Kelle Bryan

The new BBC documentary dives into the ‘truth of being a young woman thrust into the spotlight’

Perrie Edwards is set to reveal what it’s really like being part of a girl band.

After the success of last year’s Boybands Forever, BBC Two is launching its female equivalent, Girlbands Forever. The three-part documentary will explore ‘girl band fever throughout the 90s and beyond,’ featuring personal contributions from the Little Mix star, along with singers from Atomic Kitten, Sugababes and All Saints.

A preview for the upcoming programme provides a taste of what audiences can anticipate, with interview clips from some of the celebrity participants scheduled to appear. It delves into the nostalgic 90s and noughties period when ‘girl band fever’ was rampant, reports OK!

Presenter Sara Cox describes the period as an “era of young women suddenly having a voice,” before noting: “But it was a small window”.

The brief 25-second trailer also shows Perrie discussing the backstage challenges of Little Mix, who rose to stardom after triumphing on The X Factor. She disclosed: “We battled the social media trolls together.”

The girl group entered the limelight during the early 2010s, so their journey provides a unique viewpoint on the difficulties female bands encountered in the social media era.

According to the BBC, audiences can anticipate hearing from Heidi Range (Sugababes), Kelle Bryan (Eternal), Kerry Katona (Atomic Kitten), Melanie Blatt (All Saints), Perrie and Su-Elise Nash (Mis-Teeq).

The programme will also feature chats with industry names such as Andy McCluskey, Clara Amfo, Darcus Beese OBE, Lucie Cave, MNEK, Nicki Chapman, Pete Tong, Pete Waterman, Scott Mills and Tulisa.

Girlbands Forever is a product of Louis Theroux’s production house, Mindhouse. Ahead of the show’s debut, Louis expressed: “I couldn’t be more thrilled to be part of making this wonderful series.

“I well remember when the Spice Girls, Eternal and All Saints burst on the scene in the 90s. It was a special time in pop music and British culture generally.”

He added: “Then in their wake came a parade of girl bands, made up of girls who were all in different ways beautiful, talented and often very funny.

“Going back and rediscovering all that music and those videos and the interviews they did has been an absolute pleasure.”

Girlbands Forever debuts on BBC Two and iPlayer on November 1.

In 2005, the first series of Celebrity Love Island aired and it was an ex-Westlife bodyguard and a popular TV host who went on to win

Fran Cosgrave, the inaugural winner of Love Island, is almost unrecognisable in a recent social media snap, sporting a full beard two decades after his stint on the show.

The debut series of Celebrity Love Island graced our screens back in 2005, boasting a star-studded line-up including Atomic Kitten’s Liz McClarnon and EastEnders‘ Michael Greco.

However, it was former Westlife bodyguard Fran and telly presenter Jayne Middlemiss who clinched the title.

Before his Love Island adventure, Fran was romantically linked to Natasha Hamilton from 2001 to 2002, with whom he has a son, Josh, now 21.

Fast forward twenty years, and 47 year old Fran looks strikingly different from his time in the luxurious Fiji villa, having swapped his clean-shaven look for a thick, dark beard, reports OK!.

These days, Fran keeps a low profile, trading TV fame for a career in music. He’s currently a producer and DJ for house music trio, the Futuristic Polar Bears, which he founded.

With hit tracks like Running Wild and Damaged under his belt, and a whopping 90 million Spotify streams according to his Instagram bio, Fran has certainly made his mark in the music industry.

The group has toured extensively, lighting up nightclubs around the globe. In a chat with Jennifer Zamparelli on RTE 2FM, Fran reflected on his brush with fame.

He mused: “You can’t take it [fame] too seriously because it’s gone as quick as it comes.

“As it came towards 2009, things just started to spin out of control a bit, as it does. I was kind of finished with the whole celebrity thing.

“I started saying, ‘no’ to loads of programmes and I just wasn’t interested in it. My manager, rightly so, was like, ‘Mate why won’t you do any of these things?’ I was just like, ‘I’m not there anymore.'”

The ex-nightclub proprietor has left his wild nights behind, and now when he’s touring, he maintains a strict ‘no drinking, no partying’ rule.

He’s also channelled his energy into entrepreneurship, launching RUUD Coffee this year and previously introducing his own bespoke coffee blends and brand, Concrete Coffee, in 2024.

Celebrity Love Island made a comeback for its second season in 2006, featuring stars like Eternal singer and Loose Women panellist Kelle Bryan and Boyzone member Shane Lynch.

Yet, it was models Bianca Gascoigne and Calum Best who emerged victorious in the show’s final series before it was axed.

Love Island airs weekdays and Sunday nights from 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX