Phil Collins second Brand X album, "Moroccan Roll". In December 1978, Genesis went on hiatus while Collins went to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to focus on his family; his marriage had become strained after his extensive touring. Having failed to save the relationship, Collins returned to the UK in April 1979, by which time Banks and Rutherford were recording their solo albums. With time to spare before recording a new Genesis album, Collins played on the Brand X album "Product" and its accompanying tour, played on John Martyn's album "Grace and Danger", and started writing his first solo album, "Face Value", at
Phil Collins in an episode of the series "Miami Vice", entitled "Phil the Shill", in which he plays a cheating con-man. In the 1980s he appeared in several comedy sketches with "The Two Ronnies" on BBC One. In 2001, Collins was one of several celebrities who were tricked into appearing in a controversial British comedy series, "Brass Eye", shown on public service broadcaster Channel 4. In the episode, Collins endorsed a hoax anti-paedophile campaign wearing a T-shirt with the words "Nonce Sense" and warned children against speaking to suspicious people. Collins was reported by the BBC to have consulted lawyers regarding the