BBC Pop Music TV has ordered Boybands Forever, a new series for BBC Two examining the inside story of boyband mania during the 90s and 00s, set to be broadcast in autumn 2024.
Produced by Mindhouse Productions (Louis Theroux Interviews, Lockerbie, Gods of Tennis) and from producers Louis Theroux and Nancy Strang, the three hour-long episodes will look into pop culture in the 90s and 00s, telling the tales behind the success of some of the UK and Ireland’s most celebrated popstars.
Each episode will follow the life changing reality of new-found fame at a young age, from their early beginnings to hitting the top of the charts, whilst revealing some of the pivotal behind-the-scenes moments that shaped their careers and reflecting on those times decades later.
The series will feature interviews with the artists themselves, who share their experiences of the boyband phenomenon, including Robbie Williams (Take That), Brian McFadden (Westlife), as well as members of East 17, Blue, Five, 911 and Damage.
Across the episodes, the series will hear from the music label bosses and band managers that managed their ascent to fame, including Simon Cowell (RCA Records) Nigel Martin-Smith (Take That), Louis Walsh (Westlife), Daniel Glatman (Blue), Chris Herbert (Five) and Steve Gilmour (911), as well as those close to the band members, music industry insiders, presenters, and journalists who followed their stories in an age before social media.
Together with their testimony, archive from the time and the music, it promises a nostalgic journey and a thoughtful look at the cultural landscape.
Louis Theroux, Executive Producer, says: “An epic story featuring a cast of stars and star-makers, spanning three decades, it involves some of the icons of modern British pop. We see them through their highs and lows, hearing from the key players, as we chart the golden years of boy bands. How they came together, the experience of sudden fame, the opportunity and temptations that came their way, conflicts within the groups, between the groups, and between the boys and their managers.
“It’s a gripping fable about getting everything you dreamed of, and it not being what you imagined, centred on a generation of young men, and their managers, who were wildly successful and also immensely vulnerable, having the times of their lives and also in some cases cracking up. Those boys we all watched singing and dancing in tight formation – Take That, East 17, Westlife, Blue, Five, Damage, 911 and so many others – are now middle aged men who have the time and the maturity to look back and reflect on what they went through. It’s taken us more than a year to make the series. Now I’m just excited for people to see it.”
Jonathan Rothery, Head of BBC Popular Music TV says: “It feels like yesterday but the Brit Boyband era began 35 years ago, and what a fascinating moment in time and pop culture it was. The series will take us on a trip down memory lane but will also enlighten us, that behind the singing, dancing, double denim and bright smiles were a heck of a lot of blood, sweat and tears.”
The Commissioning Editor for BBC Popular Music TV is Rachel Davies.
Pippa Considine
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