Matt Dillon says Shane MacGowan was so drunk while filming the video for cult Christmas classic hit, 'Fairytale of New York,' that he had to hold on to him to stop him from falling over.

The Hollywood actor played a cameo role of a policeman in the video, and revealed MacGowan was so intoxicated as they filmed a scene in a New York police station, he had to stop him from falling by holding him up.

Dillon said: ''There was a pile of drinking going on. That's The Pogues - drinking.

''Even if I'd wanted to catch up, I couldn't because they were so out there.

''Shane was pretty liquored-up, so when I was holding his arm, he could have gone down the stairs.''

MacGowan who turned 55 today on Christmas Day (December 25), admitted the policemen were not impressed at his drunkenness while filming the video in their station in 1987.

He said: ''We nearly all got arrested because we did the jail scenes in the nick and we were all really p****d.''

The alternative Christmas hit is a duet of bickering lovers sung by MacGowan and the late Kirsty MacColl.

Watch the official video for 'Fairytale of New York' featuring Matt Dillon and the late Kirsty MacColl below: