- When we first started out, we were told that female pop groups do not sell magazine covers. It was so hard for us, and we had to break down a lot of barriers. (TENSE MUSIC) - The parameters that young women are allowed to operate in is about... Like that. 'Don't be too big, don't be too loud, 'don't be too messy, don't be too demanding' ` Shut up. Definitely shut up. (INTENSE MUSIC) (INDISTINCT CHANTING) And the only way you can get through it is with solidarity with other young women. - I think you've got to be confident, cos if one's nervous, then it all spreads like wildfire. So as a group, we are confident, yeah. As a group, we are, yeah. (NOSTALGIC ELECTRONIC MUSIC) (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) - Girls night. - ALL: Whoo! Yay! - What the girls did and achieve in that global success was so huge that it almost felt like the view was that they couldn't then have successful relationships and successful families and successful solo careers. But people wanted to kind of pick away at some part of it. - MAN: Did you have fun? - Bye! - NARRATOR: After selling 100 million records and becoming the biggest girl group of all time, the Spice Girls entered the 21st century on their own. - The girl gang gave them protection, you know. They were a force to be reckoned with. But as individuals, they were much easier targets, I think. (PAPARAZZI CLAMOUR) - Still in their 20s, they were about to find out what life was like in the spotlight when they were alone. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2021 (WHOOPING, SCATTERED APPLAUSE) - Thank you very much. Thank you. First of all, I'm not here to talk about the Spice Girls. I'm here as Melanie C. We are all pursuing solo careers, and that's all I'm about to say on that subject. - It must have been a complete culture shock to be out there by themselves because they'd always had four mates sort of backing them up. - I've come down to see how it's done. Not sure what I'm getting myself into. (LAUGHS) - When I saw her in the corridor, I didn't want her to go in that room because she looked quite vulnerable. - I've actually been here once before with the Spice Girls, so, um, I'm here on my own this time. - WOMAN: Demonstration de yoga. - Bien sur. - Now the girls were all on their own, travelling around TV and radio studios. Without their girl gang, they were more exposed to difficult encounters. - Let me tell you, honey, when I make love to you, I'd use a vibrator on you. - (LAUGHS) - I'm not uptight about it. I don't get jealous of that. I'll get you a big black vibrator. I'm not kidding. - Dearie me. - If the other four had been there, imagine Mel B would've just tore into him, you know, and Geri as well, they would have been there. - Dearie me. - Exactly. - Behave yourself now. - But there was one Spice Girl left who hadn't launched a solo career. - REPORTER: Who do you admire in the music world at the moment? - (EXHALES) So many people, I think. Madonna, fantastic... - Victoria, to some extent, she was OK because she was moving from brand Spice to brand Beckham. And it happened so organically, you know, David was at the height of his powers as a footballer, she was at the height of her power as a Spice Girl. And with David by her side, you know, they just looked strong together. - ANNOUNCER: Victoria et David Beckham. - She was with somebody who'd had her back, and she had his. - Bonjour! - Bonjour. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) - Victoria Beckham, better known as Posh Spice, is making her first solo bid for the number one slot. Determined, perhaps to silence those who criticised for her being the one Spice Girl that can't actually sing, she's touring the country to promote her new single. - # Who do you think you are, # telling me I've gone too far... - INTERVIEWER: When I heard it I was quite surprised because your voice is very exposed, I mean, you're right there, it's very... strong. - Different, yeah, hmm. (LAUGHS) # Open up your eyes, boy, you trouble me... - NARRATOR: In the summer of 2000, Victoria entered the fray. After a high-profile chart battle, her single ended up losing out on the top spot. (INDISTINCT SHOUTING) - I thought really brave of her after people did give her quite negative press about singing and everything. She was like, 'I'm gonna give it a go. I'm gonna sing again.' - # You're out of your mind... # - My name is Camilla Simson. I used to be in musical theatre, and I met Victoria in a show that we were both doing, and we ended up being really good friends. (INDISTINCT SINGING) - She'd been quite sheltered, I think, by her