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Boyzone No Matter What S01E01 (2025) [Full Movie] [New Drama]Full EP - Full
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00:01The following programme contains strong language.
00:10Hello!
00:12No, far away, far away now.
00:14Faraway trivia.
00:16Stephen Gagey once lived in a faraway trivia.
00:18Hi Melinda, hello.
00:21Are you laughing? Are you laughing at me?
00:23No, no.
00:24We were the most unlikely bunch to succeed.
00:28We weren't perfect, we weren't polished.
00:30Shane! How are you?
00:32We were a bunch of kids, put together.
00:36Pushed out on a world stage.
00:38Don't know where Mikey is.
00:39Ah, there he is.
00:41Told to look like superstars.
00:43Good luck, guys.
00:44Perhaps that was part of our charm.
01:06And the winner is...
01:08MyZone!
01:16Look at that one.
01:17Look at that one.
01:19Turn that way, look at that one.
01:29There was a massive argument in the dressing room.
01:32And I lost the plot.
01:34The band imploded.
01:35I was ready to get the fuck out of there.
01:38It was a lonely time.
01:40Standing on stage in front of 100,000 people.
01:43Fucking lonely.
01:45It was absolutely scandalous, horrendous,
01:49what the newspaper did to Stephen.
01:51The famous Louis Watson.
01:53Louis hurt me.
01:54He knew how to hurt me.
01:57Vicious, bitchy, horrible things.
02:00I think he was afraid that the monster might become bigger than the creator.
02:04As it became bigger, so did their egos.
02:07They believed their own publicity.
02:10They forgot I wrote it.
02:11Good evening, Manchester!
02:17The boy's own singer, Stephen Gately, has died.
02:21He was 33.
02:25It's very hard.
02:35We loved each other, the five of us.
02:39But you never truly allow people to see all of you and who you are.
02:43I don't think I've processed everything that's happened in my life.
02:47I don't know how much they do know about me and my struggles.
02:53After 30 years, I think now's the time to talk about it and close this chapter in our lives.
03:00!
03:22Hi, are you doing?
03:26Hi.
03:32OK, so I want you to sort of take me back early 90s.
03:37Looking back on it, the 90s were a fucking blur.
03:46Three, two, one, go, Bobby!
04:03Another fantastic year for take-back.
04:05They swept the smash-its home in a party board completely clean.
04:16In 1993, I was 16 years of age.
04:19I was at school.
04:21We were a working-class family in Dublin.
04:23Didn't have a lot of money.
04:25There was a story in the paper.
04:27They're holding auditions for the Irish answer to take that.
04:31This was right up my street.
04:33I love to sing, love to perform.
04:36It was happening that evening around the corner,
04:39and I remember just seeing these big lines of guys
04:42all down the stairs, outside, out onto the street, about 300 lads.
04:47I remember walking in and walking up the stairs
04:50and looking at these guys thinking,
04:52wow, they look like pop stars.
05:19I just remember thinking, I'm never going to get in.
05:22I clearly remember that, a million percent.
05:27But I got noticed by Louis Walsh.
05:36I'm just waking up properly.
05:38I'm just waking up properly.
05:38That's fine.
05:42I prefer ordinary people because they work harder
05:46and they do whatever you wanted to start.
05:50I wanted to do, like, an Irish version of take that.
05:54I was looking for boys with personality and talent and fun
05:59and Irish charm.
06:02I wanted that.
06:03It was all about, what are girls going to like?
06:08I had met Shane before.
06:10Shane had a great look.
06:12And even if he wasn't a great singer,
06:14I was going to work with him.
06:20I would have been 17 years old.
06:22I worked for my dad as a car mechanic,
06:25working underneath cars,
06:27fucking rain running down the back of your neck.
06:30Louis Walsh promised us the sun, moon and stars.
06:34From the beginning, he goes,
06:36lads, I'm going to make this happen
06:38and you're going to be big pop stars around the world.
06:41And we went, OK, and believed him.
06:44They were so keen.
06:45They so wanted something different in their lives.
06:48They were doing nothing.
06:49And this was a chance of something great.
06:52Oh, can't you see it, baby?
06:57You've got me going crazy.
07:01I do remember Stephen Gately.
07:04Steele.
07:05Steele just had this charisma that was crazy.
07:08And he knew how to be a pop star.
07:10He had, he just had it.
07:12He had that thing.
07:14I was still at school, doing my final exams.
07:18But I love singing.
07:19I go around all day, every day singing.
07:22Singing, singing, singing.
07:24I always knew that I wanted to be successful
07:26in the entertainment business,
07:30no matter what.
07:34All of us had to sing.
07:35And then they stopped playing the keyboards
07:39and they wanted to see us dancing.
07:45They put on various songs and called different names
07:48and we'd have to jump up and dance around the room.
07:52So, of course, what did I do was pull my clothes off.
07:56Rightly or wrongly, that's what I did.
07:58And I kind of danced and probably gyrated.
08:03I was 19 at the time.
08:05Dropped out of college.
08:06I was living in an apartment.
