THE Nineties might have been ruled by boybands and girl-bands, but life at the top of pop could be tough.
And it was probably worse for the girls, as putting on extra pounds, dating the wrong guy or, heaven forbid, having a baby were hugely frowned upon by management teams.
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New BBC documentary Girlbands Forever delves into the girlband era, pictured the girls of All SaintsCredit: GettyAll Saints founding member Melanie Blatt informed managers that she and bandmate Nicole Appleton were pregnant, both were told to abort their babiesCredit: PA:Press Association
New BBC documentary Girlbands Forever, the follow-up to last year’s three-parter about boybands, delves into an era where record companies had less regard for duty of care, days off or mental health.
It features members of Atomic Kitten, Eternal, Sugababes, Mis-teeq and Little Mix, providing insight into what it was like being in an all-female group in the Nineties and early Noughties.
The dream was to replicate the success of the Spice Girls, the all-conquering icons who sparked the girlband explosion.
And record labels invested millions in a bid to find the next big thing.
But as the Spice Girls’ rivals All Saints found out, the pressure became unbearable.
So much so that when founding member Melanie Blatt informed managers that she and bandmate Nicole Appleton were pregnant, both were told to abort their babies.
The reason? They had just cracked America with No1 hit Never Ever and momentum could be lost.
Melanie, 50, explains: “I hadn’t been with my partner for very long, it was definitely a bit of a surprise It wasn’t people congratulating us. It was more like this look of dread and worry and the realisation that things are going to change.
“We flew to LA and at [airport] LAX our manager, he was behind us, was telling us to abort our babies.”
She added that her bosses told them they were “going to ruin everything” and “it was the end of the band”.
Melanie ended up having her baby with her partner, Stuart Zender, the bassist for band Jamiroquai.
‘Vomiting in toilets’
But Nicole, who fell pregnant with then boyfriend Robbie Williams, did not, which Melanie admits caused issues with their relationship.
She explains: “Nic and I had been best friends since we were 11. We took pregnancy tests in a hotel in Canada and spent that whole night discussing bringing our kids up together. It was one of the best nights ever.
“And it’s not really my place to talk about it, but unfortunately . . . it was a very uncomfortable situation because I kept mine, she didn’t. That was a really tricky part of my and our existence.”
All Saints, which consisted of Melanie, sisters Nicole and Natalie and main songwriter Shaznay Lewis, were always deemed a “cool version” of the Spice Girls and were far more rock ‘n’ roll.
Star Melanie opens up more on BBC show Girlbands ForeverCredit: SuppliedAll Saints’ Nicole Appleton with then-boyfriend Robbie Williams in 2004Credit: Michael Melia
Whereas Victoria Beckham, Emma Bunton and Mel B found love with a footballer, an R&B singer and a dancer respectively, the All Saints girls dated rock stars, with Nicole marrying and having a son with Liam Gallagher.
Melanie says: “We were turning up to kids’ TV shows on a Saturday morning without having one wink of sleep. We looked fine, just a bit of vomiting in the toilets prior to CD:UK.”
After two albums, All Saints split in 2001, a disparity in earnings between Shaznay and the rest of the band being a major factor.
By the end of their existence as a group, Melanie says they “hated each other”.
She adds: “We’d fallen out, it was hell, it was ‘separate’ everything.
“It was just ridiculous but literally one of the proudest moments of being in that band was calling it quits because we didn’t stay for the money. We wanted to be done, we didn’t want to be with each other any more and we made that decision.
“We were in control. We were supposed to go on tour and we gave the money back and I’m so proud of that. That’s one of the only decisions we were all happy to make together, telling each other to f*** off.”
Girlbands Forever begins on Saturday at 9.20pm on BBC Two.
Little Mix
Little Mix were one of the first girl groups forced to contend with social mediaCredit: Neil HallBand member Perrie Edwards bore the brunt of online abuse due to her relationship with Zayn MalikCredit: Supplied
AS girlbands moved into the 2010s, life did not get any easier, with social media now to contend with.
She explains: “Social media was dark, especially back in the day.
“Me and the girls used to get a lot of stick. Things we would wear or how we would look, people would pick us apart.
“You’re hurting enough as it is, never mind everybody having an opinion on it. Everyone wants to know your business and everyone feels like they have ownership in that.
“You can’t escape it. So you may as well sing about it.”
Life in girlbands was relentless, so Little Mix lasting ten years was a monumental achievement.
But Perrie, below, admits she almost quit when she was at her lowest ebb ahead of a gig in Las Vegas.
She says: “I didn’t want to go, I was so exhausted. I tried getting out of the trip and when I got there, I started experiencing panic attacks.
“I didn’t know what was happening at the time, I’d never experienced a panic attack.
“I ended up in a hospital. I didn’t want to let the girls down. They had to do it without me and I hated it and I really resented myself for it.”
She adds: “When you’re in a group dynamic, even though you’re going through stuff individually, you can’t just be selfish so I kind of put a brave face on a lot of time.
“I didn’t want to let the team down.”
Eternal
Eternal had a No1 smash hit with I Wanna Be The Only One in 1997Credit: Rex‘People were always voicing concerns about my weight and about our weight as a band’, says founding member Kelle BryanCredit: Supplied
ETERNAL had a No1 smash hit with I Wanna Be The Only One in 1997, but their looks soon became a concern.
Founding member Kelle Bryan, 50, reveals: “People were always voicing concerns about my weight and about our weight as a band. Stylists would come along and say, ‘This doesn’t fit you, this doesn’t fit you’.