family. Her family were quite protective. She had a tough time at school. Her dad was self-made. He'd done really, really well, and she was sort of dropped off in a really smart car and used to get teased for it, and I think for her, she channelled that into, 'Right. Well, I'll show you.' - Victoria continues to promote her solo career and shows that she isn't frightened to perform live on the biggest TV shows. - # Love is such a precious gift, # One thing in my life, I know is true. # I.O.U. # - Didn't necessarily maybe work out, but I think it showed how strong she is. She was probably grappling around a bit and wondering what her next move was gonna be. I think that was more David's time. She had young children, and she was kind of being a mum more than anything then. - Victoria's album doesn't set the world alight, and after a bust-up at Manchester United, David decides to move to Spain. A documentary crew follows the couple, gaining an intimate insight into their lives as they relocate. - What's this about? I'm so stressed. I've kind of felt that it's my responsibility for us to find somewhere to live. You know, cos David, obviously, I like him to concentrate on his football. - You up for a dip? - This is the bathroom. (CLATTERING) I actually don't want to go back to England now, and I never thought I'd say that, David. Did you? - Homesick. (GENTLE PIANO MUSIC) - David continues to receive the plaudits in the UK, whilst Victoria continues to receive the vitriol. - He cashes in on that celebrity thing every bit as much... - Beckham is wonderful in what he does. Beckham off the field does all sorts of good works, and she's just a common little bitch. (STIRRING MUSIC) - The noise were much, much worse than the '90s. (PAPARAZZI CLAMOUR, CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICK) That was where it became very, very frightening. If you were a celebrity back then, I mean, everything was fair game. You had to smile, and you had to put up and shut up. This was when they started doing the upskirting. And it became all about seeing behind-the-scenes. - In fact, I don't know how to feel. He makes me feel stupid. He makes me feel manipulated, and he makes me feel small. - It was like we wanted to bring celebrity down because they had risen so high that they had to come down. - PAPARAZZI: Rebecca? Rebecca! (PENSIVE MUSIC) (MACHINERY WHIRS) - Victoria was completely demonised in the press. She was the one that had done something wrong. - INTERVIEWER: How much is there left in this story? How much... - Actually, I- Yeah. I can't answer that question because there's loads more. But you mustn't say. - It was like 'this woman who's terrible', 'what's Victoria done wrong'. They were the two arguments. - It hasn't diminished, and it won't diminish popularity. You know, a good-looking guy. Very sexy guy. I don't think it's gonna come as a shock that while he's in Madrid and Victoria is back home pursuing her career that these allegations could possibly have happened. - It's a timeless double standard ` men's personal lives don't affect their careers in the same way that women's affect theirs. (SPARSE TENSE MUSIC) * - NARRATOR: Another Spice Girl leaving the UK is Mel B, who's creating a new home in California and getting away from the British press. - What did you do at school today, Phoenix? Huh? - I don't remember. - (LAUGHS) You always say that. - When you come out of that circus of extreme fame to quiet and you don't know what's coming next, that's probably really terrifying. So, I met Mel basically through a job where she needed styling. She had some amazing, amazing pieces of clothing. I mean, there was, I can say, there was a lot of leopard skin, which, you know, that becomes your persona. It can't be easy. You've got everybody outside of you asking, 'What's next? What's next?' - Mel's new life in LA is away from the entertainment industry and gives her time to reflect. - Best thing that's happened to me in LA... is I've had downtime, where you can just be. Rather than, you know... always thinking about the next thing you're gonna do. - The first time I met Mel, oh gosh, it's probably about 20 years now when she first moved to Los Angeles. She was living across the street, just a couple of doors down. She was really just singularly focused on building a life here with Phoenix and just looking for normalcy. She just wanted to get out of the spotlight. (UNEASY MUSIC) (CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICK) - PAPARAZZI: Mel! Mel! Mel. - I can't quite imagine how difficult that must have been for her. - Starting exclusively in today's