Simon Cowell to unite with 90s boyband legends for gritty new Louis Theroux doc on music phenomenon
Giants from the boyband era will take part in a new documentary on the pop music phenomenon.
Former Take That star Robbie Williams and music moguls Simon Cowell and Nigel Martin-Smith will be among the big names who will appear in three-parter Boybands Forever, set to air on BBC Two.
I exclusively revealed in April that top doc maker Louis Theroux was behind the project on the Nineties and Noughties acts, which has been made by his production company Mindhouse, which he runs with wife Nancy Strang.
He said: “I couldn’t be more thrilled about this series.
“An epic story featuring a cast of stars and star-makers, 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.
‘Cracking up’
“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 are now middle-aged men who have the time and the maturity to look back and reflect on what they went through.”
Other contributors include Brian McFadden of Westlife as well as members of East 17, Blue, 5ive, 911 and Damage.
Set to air this autumn, the show will also include the svengalis behind the bands including Louis Walsh, Daniel Glatman and Chris Herbert.
The breadth of people interviewed has seen Louis and his team work on the show for over a year.
Capaldi’s Devil’s Hour
Peter Capaldi looks up to no good in the second series of Devil’s Hour.
The Prime Video drama is soon to make its return, with original cast member Jessica Raine also making her reappearance on the show.
The series tells the story of a woman who wakes up every night at 3:33 am—in a race against time to stop a missing person’s case from turning into a murder.
This time she forms an uneasy alliance with criminal Gideon, played by Peter, to hunt an elusive monster – while struggling in the crosshairs of her past-life husband, played by Nikesh Patel.
The new series, which was announced shortly after the release of series one two years ago, is due to hit screens on October 18.
It also stars Ted Lasso actor Phil Dunster, Yesterday’s Meera Syal and features a new cast member, Top Boy actress Saffron Hocking.
A third series of the show is already underway.
A new BBC Two documentary series will look back over the sinking of the Titanic.
Titanic Sinks Tonight looks at the crucial seconds before the ship hit the iceberg to the moment its hull was engulfed in water, piecing together the experiences of passengers and crew.
Lots to sea and do, Rob
Rob Rinder and Monica Galetti have travelled the globe looking at some of the world’s best hotels — but that doesn’t mean they are now too jaded to impress.
For series six of Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby, which airs on BBC Two and iPlayer from September 12 at 8 pm, they’re jetting around from the mountains of Bhutan to the rainforests of Malaysia.
And there are plenty of locations that left the pair gobsmacked.
Rob said: “There are too many standout moments to mention.
“One hotel had windows that looked out into aquariums. Feeding the fish was a job I wasn’t expecting.
“And I didn’t quite realize how much I would enjoy a hotel in minus 50-degree conditions.”
Pud fail Di takes the rise
It’s not just her family roasts that have been branded awful — Diane Carson’s desserts are even worse.
That may not bode well for The Traitors star, who is appearing before judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace on Celebrity MasterChef.
Diane — whose son Ross revealed on The Traitors: Uncloaked that she often “cremates” turkeys in the oven — said: “I once made a pavlova which only rose half a centimetre.
“My guests took it out into my garden and played frisbee with it.
“I have something to prove because during my time on The Traitors my son told the world that my Sunday roasts were awful.
“But my Sunday roasts aren’t awful.
“They are not amazing, but they are not awful.
“So I certainly want to vindicate myself in some way.”
Celebrity MasterChef continues tonight at 8 pm on BBC One.
The biggest star in basketball, LeBron James will star in a new Netflix series about the sport.
Starting 5 will see the American legend joined by four other players to talk about the highs and lows of a career in the NBA.
It will be available to stream from October 9.
Tear we go again for Kym
The cast of Waterloo Road are heading back to school for a new series.
But it looks like an emotional return for Kym Marsh as school canteen worker Nicky Walters.
In a first look at the series, she is seen crying and being comforted by Donte Charles, played by Adam Thomas.
The new series also features the arrival of Jason Manford as headteacher Steve Savage, a charmer desperate to impress everyone, with no fear of getting his hands dirty.
Saira Choudhry will also join the cast as math teacher Nisha Chandra and The Last Kingdom’s Olly Rhodes will play Billy Savage, the headmaster’s son.
The BBC One drama is due to return on September 10, with all episodes available to stream on iPlayer from 6 am, and episode one airing at 9 pm.