08:08It was more of a squat.
08:10But I'm going to be brutally honest and say,
08:13I definitely think, you know,
08:15I was put into the band because of how I looked at the time.
08:18I don't think I was taken on because of my voice.
08:21Well, they had to look good.
08:23It wasn't just all about the vocals.
08:26They had to look good.
08:27You had to get girls' attention.
08:29Shout me your sir legs.
08:30Roman.
08:31Keating.
08:31Keating.
08:32Shane.
08:32Rich.
08:33Rich.
08:34Stephen.
08:35Kate's not here.
08:36Louis picked six.
08:38Stephen, Shane, Keith, myself
08:43and then two other lads, Richard and Mark.
08:47And that was boys' own.
08:50We were all young, 16, 17, 18-year-old boys.
08:55Nobody prepares a teenager
08:58for the world that they're about to live in.
09:01Nobody prepares them for the pressure cooker
09:03that they're about to kind of jump into.
09:05OK, well, who is who now?
09:06You identify yourself.
09:07I'm Ronan Keating.
09:08Ronan Keating.
09:08Where are you from?
09:09I'm from Sordes.
09:10From Sordes.
09:10OK, and who are you?
09:11I'm Mark Walton.
09:12Mark Walton from?
09:13Rohini.
09:14Rohini.
09:14Keith Duffy.
09:15Rohini.
09:15Rohini.
09:16Shane Lynch.
09:17Rohini.
09:17Richard Rock.
09:18Rob Mines.
09:18Stephen Gatley.
09:19Seventh place.
09:21The next day, we get a call to say
09:24we're going on The Late Late Show tonight,
09:25which in Ireland is the biggest,
09:28it's the biggest TV show in the country.
09:30I was told you don't play any instruments at all.
09:33None of you.
09:33I was also told that you don't sing at all.
09:37None of you.
09:38Oh, jeez.
09:39And Louis Walsh said,
09:40you're going to perform on The Late Late Show Live.
09:42And we said,
09:43perform what?
09:44We haven't learned anything.
09:45We don't know each other that well.
09:47You know,
09:48perform what?
09:49Doesn't matter.
09:49We'll make it up.
09:50We just need to get you on TV.
09:51We need to get you in the papers
09:52and we need to get you on TV.
09:53So we didn't sing anything.
09:55We just danced to a piece of music.
09:57And it was, yeah,
09:58it was pretty,
09:59it was a moment.
10:01All right.
10:01Okay.
10:02Cue the music.
10:03Let's hear it.
10:22Oh, God.
10:23It hurts now today.
10:2530 years later,
10:26it still hurts.
10:29Well,
10:32we were loving it.
10:33We didn't care.
10:34We didn't give a shit.
10:36We loved it.
10:41I don't think there's any love-hate relationship
10:43with that video whatsoever.
10:45I fucking hate it.
10:46I hate it so much.
10:49But how I felt at the time was great
10:51because I'm on the telly
10:53doing a little dance.
10:56I'm in a band.
10:59Knowing the journey had begun.
11:03After the late,
11:04we thought we were pop stars.
11:07After some photo shoots we did,
11:10Louis Waltz wasn't happy,
11:11visually wasn't happy
11:13with how we were looking.
11:14and the other two guys,
11:17Mark Walton and Richard Rock,
11:21he just decided that they didn't fit in the group.
11:23He decided that they didn't gel
11:26and the two of them were out.
11:28I thought,
11:29I thought,
11:29holy shit,
11:30like,
11:31if Louis could get rid of two members of the band,
11:32he'd get rid of any one of us at any moment,
11:33so you've got to work harder,
11:35ten times harder than anybody else
11:37to keep your position in the band.
11:41I had to let them know
11:43that they could all be replaced at any time.
11:47I had to make sure they were hungry
11:48and they were ambitious
11:49and they didn't take anything for granted.
11:53I was like that from day one.
11:57They were all insecure
11:59because they didn't know
12:01whether they were going to make it or not.
12:03They just had ambition.
12:05That was the one thing they all had.
12:07They all had great dreams
12:09and great ambitions,
12:10as did I.
12:12I knew five was the perfect number.
12:16If somebody leaves,
12:18you still have four left,
12:19so you're okay.
12:20So five was the perfect number.
12:22And we got Michael Graham in.
12:26Well, Mick joined the band.
12:28He came in.
12:29The other two have left.
12:30And this is the guy.
12:31He's number five.
12:33He was very talented.
12:35Very openly talented.
12:37He could write songs
12:38and he could sing
12:40and he could play
12:41and he could do all of that.
12:43So he was an immediate talent,
12:44yes, for sure.
12:46He had a really cool look, you know.
12:48I just thought,
12:48oh, he's cool, man.
12:49And Mick always had a guitar on his back
12:51and a foil full of songs under his arm
12:54and that was kind of his thing.
12:58I've not spoke to Mick for four years.
13:03I think there's an element of industry
13:07that damaged him.
13:10If I'm being honest,
13:11I think Mikey was
13:12a little bit lost in a boy band.
