Mark Knopfler has spoken about the chances of ever performing as part of Dire Straits again. The musician, who formed the band with brother David and friends John Illsley and Pick Withers in 1977, said it was unlikely he would play as part of the group again.

Knopfler said the group eventually became too big and lost its feeling of intimacy. Dire Straits, which has been through a number of changes to the line-up over the years, enjoyed global success with hits such as Brothers In Arms, Romeo And Juliet, and Sultans of Swing before disbanding in 1995.

Knopfler still works closely with band member Guy Fletcher, with whom he recently collaborated on a charity single for Teenage Cancer Trust, but said it is unlikely they will perform together again as Dire Straits.

He told BBC Breakfast: “I don’t think so for a number of reasons, one of them being that I’ve built my own studio, which I really love and and I haven’t had a bad day in there. And it’s given me the chance to really push. I mean, this last album, I have done far too many songs…”

He added of a reunion: “I don’t think so. I love Dire Straits and I loved doing all that but what I wanted to do was just to expand and work with different players and have a bigger line-up.

“The last time I had the band in, and that’s the high point for me, I would probably have had about six or seven guys. Bigger than the little four-piece that was stripped down when we had it, and that was great, I loved it.