Episode 3

It's the summer of 2001, and for several of Britain’s biggest boybands, life in the limelight is coming to an end. Despite almost 20 million albums sold between them, East 17 and Take That have called time on their pop dreams. Five-piece Damage has hit a glass ceiling. Tweenager heartthrobs 911 have burned out, and bad boys Five are hanging by a thread.

Waiting in the wings are four-piece Blue and Irish balladeers Westlife, whose stars begin to rise just as those of their forebears fade. The bigger threat to the boybands, however, is the new era of reality TV: Pop Idol, Popstars and The X Factor.