13:16Mikey himself is quite the recluse.
13:20Okay.
13:21That's it.
13:22Cool.
13:22One take two.
13:31I just want to give my own honest account
13:36of my experience in the band
13:40and that is very, very different
13:44from the other guys.
13:55In the very early days,
13:58everything was brand new to us
14:00and we had our whole future ahead of us.
14:03And nobody had yet been tainted
14:06by any of the negative aspects of fame.
14:16We spent 1994
14:18traveling around Ireland
14:19in a white transit van,
14:21top to bottom,
14:23north, south, east, west.
14:25We traveled everywhere.
14:28We had some crack.
14:29We had some crack
14:30in the back of that transit van.
14:32It was a perfect fit.
14:33It just felt like I had a family around me.
14:36The boys were family.
14:39It was great.
14:50We were traveling around Ireland
14:52and playing venues that weren't venues,
14:54you know, tables that were taped together
14:56in a nightclub.
15:00We mimed two backing tracks.
15:04We only had two live microphones
15:06and what we would do is
15:07we had three dummy microphones.
15:09We choreographed movements
15:11so that we could turn
15:12and our backs would be to the audience
15:14and we could swap mics
15:15so that everybody got a chance
15:17to talk live between songs
15:18and do their link.
15:20Well, watch us take that one.
15:23The girls all loved us.
15:25The girls rushed up to the front
15:26but guys hated us.
15:28They'd throw ice cubes at us
15:29and throw coins at us
15:30and they'd boo us.
15:33There was loads of points
15:35where I thought,
15:35oh, I'm wasting my time.
15:37This is not going to make any money
15:39or not going to be successful for anybody.
15:41And I had a lot of sleepless nights.
15:46But I knew they had something.
15:48And I thought,
15:49let's make the record
15:50to get them noticed,
15:52get them attention.
15:54We borrowed the money.
15:56It was 10,000 quid.
15:57And we recorded the song.
16:01I get a call from Louis
16:02saying that myself,
16:05Stephen and Ronan
16:07were being sent over
16:09to record the first
16:11boy's own song.
16:13The three of us
16:14were sent over to London.
16:17They obviously kind of knew
16:18from the auditions
16:20that Duda lads had stronger
16:22singing voices than Shane and I.
16:24And for that reason,
16:25there was no need
16:26for the additional expense
16:27of two more flights
16:28and two more hotel rooms
16:29and whatever.
16:30We just felt absolutely robbed.
16:33We felt,
16:33that's not fair.
16:35There wasn't a lot of money
16:36for flights,
16:36so I just brought
16:37the best singers with me.
16:39Our parents paid for the flights
16:41for Shane and I to join
16:42the other three lads.
16:43My parents certainly
16:44didn't have a lot of money,
16:45so they would have had
16:46to scrimp and scrape
16:47to get the money together
16:48for my flight,
16:49but they did.
16:50Right, lads,
16:51let me explain
16:51what's going to happen.
16:52All of you,
16:53one at a time,
16:53are going to start out
16:54listening to what's on tape
16:56and copying it.
16:57I've done this for a few years,
16:58I know what I'm talking about.
17:00We went to meet
17:00this guy called Ian Levine,
17:02who was the big pop producer
17:03at the time.
17:04He produced Bad Boys, Inc.
17:06and Early Take That.
17:08So this was a big deal
17:09for Boyzone to get in the room.
17:10And we recorded
17:14the Detroit Spinner song,
17:15Work On My Way Back To You.
17:17One by one,
17:18he put us in studio
17:20to record the lead vocal
17:23on the track.
17:25And we were testing vocals,
17:27and Stephen sang,
17:28and Mikey sang,
17:29and then Ian Levine says to Louis,
17:31get rid of the blonde one,
17:32he can't sing.
17:35And I guess I didn't cut the mustard,
17:37I wasn't good enough.
17:38Mikey and Stephen were
17:40immediately good enough.
17:46You know,
17:47I found it very hard.
17:50I was 16 years of age.
17:53That could have broken me,
17:54that was a very, very tough thing
17:55to go through,
17:56to be told that
17:57get rid of the blonde
17:58when he can't sing.
18:00So we recorded the song,
18:03myself, Stephen,
18:04doing the lead vocals.
18:06It felt good.
18:08It felt positive.
18:10I get into the band
18:12because I love to do music,
18:13to write music.
18:15So I felt that
18:16the future
18:17seems kind of brighter
18:19if it means
18:21that I can progress
18:23as a singer in this band
18:26onto bigger and better things.
18:34There are a bunch of lads
18:36from North Dublin
18:37who are being promoted
18:38as Ireland's answer
18:39to take that.
18:41Would you please welcome
18:42Boyzone.
18:48Working my way back to you,
18:50it was only for Irish release
18:51and I don't think
18:53we had an official record deal
18:54at that time.
18:55I think we had
18:55a one song deal
18:56in Ireland.
18:57I used to love
18:59to make you cry
19:01It made me feel
19:03like a man inside
19:04We did all the work
19:06over here,
19:07all the television work,
19:08radio work,
19:09everything.
