In the wake of the shocking death of former One Direction singer Liam Payne , we are reassessing the insufferable pressure we put on pop stars. Boybands Forever , the new documentary from Louis Theroux’s production company, couldn’t be more timely. The recent tragedy gives the film an added edge of unease.
Over three episodes, the series explores the experiences of the young men in the biggest bands of the decade – Take That , East 17, Blue, Five, 911 and Damage – who were hurled onto the world stage and turned into commodities by powerful managers . This first episode might be a dive into 90s nostalgia, but don’t expect a comforting wallow. Setting out its grim stall from the start, it opens with 2015 footage of Brian Harvey from East 17 smashing his gold discs in the street as he rants about the music industry and where it has left him.
The camera cuts to present-day Robbie Williams , wincing as he watches the footage on a laptop from his home in Gstaad, Switzerland. “Could that have happened to me?” he ponders. “Yeah, and worse.
” The access this documentary has to the main players is impressive, particularly the interviews with the managers who you might imagine would rather not talk about their roles in – some would say – exploiting youngsters with little agency. Former pop stars appear alongside knowledgeable commentators such as music journalist Siân Pattenden and presenter Jayne Middlemiss, intercut with the images we’re all familiar with: tea.