Sun. - It was all over the papers. That was a sexist thing to start judging her relationships and her parenting skills. - MAN: Mel B had had implants, now leaving her unable to breastfeed little Phoenix. - There's a certain vulnerability about being a single woman with a child on your own. You know, you have no, kind of, fall-back position. And she was also dealing with, obviously, the final air of being a black woman. - NARRATOR: Before leaving for America, Mel moved to Buckinghamshire with her daughter. She was asked about life in the area whilst filming a documentary. - MAN: So, do you feel you're part of the community around here? - (CRIES, BABBLES) - I've gotten loads of abuse and racist hate mail when I first moved in here, as in like, 'Get back to Brixton where you belong' vibe. And at that time, I'd done Sunday Times, naked and pregnant. (CHUCKLES) This guy said, 'I was absolutely repulsed. I've opened my Sunday Times magazine 'and find a big, fat, black pregnant woman on the front.' (GENTLE MUSIC) - Mel B was often at the forefront of the Spice Girls and forced to cope with global fame on camera. - Between the five of us, we all handled pressure really different. My way of dealing with my pressure was to be as obnoxious as possible (LAUGHS) and slightly angry. - She's beautiful and just` (LAUGHS) She's unruly and just outlandish and didn't give a damn. - Who are you, then? - MAN: I'm Walkers crew. - Oh hello, Walkers crew. I hate Walkers crisps. I prefer Wotsits. - (LAUGHS) - My name is Nadia Rose, aka Nastiest Rose, aka Squad Boss. I feel like Spice Girls, and they don't even know it, they're at the core of (LAUGHS) so many things. I love each of them for different reasons. Mel B ` first off, she's a black woman and at that time I didn't see much representation like that. So yeah, seeing a black woman in this space was like, 'Wow.' - (SPEAKS DUTCH) - NARRATOR: From the early days of the Spice Girls, Mel was never afraid to call out injustices. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) - I think` I think they shouldn't paint their face. You should get proper black people to do it. You shouldn't paint their faces. I don't think that's very good. - No, no, no. But that's... - She talked about being mixed race in the UK was very difficult. But not in a lamenting way. more like 'That's the reality. Let's just get on with it.' She felt, like, the way to, you know, empower girls with that is just to show up like she showed up. - You can get across messages, whether I mean- I get across hopefully mixed-race messages, you know, keep that positive and, like, going strong. And between the five of us, we can get across certain things to people, who hopefully out there are listening. - She's in this group as the only black woman,... - (ALL EXCLAIM) - ...and she was true to herself. (GENTLE MUSIC) (PEACEFUL SYNTH MUSIC) - NARRATOR: After a few years of living the quiet life in LA, Mel re-enters the spotlight. She begins dating Hollywood royalty, Eddie Murphy. - I went for a dinner party at his house, and it was very, very intense, that attraction. He's such a lovely person. He's all about family and is very respectful and very old school. - She was like, super happy. It was a real kind of... 'love at first sight' sort of exciting relationship, and everything was on a real high, and it was great. And then she got pregnant. And it kind of spiralled into not working out after that. - And Joe, we had done the movie already. (CHUCKLES) We were finished by the time Mel B popped up. - INTERVIEWER: So, are you happy with her because she's pregnant with your child? - But nah, you're being presumptuous. First, we're not together anymore, and we don't know whose child that is until it comes out and has a blood test. (LAUGHS) You shouldn't jump to conclusions. (LAUGHS) - And to be publicly denied and humiliated like that is really tough. It's exactly what she was trying to not have happen here. - # Nobody stands # in between me and my man... - NARRATOR: After the public denial, Mel ensures that her voice is heard. - # What kind of fuckery is this? # - Did you ever think, possibly, of not having the baby? - Absolutely not. This was a planned baby. This was something that we both sat down` - He wanted the baby, you wanted the baby? - Yeah. We both sat down, and we discussed it. Listen, I'm not about to just have a baby by accident. I'm a very responsible parent. - So, you were in love with him, you wanted to have the baby,... - Very much so. - ...planned it. - We wanted to have a baby, and we planned it, Larry. (LAUGHS) - I was really trying to support her