19:10Everything non-stop.
19:11I'll be working
19:12my way back to you, babe
19:15With a burning love inside
19:19Working my way back to you
19:20Went to number three,
19:22I believe,
19:22in the charts in Ireland.
19:23So we got quite successful
19:24in Ireland
19:25where the number three hit.
19:26That signaled to the UK
19:28that Ireland had a band
19:31that were worth checking out.
19:34Polydor Records,
19:35they came over to Ireland
19:37and they offered us
19:38a global deal.
19:42So this was our big break.
19:43This was our really big break.
19:45It was a big moment
19:46for the band
19:47The record company
19:48said,
19:49send your best singers
19:51let's make the best record.
19:53Name, age
19:53and where you're from.
19:55Okay, my name is Mikey Graham
19:56I had to pick
19:57who I wanted to be
19:58at the lead singers.
19:59Michael
20:00There was part of me
20:02that made me believe
20:02that I maybe
20:03wasn't as good
20:05as I thought I was
20:06and that maybe
20:07I didn't have a position
20:08in the band
20:09or a place in the band.
20:10And I'm Ronan Keating
20:12from Swords.
20:12I'm 17.
20:15Ronan,
20:15he was passionate.
20:16He was driven.
20:19Was he competitive?
20:21Yes,
20:21hugely competitive.
20:23He would do
20:23whatever he needed to do
20:25to win
20:25to get what he wanted.
20:29I was a sprinter
20:3010, 11, 12, 13, 14
20:32and I won the Irish title.
20:35I took a bit of that with me
20:36when I went into the band.
20:39I was trying to impress Louis
20:40because he was the manager.
20:41He had already gotten rid
20:42of two members in the band.
20:45I had to impress Louis.
20:47So I was attentive.
20:49I was professional.
20:50Tried to always make myself
20:51look like a pop star.
20:54Ronan was always
20:55trying to prove himself.
20:56as a singer,
20:57as an artist,
20:58as an all-rounder.
21:00He always wanted
21:01to be the front man
21:01in the band
21:02and good for him.
21:04That's what made him
21:04into Ronan.
21:05He had ambition.
21:07I don't think people realise
21:08how much work it is.
21:09It's non-stop all the time.
21:11Work and work, work.
21:12We have a great time.
21:14Look at this guy here.
21:15Say hello to the camera.
21:16This is Louis Walsh.
21:17Yes.
21:18The famous Louis Walsh
21:19that you hear so much about.
21:21I decided
21:21Ronan and Stephen
21:22were the lead singers.
21:25I knew Stephen and Ronan
21:27had something special
21:29and I knew girls liked them
21:31and I knew they wanted it
21:33so badly.
21:35I couldn't take a chance.
21:37I had to make the best record
21:38with the best singers.
21:39That was it.
21:40There was no favouritism
21:42as such.
21:43Stephen Gatelyn.
21:45Without any word
21:46to anybody
21:47Ronan was taking
21:48the lead role.
21:53I was upset about it
21:55at the time.
21:56I tried to convey that
21:59but it fell upon dead ears.
22:01Listen, they all wanted
22:02to be lead singer.
22:03Ronan and Stephen were
22:05and that was it.
22:06End of story.
22:10Stephen and I went in
22:11did the vocals
22:12on that first big single
22:13in the UK.
22:15Couldn't wait for my mum
22:16to hear it.
22:17That's what I was
22:18most excited about.
22:21Oh wow,
22:21I made that.
22:23You know,
22:23that kind of feeling
22:24that I made that
22:24is mad.
22:31Britain's number two
22:32is that old
22:32Osmund's classic
22:33Love Me For A Reason.
22:34They're here,
22:34they're live on stage
22:35with their biggest fan,
22:37Boyzone.
22:53And then
22:54Love Me For A Reason
22:55goes number two
22:56in the charts
22:56at Christmas time.
22:58I never had to look
22:59back after that
22:59because once that
23:00single was a hit
23:01I was seen as a singer
23:02in the band.
23:03And I established
23:04myself as a singer.
23:06Boyzone was never
23:07going to change
23:08after that
23:08and I think we all
23:09felt that.
23:09We all knew
23:10we had a place
23:12in the band.
23:23That was the beginning
23:25of a hard struggle
23:27for me
23:27through the years.
23:32My confidence
23:33that I had beforehand
23:34about music
23:37fell through the floor.
23:43and it was a bit
23:44heartbreaking
23:44I'll be honest with you
23:45when you see
23:47an audience
23:47full of posters
23:49you know
23:50for Stephen
23:51and Roland
23:51and Shane
23:52and Keith
23:53and then you might
23:54see the odd one
23:55but Mikey
23:56you know.
23:58Remember I was 21
23:59as a kid
24:00that was tough
24:03and Louis
24:04went from one day
24:05speaking with me
24:07to never speaking
24:09to me for seven years
24:10and I never knew why
24:12I had absolutely
24:13no idea why
24:14I just thought
24:16he didn't like me.
