Throughout the Nineties and Noughties, boyband mania gripped the nation. Now, a new three-part documentary for BBC Two tells the inside story of the most successful acts of the time, exploring the culture that shaped this pop music phenomenon.
Produced by Louis Theroux and Nancy Strang, Boybands Forever boasts archive footage, and candid testimony from record bosses like Simon Cowell, plus Take That star Robbie Williams, ex-Westlife favorite Bryan McFadden alongside members of East 17, 911, Damage, Blue and Five.
Formed in 1997 by the team behind The Spice Girls, Five comprised of Scott Robinson, Ritchie Neville, Sean Conlon, Abz Love and Jason "J" Brown, teens plucked from obscurity to become pop’s new "bad boys". After a whirlwind four years, the "Slam Dunk (Da Funk)" and "Keep On Movin’" hitmakers disbanded in 2001 — with Scott, Sean and Ritchie reuniting in 2012 to perform as a trio.
In an exclusive interview with What To Watch, Ritchie, 45, reveals why boyband stardom is better the second time around…
Boybands Forever features archive footage of the open auditions for Five. What made you queue up alongside 3,000 other hopefuls at London's Pineapple Studios that morning?
"I’d never thought to myself: 'I want to be in a boyband', I really wanted to be an actor. I saw this advert and thought it could be a good opportunity. So, at 16, I turned up to this audition — my first ever audition for anything! — sang 'Freedom' by George Michael and got in the band!"
In 1997, Five signed a six-album record deal with Simon's Cowell’s label RCA. What did you think being in a boy band would be like?
"A dream. You know, travelling around the world singing songs to thousands of people. We were just kids, full of hope, anticipation and excitement about this life-changing thing we were going to do. For us, Five was just about fun and innocence."
What was boyband life really like?
"We didn’t realize that, as well as performing, we'd be doing 18-hour days of interviews, photo shoots, public appearances and dealing with the tabloid press! For a boyband, fans are so important; they put you where you are, but when there's girls camped out on your driveway, it can be stressful. You’d often think: ‘I wish this fame thing had an off switch'."
Five split in 2001. Looking back, could this have been avoided?
"Absolutely. If our management had given us a little more time to go home, chill and see our families, they would’ve got longer out of us. We'd gone platinum in the UK, selling 1.6 million albums, so we had a good foundation to crack America. But there’s no point having regrets."
You appear alongside Scott and Sean in the documentary. Was filming emotional?
"Very. It's a headspace you don't go to very often so, when you do, you kind of go back to how you felt at the time, and realise how close to the edge you were, mentally and emotionally, and what a big thing it was to deal with at such a young age. The three of us still annoy each other and love each other in equal measure. We’re not just friends, we’re family."
As well as Take That star Robbie Williams, members of 911, Damage, Westlife and Blue also appear in Boybands Forever. Did you cross paths back in the day?
"We know 911 and Damage very well from back then — Blue actually launched the day after Five broke up! We did a joint concert with Westlife in Israel in 2001. There was a bit of bravado among us, which culminated in all of us getting very, VERY drunk. I’m so relieved social media wasn’t around then — we’d definitely have got ourselves into trouble!"
What advice would you give young Ritchie stood in that audition queue all those years ago?
"Buckle up! I’d tell him to go out there, be yourself and try and enjoy it; none of this matters as much as record company execs will make you think it does. These days, being in a ‘boyband’ is how I imagined it'd be the first time around without all the trappings of fame. Lots has changed — but there's still nothing like performing to a big crowd. It’s amazing."
Catch the first two episodes of Boybands Forever on Saturday, November 16 at 9.15 pm and 10.15 pm on BBC Two.
