppets had to change in order to stay relevant to today’s audience or to appeal to a new generation of fans?

Well, as a frog, I usually work naked so I don’t have to change too often. Oh, wait, you meant something else, didn’t you? Sorry about that.

The truth is, the Muppets are part of the time we live in. We’re all over the internet. We’re all over the chat shows. And when Miss Piggy and I stopped dating, we even had our own scandal for the tabloids. If that’s not keeping up with the times, I don’t know what is.

But the truth is, every audience and generation wants to be entertained, surprised and inspired. Most of all they want to be ROFL That’s what The Muppets Take The O2 is all about: Come see us and I promise you’ll exit ROFL-ing.