and help her through that. (PAPARAZZI CLAMOUR, CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICK) - I'm the one that referred her to Gloria. - Gloria Allred is one of the most prominent civil rights lawyers, especially for women, on behalf of women, in the United States. - NARRATOR: When DNA tests prove Eddie is the baby's father, Mel and her lawyer hold a press conference to publicly denounce his behaviour. - I'm here today for one reason and one reason only ` her name is Angel. Angel is my baby, and Eddie's. She will always know that she was planned and wanted by the both of us. I'm speaking out today because I recognise that there are millions and millions of single mothers and their children who don't have a voice, who also wish for their fathers of their children to participate and share the responsibility for their children's lives. Those children also have a right to know their fathers, and I call on those fathers to ignore the poor role model that Eddie has been and set a better example for their children. - It's important to have people with such platforms and in those spaces that can speak out and can give women empowerment. - After Mel's press conference, Eddie Murphy denied baby Angel was planned, but he did acknowledge his responsibilities as her father. - Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) - His award-winning career continues untarnished. - I'll be damned. OK, yeah... Thank you so much. (INDISTINCT CHATTER) - You've gotta remember at that time, like, most businesses are run kind of by people in their 40s or 50s. Men still had the power in the entertainment industry. They still pull the strings. Simon Fuller ushered in this music reality TV show era. It's just one long advert for a pop star that you own at the end. I mean, you know, money, money, money! I think that he felt like he gave the Spice Girls too much control. (INDISTINCT CHATTER) - But Fuller's relationship with one Spice Girl is about to change. - They have just signed a massive branding deal with the former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller. - I think it's time people saw the real Victoria. There are lots of things proposed, and there's one thing in particular we can do, but I'm not gonna tell you just yet. - Re-signing with Fuller makes him one of the biggest entertainment managers in the world and gives Victoria some much-needed security. - WOMAN: And how have you been back with Simon? - You know what? It's like a huge weight being lifted off of my shoulders. - Simon's not the only person Victoria's reconnected with - I should turn on my mobile. I've probably got about 100 missed calls. 'You have four new messages.' Oh, Geri Halliwell. 'How are you? How you doing? 'What you're up to, and in what country in.' She really goes on, Geri. Her heart's in the right place. Um, so, I invited her over for lunch because she'd never met Brooklyn, she's never met Romeo. And I do-I do... I mean, I don't have a lot of friends, and I do miss her company. - # Tell me where... # - In 2004, Geri is promoting her new album. It's a lonely life of travel and rehearsals, which is losing its allure. - I just feel like... I'm just not the most important person in anybody's life anymore. It is quite... I'm not, in anyone's life. No, I'm not. It's kind of like a real awakening that I have to grow up. - Geri talks about how kind of early 30s is a very insecure time where she didn't know what she was doing or where she was at. She spent a lot of her career chasing something. It felt like Geri was slightly lost and didn't know exactly what she was trying to do. - I feel there's a lot of pressure because everyone keeps on harping on and saying I'm the most successful UK female artist with the most number ones, the most successful one. And now so, 'Oh my God, I better be successful then.' If I don't get a number one then, fuck, it's not successful. So, and I don't know what success is, do you know what I mean, any more. I feel really nostalgic about Spice Girls and, you know, I look back and kind of smile at the little kind of sweet memories and just the silly moments. (LAUGHS) When I first left, I was very, very sad, very, very lonely because I didn't realise how much they were part of my life. (POIGNANT MUSIC) You know, we had such a connection. - ALL: All that I want from you is a promise you will be there. will be there. * - It's much harder to be a woman on your own in the public eye,... - INTERVIEWER: You and Jade have been together for a long time. - We have. - Six years or something like that. - Eight years now. - Eight years? - Yes. - So, there's