Two of the 1990s’ biggest boyband stars had lifted the lid on the gruelling work conditions and paltry salaries they endured during their wild heyday, as a new documentary prepares to offer insight into the golden age of all-male groups.
Boybands Forever, which takes a deep dive into the careers of Nineties and Noughties acts such as Take That, Westlife and Blue, is set to air this weekend.
Ahead of the miniseries’ release, Five star Ritchie Neville and 911’s Lee Brennan have revealed that while it appeared from the outside they were living the dream as the star of two of the UK’s biggest bands’ the reality was very different.
Speaking to The Guardian, Ritchie shared that he and his bandmates endured tiring working hours, meaning he had just ‘two days off in two years,’ and in the early days he was paid just £100 a week.
He went onto reveal that his lowest moment came when he contracted chickenpox while touring with Five in and New Zealand.
Five star Ritchie Neville (centre) has lifted the lid on the gruelling work conditions and paltry salaries he endured during the band’s wild heyday
Speaking ahead of BBC’s documentary Boybands Forever, Ritchie shared that he and his bandmates endured tiring working hours, meaning he had just ‘two days off in two years’
Despite advised by doctors to go home for two weeks and rest, he was told by a representative for his record label: ‘Doctors over-exaggerate, don’t they?’
‘In the end, they wouldn’t give me my passport to fly home. [Bandmate] Scott had to go in and nick my passport and just hand it to me and bundle me in a taxi at four in the morning.
‘At the time, I didn’t think that much of it. Now, that’s an encroachment of power, isn’t it really? It’s almost imprisonment.’
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Ritchie was a member of Five from their inception in 1997 until they first split in 2001, with the band since reuniting on several occasion.
Lee echoed the sentiment, admitting that his time with 911 was ‘a whirlwind of planes, hotels, gigs, press conferences.’
‘We were so tired and we didn’t have a minute to think,’ he added, before sharing that found the attention from fans difficult to handle.
Both Ritchie and Lee added that they are backing a petition calling for a change in the law following the death of One Direction star Liam Payne.
The proposed law would ensure stars get regular mental health check-ups, sufficient rest periods, mental health professionals on set and ongoing support throughout an artist’s career.
911 star Lee Brennan echoed the sentiment, admitting that his time with 911 was ‘a whirlwind of planes, hotels, gigs and press conferences’
‘We were so tired and we didn’t have a minute to think,’ he added, before sharing that found the attention from fans difficult to handle
Liam fell 45ft from the third floor into the courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires last month.
Buenos Aires police said in a statement that Payne fell from the third floor of the Casa Sur Hotel in the trendy Palermo neighborhood of Argentina’s capital, resulting in ‘extremely serious injuries.’
Discussing the proposed law change, Neville added: ‘I could not support that more. You have an affinity with people in bands. When One Direction took off, you couldn’t help looking at them in the press and thinking, ;’How are they doing?’;
Louis Theroux’s documentary Boybands Forever, which takes a deep dive into the careers of Nineties and Noughties acts such as Take That, Westlife and Blue, is set to hit screens later this month.
The three hour-long episodes will follow the life changing reality of stars finding fame at a young age and will dive into topics such as drink, drugs, bust-ups and exploitation.
Louis interviewed the likes of Robbie Williams and Brian McFadden as well as music label bosses Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh.
Speaking ahead of his boyband series, Louis said: ‘I couldn’t be more thrilled about this series. An epic story featuring a cast of stars and star-makers, spanning three decades, it involves some of the icons of modern British pop.
Both Ritchie and Lee added that they are backing a petition calling for a change in the law to protect young artists’ mental health, following the death of One Direction star Liam Payne
‘We see them through them through their highs and lows, hearing from the key players, as we chart the golden years of boybands.
‘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 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.’