24:18I probably ignored him
24:19a little bit
24:21not realising
24:22but it's because
24:23the others were
24:23so full on
24:24I thought he was happy
24:26being Michael
24:27and being
24:28the quiet one
24:29at the back.
24:37I was kind of struggling
24:38with wanting
24:39to contribute
24:41more musically
24:42so the record company
24:44sent me
24:45away on my own
24:46I was working
24:47in this
24:48other studio
24:49and really hoping
24:51that
24:51what I came up with
24:53would be
24:54considered.
24:56Brought my stuff
24:57back to the record company
24:58and they already
24:59had the album done
25:00in London
25:01and I wasn't
25:02on the album at all.
25:04Don't even think
25:05I sang on it.
25:06That worked.
25:08That worked.
25:14in that loss
25:15of ambition
25:17high spiritedness
25:18vitality
25:20when that left me
25:21a lot of things left me
25:22my interest in
25:24my own appearance
25:29and I didn't drink
25:30until I turned
25:31about 24-ish
25:33and I was introduced
25:35to Jack Daniels
25:36and Coca-Cola
25:37and that became
25:39the thing
25:39that kind of got me
25:40through the next few years
25:42of
25:43the sadness
25:44and the disenchantment.
25:45I was very frustrated
25:49angry
25:50depressed
25:52because of all of that
25:54I would withdraw
25:56from
25:57the band.
26:01The truth is
26:03I don't know
26:04how bad it got
26:05because I didn't talk
26:06to him.
26:06The truth is
26:07I didn't recognize
26:09any of his struggles.
26:11I know Mick
26:12suffered from
26:13sleep
26:14he was an insomniac
26:16and I think
26:17part of that
26:18was pressure
26:18part of that
26:19was mental struggle
26:20part of that
26:20was frustration
26:22but I don't know
26:23how bad it was
26:24because
26:24we didn't talk.
26:30I also
26:31had a young daughter
26:32so I had that
26:33responsibility
26:35financially
26:35to make sure
26:36that she and her mother
26:37were taken care of
26:38but to be honest
26:42if it wasn't
26:43for the responsibilities
26:44I had in life
26:46like my daughter
26:47you know
26:48I would have walked
26:49and I nearly did
26:50a couple of times
26:51to like
26:52kind of calm down
26:53and realize
26:54the financial impact
26:56it would have
26:57on my family
26:59so I stayed around.
27:06I think there was
27:08still a lot of
27:09issues
27:11and maybe I'm
27:12to blame for that
27:12maybe I
27:14should have paid
27:14more attention
27:15and maybe
27:15reached out to people
27:17that I felt
27:17were struggling
27:20but I was very hungry
27:21and I wanted
27:22to be great
27:23and I wanted
27:23to have my opportunities
27:24and it created
27:25resentment
27:27and if there's
27:28a resentment
27:30all sorts of demons
27:31can appear.
27:38the boys are here
27:38boys from Dublin
27:39nice to see you
27:40quick name check
27:41left to right
27:41I'm Shane
27:42I'm Mikey
27:42Keith
27:43Ronan
27:44and Steve
27:44welcome
27:45how long have you been together for?
27:47just over a year now
27:49after Love Me For A Reason
27:50we got a big agent
27:51got a big promoter
27:52in the UK
27:53everything changed for them
27:54The star prize is these three Boyzone hats.
27:59We were on all the UK TV shows, Pepsi chart show, Top of the Pops, going live.
28:05Boyzone was on everything.
28:06Hi, we're Boyzone. This is our new single, Key to My Life.
28:11You're the key to my life.
28:15Our first album was number one.
28:19We had made it at that point. That was just, wow.
28:22Us five lads from Dublin got this far.
28:26It went crazy for Boyzone.
28:30I'm fucked.
28:32Just travelling constantly.
28:34Airports, airplanes, vehicle, TV studio, radio station.
28:40Hi, I'm Keith, and I'm Ronan, and we're from Boyzone, and you're watching Johnny's Hit Parade.
28:45Hi, I'm Keith, and I'm Ronan, and we're from...
28:47You just do it on your own.
28:49So what did you grab Thailand?
28:50You're watching Smile TV.
28:51You're watching Channel V.
28:53Space Shower TV.
28:55MTV Japan.
28:56Pop 10.
28:56TVK Shuffle.
28:58You're watching Street.
29:00What?
29:00They would literally work you from early in the morning, like live radio show of five or six in the
29:04morning,
29:05to live TV show at 11 o'clock at night.
29:07Voici avec picture of you.
29:10Boyzone.
29:12You're just so tired.
29:14When you're finished working, you can't sleep.
29:16We're away.
29:17We're in a hotel in Germany.
29:18We go to the bar, you know.
29:20We get drunk.
29:21You go to bed, you wake up, you've got a hangover, and you do it all over again.
29:24Three, eight special guests in the studio are...
29:27Boyzone.
29:28Yay!
29:29Louis never travelled with us.
