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Girlbands Forever Revisits UK Pop’s Past as Stars Detail Control, Pressure and Racism

The BBC Two documentary presents first‑person accounts of body policing, pregnancy coercion and tabloid tactics, prompting a denial from EMI UK.

Overview

  • The three‑part BBC Two series, executive produced by Louis Theroux, charts 1990s–2000s groups from All Saints and Eternal to Atomic Kitten, Mis‑Teeq, Sugababes and Little Mix.
  • Eternal’s Kelle Bryan says members were sent to a countryside facility for controlled diets to manage weight, a claim the head of EMI UK denies knowing about.
  • All SaintsMelanie Blatt recounts being pressured to end a pregnancy, reflecting a wider pattern described in the film of managers treating pregnancy as career‑ending.
  • Kerry Katona alleges a journalist arrived at her mother’s home with cocaine to push her into selling a story, illustrating the era’s aggressive tabloid culture.
  • The documentary interrogates racialized image strategies, asserting that adding a slim, blond white member could shift a group’s commercial fortunes, and revisits the Sugababes’ revolving lineups.