UPCOMING EPISODES

With more than 100 million records sold worldwide, the Jackson 5 - later known as the Jacksons - changed the pop landscape forever, paving the way for the modern boy band and bringing black music to a mainstream audience. But beneath their wholesome, bubble gum image, was a dark side: Betrayal, fraternal jealousy, a controlling father and a burgeoning megastar fighting to break free, threaten to rip the once close-knit family and group apart. This is the story of the spectacular break-up of the Jackson 5.

With more than 100 million records sold worldwide, the Jackson 5 - later known as the Jacksons - changed the pop landscape forever, paving the way for the modern boy band and bringing black music to a mainstream audience. But beneath their wholesome, bubble gum image, was a dark side: Betrayal, fraternal jealousy, a controlling father and a burgeoning megastar fighting to break free, threaten to rip the once close-knit family and group apart. This is the story of the spectacular break-up of the Jackson 5.

With a career spanning more than 30 years, and over 130 million records sold, Bon Jovi is one of the best-selling American rock bands in history. Their top-selling album, Slippery When Wet, reinvented heavy metal for a wider, and younger, audience. It turned the New Jersey rockers into global superstars. They were young, fun and good looking. But behind the good-time image, the band’s namesake and front man, Jon Bon Jovi, became a controlling leader with an iron grip. Those who forgot his rules or requirements were replaced. The brand became bigger than the band. ‘Bon Jovi: Breaking the Band’ reveals the inside story of the rise and fall of this 1980s phenomenon that continues to reinvent itself to this day.

At the height of their success they were the biggest rock band in the world infamous for their excess and raucous live performances. With their strutting frontmen, wild hair and penchant for spandex they are often portrayed as the archetypal 80's American rock band. The band went through two 'break ups' covered by our timeline owing to a variety of factors but most prominently conflicts over the Van Halen brother's desire for total control and the destructive impacts of substance/alcohol abuse. By 1984 they were the biggest band in the world but, behind the scenes, all was not well and a battle for control raged between the brothers at the heart of the band and it’s lead singer, David Lee Roth. Years of touring, drugs and personality clashes had left them on the brink. When Roth’s ambitions grew beyond the band, the brothers moved quickly to force him out. Their millions of fans were left devastated, but rising from the ashes the they would regroup with a new front man, Sammy Hagar. Against the odds they reached even greater heights with a string of 4 consecutive No.1 albums. Apparently vindicated by their decision the band appeared harmonious. But as the success grew, new tensions emerged and in 1995 the tale of ten years earlier was repeated when Hagar too was ousted for his apparent disloyalty.

With over 100 million records sold world wide, Def Leppard are one of the biggest bands in music history. Five working class boys from England, who left their factory town in search fame and fortune. Through hardwork and determination, they changed the way rock sounded, bringing them fame and great riches. But with the highs, came terrible tragedies, some still say that the band is cursed. Drummer Rick Allen lost his arm in a car accident at the age of 21, and against all odds taught taught himself to play with one hand. Guitarist and musical genius Steve Clark lost his battle with alcoholism a few years later. But still they kept going. Breaking The Bands: Def Leppard tells their story.

Whitesnake was the brainchild of Ex- Deep Purple frontman David Coverdale. They appeared on the English music scene in 1978 with raunchy lyrics, and a big blues rock sound. Over the next 12 years, David Coverdale’s grit and determination went on to drive them to become one of the biggest successes of the “Hair Metal Age”. But there were plenty of casualties on the way with a host of line-up changes, as Coverdale ruthlessly searched for the winning formula. Hit songs like “Here I Go Again” and “Fool For Your Loving” pushed them to the forefront of the Glam Rock consciousness. With an Image that went from moustached Blues musicians, to Bouffant, leather clad Glam Rockers, David Coverdale’s band Whitesnake sold millions of Albums worldwide and their sexy glamourous videos defined the Hair Metal Era.

In 1984, Twisted Sister were one of the biggest heavy metal bands on the planet with the world at their feet. After a decade battling to get to the top, this Long Island bar band were hailed as the new rock gods of MTV but their crash and burn would be spectacular! Told by the band themselves and their lead singer, the voice of Breaking the Band, Dee Snider. This is a cautionary tale of how ego, overexposure and intra-band tension would rip the group apart. Revealing the true story behind the split of Rock and Roll’s most outrageous, heavily made up and beloved acts. This is Breaking the Band: Twisted Sister.

Created from the imagination of enigmatic pop superstar Prince, the Revolution grew to be one of the most successful bands of the eighties. Their greatest album, Purple Rain, produced some of the most iconic tracks of all time, selling millions of records and turning them into Hollywood stars. Recruited from Prince’s hometown of Minneapolis and the music studio scene of LA, this group of talented young musicians were barely out of their teens as they stormed stadiums nationwide and won the hearts of fans across the globe. But as The Revolution reached legendary heights, Prince’s controlling nature took hold and disagreements and disputes began to dog the once tight knit group. Everything came to a head as Prince and the Revolution performed in front of thousands of people, and an explosive Prince shocked fans and the band with his blazing onstage antics, throwing the Revolution into disarray and jeopardizing his greatest ever achievement.

Created from the imagination of enigmatic pop superstar Prince, the Revolution grew to be one of the most successful bands of the eighties. Their greatest album, Purple Rain, produced some of the most iconic tracks of all time, selling millions of records and turning them into Hollywood stars. Recruited from Prince’s hometown of Minneapolis and the music studio scene of LA, this group of talented young musicians were barely out of their teens as they stormed stadiums nationwide and won the hearts of fans across the globe. But as The Revolution reached legendary heights, Prince’s controlling nature took hold and disagreements and disputes began to dog the once tight knit group. Everything came to a head as Prince and the Revolution performed in front of thousands of people, and an explosive Prince shocked fans and the band with his blazing onstage antics, throwing the Revolution into disarray and jeopardizing his greatest ever achievement.

With over 150 million records sold worldwide in a career spanning a staggering 50 years- Aerosmith has truly earned its title as America’s greatest Rock n Roll band. Formed in 1970, the ‘Bad Boys from Boston’ soon became notorious for their raucous live performances and wild off-stage antics. They built their reputation with a blues infused hard-rock take on their 60’s heroes, The Rolling Stones. The early success of Aerosmith was built around the talents of iconic frontman Steven Tyler and guitar god Joe Perry - whose love/hate relationship and notorious drug abuse led to their nickname of the toxic twins. It also lay behind the first era of Aerosmith ending in disaster when in 1979 Joe Perry walked away from the band… Both Perry and the remaining members of Aerosmith spent years in the wilderness, drug addicted and broke and it appeared as though a promising career had been cut short. But in a remarkable and unprecedented turn around- the band reunited in 1984, staging one of the most unlikely comebacks in music history. Indeed, the second iteration of Aerosmith rose to even greater heights in the 1980’s and 1990’s, as the band captured the spirit of the MTV generation and moved beyond America to worldwide superstardom...In this feature length special we explore the inside story- told by those who were there- including, for the first time, the man behind their 1980’s resurrection, Manager Tim Collins, who’s tenure ended in bitter acrimony. This is the remarkable story of how the band survived 50 years of every kind of Rock n Roll excess- the breaking and remaking of Aerosmith…