29:31You know, the odd time, if it was something big, if you're playing Wembley, but on the day-to-day,
29:36slogging away, Louis hated to travel.
29:39Oh, I'm in Dublin.
29:40I hardly...
29:41I didn't want to go with them.
29:43Oh, God, no.
29:44I don't think they knew what I actually did.
29:47I don't think they knew the work that actually I did behind the scenes at all.
29:52They've no idea.
29:53I think they just thought I made phone calls and it all happened.
29:56But it wasn't just like that, really.
30:03I don't think Boyzone probably realised how instrumental he was.
30:08To their success, there was Take That, who were cleaning up,
30:13and then there was Boyzone, who needed to do something fast
30:17to get people's attention next to this massive boy band.
30:21And Louis knew exactly what to do and exactly how to do it.
30:25And that was through the Tabloid Press.
30:28I was working as the Irish Mirror showbiz editor.
30:33My job, essentially, was to go and get the biggest stories about the biggest stars.
30:37Because every day you're challenged with beating every other newspaper.
30:41And there were no rules.
30:43There were no rules.
30:44The only rule was you had to win.
30:46So for me, it was made very clear when I got into the Mirror
30:52that the Sun were beating us.
30:56This is one of the first conversations I had with my boss.
30:58The Sun are beating us every day on Boyzone.
31:01I didn't give a fuck a year ago, he said,
31:04because they were putting out a load of old tat around Ireland.
31:07Now London are getting obsessed with them.
31:10And I need you to become their best mate.
31:14I remember sitting down and being told to call this guy called Louis Walsh.
31:24So I rang him.
31:26And surprisingly, he didn't just slam down the phone and say,
31:28put in an interview request like everybody else.
31:30He said, give me a call back in two days and I'll have a story for you.
31:35I always had a really good relationship with all the people in the press.
31:39And the tabloids were very important.
31:41So, you know, I kept them on side.
31:43I gave them stories.
31:44I told them things.
31:46Louis Walsh to me is the master.
31:49And in 20 years of journalism is the master puppeteer of the press.
31:54I mean, you can't underestimate how he rewrote the rule book
32:00about engagement with the press and why you should do that.
32:02He was access all areas.
32:06And he did play games.
32:08He was shrewd.
32:09He knew what the press needed.
32:13If there wasn't a story going around,
32:15Louis would get you one and it didn't matter what you wrote as long as you wrote.
32:21I didn't realise how much we were in the tabloids.
32:24Like twice a week for five years we were written about.
32:30And we were out of the country so much that, you know, we'd speak to our mums or dads
32:34and they'd say, oh, I just read this in the paper, is it true?
32:37And we're like, no, it's not true.
32:39Who said that?
32:40And you'd never know who said it.
32:44Oh, yeah, I mean, sometimes the boys would read stories in the papers about themselves
32:49that weren't true and they'd say, who told them that?
32:53We, no, I did.
32:54I told them because I am promoting you.
32:57I make them up sometimes, but that's fine.
33:03He believed any story was a good story.
33:06Any story.
33:07He would make up stories constantly about the band.
33:10About relationships with girlfriends that were non-existent.
33:15Like plane crashes that were not true.
33:19I had them in a plane crash once in Australia
33:22and I forgot to tell the families I made it up.
33:25But there was no plane crash.
33:26But it got a good story.
33:28Did you ever feel guilty about it?
33:30I never felt guilty about it.
33:32No way, I was promoting them.
33:33I was doing my job.
33:35I would do it all again, yeah, absolutely.
33:38I'd do even more now.
33:45The invasion of the tabloids was damaging.
33:49It scarred us, I mean, it was hugely scary.
33:52What the media did to us all, having no control,
33:56people making assumptions on who you are
33:59from what they read in the papers,
34:01the five of us were massively affected by that.
34:05We all had our fair share of stories in the paper
34:08that affect us in different ways.
34:10The one who really had it the most
34:14was Stephen Gately, I'd say.
34:24At the time, Stephen Gately was very much
34:29a dream ticket for the tabloids
34:33because every girl in the country
34:34was mad in love with him.
34:37And Louis handed me a dream story
34:40and almost inconceivably
34:44fantastical showbiz home run.
34:46He said, okay, I'm giving this only to you.
34:52Stephen Gately and Baby Spice
34:54are secretly dating.
35:00Now, at this time,
35:02the Spice Girls
35:04are zigzagaring around the world.
35:06I mean, people were
35:09obsessed with them
35:10on a global level.
35:15And Stephen Gately was single
35:17all the time.
35:20So, you don't take a step back
35:22to wonder if it could be true
35:23or if it's been exaggerated.
35:24You don't care.
35:25It's a home run.
35:26They said it,
35:27print, print, print.
35:29And it did.
35:30I mean, it went everywhere.
35:37Stephen, he was living the dream.
35:40But he had a big secret.
35:42He didn't want anyone to know about it.
35:44He was so scared.
35:46He was so scared
35:47that it was going to kill his career.
35:58The 96th was a very, very special year.
36:13I was 20 years of age.