speculation ` Are you engaged? Are you this, are you that? - No, not yet. - Oh. - ...especially young women in their 30s. There is a definite pressure or a kind of scrutiny that women get in their 30s that men don't get. - INTERVIEWER: Now, I wanna ask you, - I'm very busy at the moment. New album out on the 2nd of April. So you know, that's gonna keep me busy for a little while. - When you haven't got kids and people are in on you about it; when you have got kids, people are in on you about it. To be out there by themselves, it's very hard. And I think the girls were very much, you know, they wanted their mates back. - NARRATOR: In June 2007, a press conference is called, and in a blaze of publicity, an announcement is made. - Please welcome, in person for the first time together in nine years since Ginger did a bunk in Oslo, Posh, Ginger, Sporty, Baby, Scary, the one and only Spice Girls. (INDISTINCT SHOUTING, CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICK) - It was a massive deal. I mean, it really was a massive deal. People were so excited. And, you know, kind of women who were into them when they were younger brought their own children and, you know, it really was a big deal. - ALL: Girl power! - WOMEN CHEER: Whooo! - I've been waiting for this concert since I was in the third grade. - Suppose you've ever got divorced, and you've fallen in love with your ex-husband again. - What?! That's how it feels like to me. ` Geri, babe. OK. - Great! - She just appreciates the fact we've let her back in. - (ALL LAUGH) - NARRATOR: They looked stronger and more united than ever before. And their fans loved it. - # Viva forever. # I'll be waiting. - Being a Spice Girl, it's far better than being a solo artist because you're sharing that experience with somebody. It feels so much stronger and more empowering, you know, together. - # ...the one. # (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) - After the success of the 2007 world tour, the girls returned to their lives outside of the group. And for Mel B, things are moving very quickly. - PHOTOGRAPHER: Right here, right here. - After everything that had happened with Eddie, Mel was really, really sad. And then Stephen came into the picture. - She's gotten married, and it's all been a secret. What the devil is going on there? - It is a fantastic soap opera. She secretly tied the knot in Las Vegas with Stephen Belafonte. - Not Eddie Murphy? (LAUGHS) - Not Eddie Murphy. - She was in a very vulnerable place when she first met him. She was really excited about it, and thought he was very handsome, outgoing. He also had a daughter. It seemed like a blended family was appealing. - PAPARAZZI: Let's go, guys. Up for another baby? - She felt that he could be a real support and, you know, a really great partner. - NARRATOR: Mel's new relationship goes beyond the personal and into the professional, as the couple sign a deal to make a new reality TV series called It's a Scary World. - In the middle of filming that right now, and me and my husband are producers on it. So I control everything. Girl Power 101. - He became her manager, and reality TV was really big during that time period. And I remember him talking about it a lot. He was always looking for the angle and trying to figure out how he could, you know, shove her back into the spotlight, put her into something. ('IT'S A SCARY WORLD' THEME) - Cameras follow Mel and her husband as they go about their everyday life in LA. - We've been married for three years. And... - It was like I walked into a vineyard, and there was all these grapes, and I was like, 'Look! I found my one grape out of all those little...' - He's got a problem. - Well, it was sort of like that. - Mel's profile in America grows. And she's a runner-up in the hit show Dancing with the Stars. Mel is then asked to be a host on the red carpet at the Oscars. - Does she forget words on stage and things? - She does. - No! - That's not what she said! She said no. - She does, but that's what makes Melanie, Melanie, and that's why we love her for that. - See! All right? - ...against Melanie. I like this. - I think that you forgot that we are both Spice Girls, and you should not even try and go there. - (SNAPS) Oh, we're gonna get defensive on ya. - Oh! Mel, it's like riding a bike. You know, you forget, but once you know, it's like riding a bike, being a Spice Girl, and we're enjoying it. It's good to that back. (PAPARAZZI SHOUT INDISTINCTLY) - I think it really helped Victoria that she moved to America. They're all about 'you can become anything you want to be'. - The American fashion industry