BBC's The Wheel gatecrashed by huge musical icon as Michael McIntyre's jaw drops

Robbie Williams made a surprise appearance through the studio floor during a jaw-dropping new episode of The Wheel - only to be greeted by his wife.

Arguably his most memorable hit was 1997 anthem Let Me Entertain You - and that was exactly what he did it when he was raised up from underneath the studio floor in the centre chair.

He greeted his wife Ayda Field, a special guest who'd been invited onto the show as an expert on all things Robbie.

Quite unnecessarily, Robbie had a nametag on his bright green shirt as he introduced himself as a 50-year-old from Stoke on Trent, posing as an ordinary conestant and making no mention of his surname.

Stunned host Michael McIntyre watched his grand entrance in astonishment, before admitting: "That's done something weird to my brain."

Robbie stretched his arms out wide, telling the audience: "I'm an Aquarius and I auditioned for a pop band and I got in and they were called Take That." Then he took a playful shot at Ayda for being a high maintenance catch, claiming he'd need to devote any prize money won to her.

"I need to figure out a way to pay for my wife's glam. To keep my wife in handbags, shoes and foundation," he joked. Continuing the banter, Robbie added that his wife had been brainstorming to make sure she was ready for being quizzed about her husband on the show.

However, she wasn't prepared to discover that Robbie himself might not be the one who'd help her brush up on her knowledge.

"She asked me a load of questions about me that I didn't know,," he quipped mischievously.

"I found out more about me in the last few days than I ever knew!"

Ayda joked back: "Robbie Williams doesn't actually know about Robbie Williams!" as the banter continued.

The hugely popular The Wheel has entered its fifth series, and will include celebrities such as Richard Madeley, Leigh Francis and Laura Whitmore in upcoming shows.

Robbie recently turned down a lucrative Las Vegas residency, according to reports, and has different plans for his career as he enters his sixth decade of life.

Organisers are said to be disappointed that he won't be following in the footsteps of other British big hitters who have tried their luck in Vegas, such as Adele and Rod Stewart.

They'd hoped that he'd follow in the footsteps of co-star Kylie Minogue, who'd performed at Voltaire before him - but he remains active on Instagram, where he regularly entertains a devoted audience of three million followers with his illustrations and thoughts about life.

One thing is certain - his reported Vegas refusal won't be the last audiences have heard from Robbie.