36:15We're playing Wembley.
36:17It doesn't feel real.
36:18You're still waiting for somebody
36:20to tell you you're an imposter.
36:21What are you doing?
36:22You shouldn't be doing this.
36:24It was an absolute honor
36:26to perform for the fans.
36:29There is nothing I can say to you
36:32that could describe
36:34the feeling of elation.
36:41We went from strength
36:42to strength
36:43that we didn't dip.
36:44We kept on building
36:46on what Boys' Own World was.
36:48It was huge.
36:50You could do no wrong.
36:53High chart positions,
36:54sellout tours,
36:56record-breaking ticket sales.
36:58It was so much fun.
37:00So great.
37:01My nickname is Homeboy
37:02because I'm always homesick.
37:04I was born on St. Patrick's Day
37:05and I used to be a dance teacher.
37:07Who am I?
37:08So girls,
37:09who is that homesick chappie?
37:10Steve!
37:11Steve from Boys' Own is here.
37:13They're around here.
37:15Steven,
37:16he was actually,
37:17from day one,
37:19probably the most popular
37:20member of the band
37:20for girls.
37:21He was the
37:23heartthrob.
37:23Not Ronan.
37:25Steven Gately
37:25was the heartthrob.
37:31You know,
37:31we were very close.
37:33We had a great bond
37:34from very young.
37:37Pretty early on,
37:38we had fans
37:40in the garden
37:41of our house.
37:42like, you know,
37:44they'd be
37:44parked outside,
37:45they'd be sleeping there.
37:47My mother would be
37:47making them cups of tea.
37:49He probably wouldn't
37:50come back for days
37:50and they'd be
37:51still sitting outside
37:52waiting for him,
37:53you know.
37:54Sorry, girls,
37:55I'm actually walking.
37:56You'll have to wait
37:56later on or something.
38:01Where's your camera?
38:03Where's your camera?
38:08He was the childhood
38:09sweetheart
38:09of millions of girls.
38:11They loved him.
38:13Steve, let us a kiss
38:14tonight.
38:14Let us a kiss.
38:18That's why
38:19we had to just
38:20rush and rush
38:21because if you stay
38:22there too long
38:22you will not
38:23get out.
38:24And he had to
38:25negotiate his way
38:26through that.
38:26You could tell
38:27that it'd taken
38:28a bit of a toll
38:29on him
38:30and we didn't
38:31know why
38:32at that time.
38:34We didn't know why.
38:35I certainly didn't.
38:37Stephen, I think
38:38he was probably
38:39about to go on
38:40a tour
38:42and he just
38:43said,
38:44there's something
38:44I need to talk
38:45to you about.
38:45You know, I said,
38:46yeah, okay, you know.
38:48And I said,
38:48well, let's go
38:49for a coffee.
38:51He just said
38:51that, yeah,
38:53I'm gay.
38:54He hadn't said
38:55anything to anyone
38:56in my family.
38:57You know,
38:59you know,
39:00until he told me.
39:02I knew
39:03the minute I met him
39:04that
39:05he
39:06was
39:08on the bus
39:09the same bus
39:11as me
39:11and
39:12there was something
39:14about the shared
39:15experience.
39:16Pretty soon
39:17he gravitated
39:18towards me
39:19and
39:20started to tell
39:21me stuff
39:21and
39:22I worried
39:24for him.
39:24There was
39:25a huge
39:27sense
39:27of vulnerability
39:30and
39:31I knew
39:32where he was
39:32from in Dublin
39:34so I knew
39:35it could never
39:35have been easy
39:36for him.
39:38Behind the Dublin
39:39Financial Centre,
39:40one of the capital's
39:41symbols of power,
39:42progress and wealth,
39:43hides Sheriff's Street,
39:44symbol of poverty,
39:45dilapidation
39:46and urban decay.
39:48We grew up in a place
39:50called Sheriff's Street.
39:51Tough,
39:52tough area
39:53grown up like.
39:54I had four brothers,
39:56me and the boys
39:57had one bedroom.
40:00Myself and Stephen
40:00shared a bed.
40:01He was down one end,
40:02I was up the other.
40:04You know,
40:04it was hard for people.
40:07Sheriff's Street
40:08was
40:08a very,
40:10very rough
40:10and humble
40:11place
40:12and quite
40:13unforgiving
40:15and there
40:15would have been
40:16a dominance
40:19of criminality.
40:20To try and break
40:21out of that
40:22was going to be
40:23a big deal
40:24because just saying
40:25you were from
40:26Sheriff's Street
40:28would have been
40:28a black mark against
40:29you,
40:30going for a job,
40:31going for anything.
40:31I was just determined
40:33to be famous
40:34since I was around
40:35nine.
40:37There's no one down
40:38my area
40:39that has made it.
40:40I'm going to be
40:41the first to be
40:41well known
40:42throughout the world.
40:44He knew
40:45that this was
40:45his ticket
40:46out
40:47of the life
40:49that he had.