“We’re talking about an era where being a size zero was popular, so they sent us away to this place in the countryside where they were able to control what we ate.”
Atomic Kitten
Atomic Kitten’s Kerry Katona fell for Westlife singer Brian McFadden, but was ordered not to date him by managementCredit: Dave HoganKerry also had an unpleasant interaction with music mogul Louis WalshCredit: Supplied
WHILE on the 1999 Smash Hits Tour, Atomic Kitten’s Kerry Katona fell for Westlife singer Brian McFadden, but was ordered not to date him by management.
Kerry, 45, says: “They all went absolutely f*ing apes**t. I remember [Westlife manager] Louis Walsh saying, ‘I don’t like you, you’re trouble’.
Bandmate and best pal Natasha Hamilton, 43, adds: “It was definitely bad for the brand. Not from my point of view but from the label and management. They said girls can’t be seen with one of the boys in the biggest boyband in the UK because fan jealousy is a thing.”
Mis-Teeq
Mis-Teeq felt they were discriminated against and given fewer opportunitiesCredit: Alamy‘We weren’t invited to the same premieres. Some magazines wouldn’t consider us for the cover because they didn’t think three black girls would sell’, says Su-Elise NashCredit: Supplied
BEING an all-black group who rose up from the “underground scene” in 1999, Mis-Teeq felt they were discriminated against and given fewer opportunities.
Su-Elise Nash, 44, says: “We weren’t invited to the same premieres. Some magazines wouldn’t consider us for the cover because they didn’t think three black girls would sell.
“Our struggle to get there was definitely not as easy as it would have been if we had one white member or we’d all-white.”
Sugababes
When Sugababes founding member Mutya Buena gave birth to her first child aged 19, there was no let-upCredit: Dave HoganMutya quit the group in 2005 and was later diagnosed with post-natal depressionCredit: Getty
WHEN Sugababes founding member Mutya Buena gave birth to her first child aged 19 – while the band were working on their fourth album – there was no let-up.
Record label exec Darcus Beese says: “I remember standing in my kitchen trying to talk her down. I had no concept of post-natal depression. I would ask questions now like, ‘How’s your mental health?’.”
The cast of the terrifying new Alien series have admitted they weren’t particularly scared of the iconic space menace on set for one simple reason
18:39, 11 Aug 2025Updated 18:39, 11 Aug 2025
Alien: Earth’s cast have revealed the man inside the iconic Xenomorph suit was anything but frightening behind the scenes.
Created by award-winning Fargo showrunner Noah Hawley, the new FX series, premiering this week on Disney+ in the UK, serves as a prequel to Ridley Scott’s sci-fi nightmare from 1979.
The series’ ensemble cast includes newcomers and familiar faces, including Timothy Olyphant, Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther and Babou Ceesay.
Of course, no entry in the Alien franchise is complete without the terrifying titular extraterrestrials and Hawley has emphasised a return to visceral practical effects to bring the horror to life.
Previewing the series at Alien: Earth’s London premiere, the cast revealed performer Cameron Brown was primarily inside the classic black suit that’s been horrifying fans for over 40 years.
The terrifying sci-fi horror franchise returns this week(Image: FX)
“It was Cameron Brown, who’s a vegan,” Ceesay shared. “Dressed in an eight-foot suit.
“Snarling in your face, K-Y jelly dripping out of his mouth. Yeah, scary.”
However, Ceesay and the rest of the cast couldn’t help giggling as they fondly remembered their time with Brown on set.
Lawther added: “It’s really easy to run away scared from a Xenomorph when it’s really a man who’s a Xenomorph chasing you.”
The cast also revealed their alien-suited co-star would frequently take breaks to munch on carrot sticks and hummus, in stark contrast to his flesh-eating screen persona.
During a panel discussion at Comic-Con’s Hall H, lead actress Chandler previously admitted she was “giddy” to be chased by a Xenomorph, calling Brown “the sweetest person in the world“, per GoldDerby.
And Lawther agreed at the time: “There’s something hysterical about the fearsomeness of the Xenomorph, but then he takes off his head, and he’s from New Zealand, and he doesn’t eat meat.
Actor Cameron Brown was inside the Xenomorph for the new FX series(Image: FX)
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“If you think me and Sydney are soft-spoken, just wait till you meet the Xenomorph.”
Die-hard fans of the original film by director Ridley Scott, as well as its subsequent sequels, will be thrilled to discover that Hawley relied on practical effects and sets as often as possible.
Elaborating on the advantages of practical techniques versus CGI, he explained: “I think it’s meaningful, both to the cast and, I think audiences know when something’s real or not real.
“We’ve gotten very good at tricking them, but, usually, what you need is some realistic element in the shot.
“The thing with horror is your imagination does most of the work for you, so you don’t want to see the monster for too long. You want to see the shadows, you want to see the open door.
“The shot is half a second and you’ve got a tail on a fishing line and that’s probably gonna work, you know what I mean?”
Critics are saying the Alien franchise is better than ever with the new TV prequel, but will it win fans over who think the Xenomorphs should have stayed in space? Find out soon.
Alien: Earth premieres Wednesday, 13th August on Disney+.
For a limited time only, witness the first stage of the life cycle of the Xenomorph up close with a thrilling new display at London’s Natural History Museum.
Visitors can touch real pieces of the solar system at the Museum’s blockbuster exhibition, Space: Could Life Exist Beyond Earth?, and discover more about one of pop culture’s most iconic and frightening creatures just by the entrance until Friday, 22nd August.