right from the start was incredibly supportive, very kind, and my aim is to just make everybody look and feel really beautiful. - NARRATOR: In September 2008, Victoria launches her own fashion label. And in 2011 she wins Designer Brand of the Year at the British Fashion Awards. - That's quite amazing to be a prey to the tabloids, and then now, be able to have that almost turned on its head when she can control her image and her brand herself now. She is very savvy. - Brand Beckham's a massive success because of Victoria. I mean, he's absolutely gorgeous. He's a brilliant footballer, but he's not a footballer any more, is he? - INTERVIEWER: I mean, what's David's role? - David looks good. That's what David does. He... (LAUGHTER) David looks good, and I'm the funny one. That's what I hear constantly, but looks fade. I keep telling him that. - It's a whole kind of entity that is monetised, (LAUGHS) basically. - It's a whole kind of entity that is monetised, (LAUGHS) basically. * (DISTANT CHEERING) - The guest list reflected the world William and Kate inhabit, their own friends, the young and successful, the celebrities Sir Elton John and the Beckhams, David and Victoria. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) - The 2010s felt incredibly optimistic. - ANNOUNCER: For the first time in over 60 years, the Olympic Games is returning to British soil. - It just seemed quite upbeat and hopeful around that time. It was before Brexit and Trump, you know. The tabloids were brought down for phone hacking. - This is the most humble day of my life. - And we started to see women speaking out about historic sex abuse. - This whole thing is developing into a huge witch hunt. (REPORTERS CLAMOUR, CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICK) - The Olympic flame burns on British soil at last. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) - NARRATOR: 750 million people tune in for a once-in-a-lifetime performance with the iconic London black taxis delivering the stars. - They were so nervous before they went on, and they were panicking. 'Are we gonna get it wrong? Are we gonna be all right?' Cos the world was watching. - ALL SING: # La la la # la la la la la la. # La la la # la la la la. # When you're feeling... - That would be the last time Victoria performed. It took all her strength to do that. - # ...havin' a good time, shake it to the right. # If ya know that you feel fine, chicas to the front. # Ha! Ha! # Go round. - NARRATOR: This is the last time the five girls performed together, and they end in typically dramatic fashion. - # Hai, si, ja! # Hai, si, ja! Hold tight. # (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) - After an incredibly successful last performance, the girls continued to pursue their solo careers. And in 2014, Mel B is invited by Simon Cowell to be a judge on the biggest and flashiest talent show on TV. - I think people are ready for you. People are ready for` Ooh, I'm not sure if they're ready for you. - I'm not sure, either. (LAUGHS) - With your direct, loveable honesty. - I'm not ready for this. - Mel and her family return to the UK to film the series. (CHEERING, WHISTLING, APPLAUSE) - It was a massive success. Viewers really loved her, she claimed catchphrases. It felt like the British public really fell in love with her all over again. My biggest wish as a child was to meet the Spice Girls, and I refurbished a corner of my room into a kind of chapel. I would sit and write them letters. I would rehearse what I would say to them if I met them, but both sides of the conversation. So I'll say this, and then Mel B will say this. In 2014, I was asked to do an interview with Mel B. That, to me, was gonna be an absolute dream come true. On the day she arrives at the studio three hours late, and I immediately knew that something was wrong. She seemed very stressed and quite anxious. You could tell that she was struggling. Everything is slightly tense. She kept on saying the same thing to all of my questions, which was, 'I just do me.' Eventually I snapped and said, 'Oh, I'm interested to know why you're being so rude.' And then there was a pregnant pause, and she said, 'Yeah, I've walked in today, I was upset. 