40:50No matter
40:51what they do
40:53I see
40:55No matter
40:57what they do
40:58No matter
41:00what they do
41:01No matter
41:02what they teach
41:04us
41:05What we believe
41:07is true
41:09I was suspicious
41:10that he was gay
41:11from day one
41:12but I knew
41:14he didn't want
41:14anyone to know
41:15about it.
41:17Stephen knew
41:18that keeping
41:19shtum
41:19on his real
41:21nature
41:22was part
41:24of his
41:25ticket out.
41:27We knew
41:27Stephen was gay.
41:28Stephen came
41:30to us
41:30early doors
41:31of the band
41:31and he said
41:32it to us.
41:32We were there
41:33for him
41:34as big brothers
41:35and protect him
41:36and look after him.
41:37He was
41:38obviously concerned
41:39about the reaction
41:40that the fans
41:41would have
41:41to him being gay.
41:43You're talking
41:4425 years ago.
41:45It was a different
41:46world back then.
41:48The Catholic Church
41:49had held
41:50a firm grip
41:51on Irish society.
41:53Ireland was
41:54completely
41:55unwelcoming
41:56to gays.
41:58Teachers,
41:59bank officials,
42:00anybody like that
42:01who was outed
42:02had to leave the country.
42:04They were disgraced.
42:06In 1993,
42:09homosexuality
42:10was decriminalised
42:11in Ireland
42:12but Stephen
42:13hadn't yet learned
42:14to accept
42:15that it was
42:16okay to be gay
42:17because nobody had.
42:19It had literally
42:19just been decriminalised.
42:21So, you know,
42:23the country
42:23was only catching up
42:26with the rest
42:27of the world
42:29and Stephen
42:30was caught
42:30in the crossfire.
42:32Will you welcome,
42:32please,
42:33boys' own
42:33Stephen Gakling.
42:38I think Stephen's
42:39biggest fear
42:41was rejection.
42:42So what's all
42:43this stuff
42:43about Kerri-Ann?
42:44I don't know
42:44where I sprang from.
42:45Do you know her?
42:46Yeah, I know her well.
42:47Yeah, she's a
42:47really nice girl.
42:48You know,
42:49she's done well
42:49and we've known
42:50each other
42:50over the past few years.
42:51But there's no romance there
42:52at all.
42:53No, there's no romance there.
42:54What about Mandy Smith?
42:54We had her on the show
42:55and there was something
42:56talking about that.
42:56Mandy, bless her, yeah.
42:57He was trying
42:57to straddle both worlds
42:59and keep everybody happy.
43:01Do you think there's
43:02all this pressure
43:02coming on you
43:03because all the other lads,
43:04the four-olds,
43:04are spoken for?
43:05See, I get asked
43:06this all the time.
43:07I mean, every interview
43:08we do with every magazine,
43:10they always ask,
43:11you know,
43:11you're the only one left,
43:11what's the story?
43:12When I find the right person
43:13and when I settle down
43:14then, you know,
43:15I'll be happy
43:16and I'll let people know
43:17but at the moment
43:18I'm just...
43:19His struggle
43:20was eating him alive.
43:21From the moment
43:22Stephen got up
43:23in the morning
43:24until he went to bed
43:25at night,
43:26he was overwhelmingly afraid
43:29that he was going
43:30to be exposed.
43:33How do you cope
43:34with the success
43:35of the kind of media attention?
43:36It is quite difficult
43:37for me.
43:38I do find it hard
43:39to cope at times
43:40and I just like
43:41to shut myself
43:42in my room.
43:45I'm sensitive
43:46and I can get
43:47very upset easily
43:48but, you know,
43:49I have four great friends
43:51look after me.
43:54Stephen was incredibly fragile.
43:56He was a fragile person
43:57and it wouldn't take
43:59much to push him.
44:00There was many a time
44:01when he would lock himself
44:03in a hotel room
44:04and we couldn't get him out.
44:05He was always on his phone
44:07and you'd never know
44:07who he was on the phone to.
44:08He was always stressed out.
44:10He had a lot of anxiety
44:11going on in his life.
44:12It was a lonely, lonely place.
44:16He was scared
44:17of the press
44:18doing the story on him.
44:19He was so scared.
44:21Louis did tell me
44:22that some of the papers
44:24were trying
44:25to out Stephen.
44:27one of our team
44:30who had a serious contact
44:32in the sun
44:33had basically given us
44:36their daily summary
44:37of espionage
44:40and it was that
44:42the sun
44:42are running
44:44a front page
44:46world exclusive
44:47tomorrow
44:48that Stephen Gately
44:49is coming out.
44:55We're in the dressing room
44:57in the Coliseum
44:58in Hong Kong.
45:04I was a show
45:05with the editor
45:05at the sun.
45:08Somebody came
45:09to the sun
45:10was selling
45:11the story
45:11that
45:13Stephen was gay.
45:16I wrote the story.
45:19What we were about to do
45:20was going to change everything.
45:45was going to be
45:51in the middle of the day.
45:52than what we were about to do
45:52after the evening.
45:52I brought the story
46:01Transcription by CastingWords
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