Boybands Forever reveals incredible tales of the 90s

Channel 4's Boybands Forever: The Best of British Boybands is a shining light in a bleak television landscape.

Jack White looks back at the explosion of boybands in the 90s and the memories and cultural legacy of Take That, One Direction and more.

Channel 4's Boybands Forever: The Best of British Boybands is exactly the sort of light entertainment programming we didn't know we needed. This affectionate look back at the boyband phenomenon of the 90s and 00s is a charm-filled, nostalgia-fest that's hard to resist.

The documentary's primary focus is Take That, whose story is told from the beginnings through to Robbie Williams' dramatic exit in 1995. Other boybands get a look-in, from East 17 and Five to One Direction and 5ive, but Take That's tale is the central thread of the film.

Manager Nigel Martin-Smith, who put Take That together after seeing an advert Gary Barlow placed in a music paper, is among those interviewed at length. So too is Robbie Williams, whose incredible solo career after he left the group speaks for itself.

One of the most interesting things the film reveals is just how close Take That came to never happening at all. Martin-Smith initially rejected Barlow and didn't think he was good enough. His decision to take a second look has to go down as one of the best he ever made.

The film charts the stratospheric rise and spectacular fall of Take That, and the deep-rooted impact the band has had on British popular culture. Having sold over 45 million records worldwide, their heart-throbbing antics had a seismic effect on the nation's teenagers.