'I've had a row with my husband.' The magazine went to print on a Thursday or the Friday, and on the Saturday she was missing from The X Factor. - ANNOUNCER: Late last night, we got the news that Mel will be unable to join us due to illness. She's obviously absolutely gutted. We wish her a speedy recovery. But fear not, we have a super sub on the bench who knows just what it's like to support a winning act. (PENSIVE MUSIC) - NARRATOR: When she came out of hospital, Mel spoke out about her relationship and state of mind. (REFLECTIVE MUSIC) - I just had enough of such a fake... life. I wrote my note saying, you know, my kids, I want them to go and live and be with my mum. - It was really, really sad that that is what had happened. (INDISTINCT CHATTER) At first, it felt like he was genuine and really in love with her and a kind person, but he just started kind of, you know, engulfing her. She was losing her voice, but it happened slowly. So you don't quite know that it's happening until it's too late. - On the Sunday night, she was back at the results show, and she was bruised, and she wasn't her wedding ring, so it quickly became apparent that something was wrong in her marriage. - ANNOUNCER: This... is The X Factor Final: The Results? (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) Mel B is back, everyone! (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) - NARRATOR: Mel explained in interview her reasons for appearing on the show. - And I wanted to make sure that my friends and my family that I had no contact with knew that I was OK on some level. That was my big cry for help. Surely, somebody can see what's happening to me? Come and help me, somebody, please. (REFLECTIVE PIANO MUSIC) - Bro, no wedding ring, dude. It's done. - No, no, no, dude. It's fucking nothing, dude. It's nothing. No wedding ring, it's nothing. - WOMAN: No? - Nah, nah, nah. - SOFTLY: Hi. (LAUGHS) - (SLAMS) - Should I just sit here? - MAN: Mm-hm. - Oh, that's quite good cos you can't see... (LAUGHS) (GENTLE MUSIC) Sometimes you have to just... remember what your aim is to get you through it, cos sometimes you can get a bit down and a bit tired. But on the whole it is brilliant. I wouldn't wanna do nothing else. # Day of your life. # I think I'm strong enough to stay the same person inside. V is the foxy lady of the group. - I'm not. - Fancy lady! - It started with the Spice Girls and girl power. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) - I'm so nervous. And I thought, 'What if they don't like me?' - I thought maybe we should have some refreshments brought to us... - Yeah. - ...by men. - Stop. - Yes! - (GASPS) - Well, thank you so much. - It is a Diet Coke break. - She's the eccentric of the group. She's gonna end really old, like, dressed really weird. - I'm gonna have a castle with a swimming pool, and an island in the middle. (INDISTINCT CHATTER, CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICK) * (CHEERING) - Well, as you can tell, we're all excited. Everyone's excited. - Yep. - Now let me just run` a couple of the press reports have come out, obviously, one of the stories was you're only doing this for the cash. They're saying that some of you need cash more than others, perhaps, and that's the story. - We're doing it wholeheartedly. We can honestly say for each other, cos we really` it's a bit of fun, also for the fans. We've been asked so much, and we just wanted... (CHEERING) - There's no denying it will help with my lawyers bills. - Yeah. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) - Tonight, we are off to see... the Spice Girls! - We've got the Spice Girls tonight. - SING-SONGY: The Spice Girls! - (SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE) - That's gonna be my outfit tonight. - Baby Spice... (SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE) - We're gonna see the Spice Girls, and I'm dressed as who? Mama Spice. - EXCITEDLY: Oh my God! - Oh my God! - It's gonna be peak-as. (INDISTINCT CHATTER, FUNKY MUSIC PLAYS) (CHEERING) - ALL SING: # When you're feelin' sad and low, # we will take you where you gotta go. # Colours of the world, spice up your life. # Every boy and every girl, spice up your life. # People of the world, spice up your life. # Ahh... # - At the 2019 shows, it was just a healing experience for a lot of people. It felt like Mel B was very much back in the nest after having been estranged. Seeing her be completely emancipated from that awful relationship and back to form with the Spice Girls was really moving for Spice Girls fans. - She's always been about her sisterhood. She's taken the power back, and she's supporting other women. That is woman power. (POIGNANT MUSIC) - 'I've got my sisters' backs. You're not the only one, I'm here.' That's powerful. - MEL B: The feedback and the response from me speaking very openly about my traumatic time has kind of verified that it literally can happen to anyone. - LIP-SYNC: # Yo, I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want. - # So tell me what you want, what you really, really want. - # I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want. - # So tell me what you want, what you really, really want. - # I wanna (Hey!), I wanna (Hey!), I wanna (Hey!), I wanna (Hey!) # I wanna really, really, really wanna zig-a-zig, ah. - # If you want my future, forget my past. - # If you wanna get with me, better make it fast... # - Each generation springboards from what they see as children. You see, the women of the Me Too movement were, you know, 8 or 9 at the time when the Spice Girls were huge. So they springboard from their platform, which is girl power. - ALL SHOUT: Girl power! (CHEER) - Just them being them and doing what they did has allowed us to understand we have that power within ourselves. # Guess who's back. # But you never left? # Yes I did, I rose from the dead. I would go to school, and I'm building my own little Spice Girls at school, you know. I'm like, 'Oh yeah, you're... You're...' And then we'd just all be together, and that's my little clique, you know, that was my squad. # That's what? That skwod. # Thank you, Spice Girls. (ATMOSPHERIC MUSIC) - I'm Lou Sodor, a Spice fan. - Me and my gang then, and me and my gang now, we're now all women. Definitely independent women. The Spice Girls have gone from Spice Girls to fashion designers to radio presenters, and it just allowed us room to experiment. I changed career paths, really, this year. - When someone's trying to speak over me or being obnoxious or condescending, I think back to a young Geri, (CHUCKLES) and she wouldn't take that. And neither will I. - My favourite Spice Girl right from the start was Melanie C. Because each of the girls represented kind of a different version of femininity, almost, you didn't think like, 'Oh, she's not very feminine.' You just thought, 'Oh, this is just another way of being feminine.' - When they were screaming about girl power, everyone was listening. As a young gay man myself, like, I didn't know how to express myself. These five individuals helped us. - ALL CHANT: And it's not my fault, not where I was, not how I dressed. - This is what justice looks like. 20 + 3 years. - WOMEN CHANT: ...ni donde estaba ni como vestia. And the rapist was you! El violador eras tu! - They're still demanding an end to violence against women and girls. - When I first started this beautiful trip, I just said to the First Lady, 'You're so lucky I took you on this fantastic trip.' (INDISTINCT CHEERING) - Seeing young women on stage, enjoying themselves, and making a career out of it and taking up space, it might not have contributed to the kind of canon of feminist writing, but they made loads of money, they had a great time, they had loads of hits ` they've won. They did it. (INDISTINCT CHATTER, WHISTLING) - AUDIENCE SINGS: # All that I want from you # is a promise you # will be there. # I'm giving you everything, # all that joy can bring. # This I swear. - # Yes, I swear! - # ...want from you # is a promise you # will be there. # (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) (GENTLE REFLECTIVE MUSIC) (INDISTINCT CHATTER) - I think every generation of young women feel like they're shocked, actually, and even now. Young women are, like, they're shocked because they are brought up into and have a sense in themselves that they are human beings should be treated as equal to other human beings, to men. And as they go through their teens, they're like, 'Oh my God, I am not being treated in the same way. I am being belittled, I am being humiliated, I'm being treated as a sex object, I am being left out.' And you have to learn strategies for it all the way through your teenage years. And then you get out into the workplace and you think, 'Well, of course, I'm gonna be treated as equal because I worked hard and here I am.' And you're not. Every generation of women is shocked by that because it's a shocking thing. - Texas did just pass one of the most extreme anti-abortion laws in the country. - Review of policing in England and Wales says preventing violence against women and girls should be considered as much of a priority as counter-terrorism. - And the previous generation will go, 'We know. We know. We worked really hard and we got this ` 'We got this far, right? So now you have to take it even further.' But still, it's still a shock. It is a shock, and it still happens. SHAKILY: So... It actually makes me wanna cry. (LAUGHS) But it still happens. It's shit. It's completely shit. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) (POIGNANT PIANO MUSIC) Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2021