Louis Walsh and Boyzone long-running feud is set to be laid bare in a candid new documentary.
The explosive film features all four remaining members of the iconic boyband discussing their experiences under Walsh’s management, revealing previously untold stories of conflict and betrayal.
Sky’s No Matter What will shed light on what the band members describe as “cruel” treatment during their meteoric rise to fame.
Walsh created and managed the iconic boy band in 1993. He also managed front-man Ronan Keating’s solo career until their dramatic falling out in 2000.
The new documentary will feature candid interviews with all four remaining members – Keating, Keith Duffy, Shane Lynch and Michael ‘Mikey’ Graham – alongside their estranged manager.
The programme promises to reveal “the truth of what really happened, the extraordinary highs of their meteoric rise to fame, and the huge costs that being in a boyband had on each of them.”
Boyzone’s remaining members in 2019
Getty
In footage from the documentary, Walsh appears unrepentant about his management style, stating: “I prefer ordinary people, because they work harder. And they do whatever you want at the start.”
The former X Factor judge is seen smiling as he discusses the band’s publicity, declaring: “They believed their own publicity. They forgot I wrote it.”
Keating reflects in the trailer: “We were a bunch of kids put together. We weren’t perfect, we weren’t polished.”
Band members openly criticise Walsh’s leadership in the documentary, with Shane Lynch, 48, claiming the manager “promised us the sun, moon and stars.”
Walsh and Keating have feuded since 2000
Getty
The documentary’s release follows recent public criticism from Walsh during his Celebrity Big Brother appearance last year.
During his time in the house, Walsh launched into an expletive-laden rant about Keating after his solo hit Life is a Rollercoaster was played for the housemates.
Taking an unexpected swipe at Keating, Walsh slammed: “Great song. He was such a p***k. Everybody thinks he’s a lovely guy, do you know what I mean?
“He hasn’t had a hit record since I left. He sacked me,” he grumbled to Sharon Osbourne.
Walsh also mocked Keating’s alleged American accent, recounting: “I met him in the Four Seasons. He said ‘maaaaan’ – he had gone all American by that point, I think he met George Michael or something.”
Afterwards, Keating said Walsh needed to “move on” during his Magic FM Magic in the Morning Breakfast Show.
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Walsh shared his explosive thoughts in the documentary
Sky
He said: “He was very important to me as a mentor and I’m grateful for the opportunities he gave me because I wouldn’t be here without them.
“But there’s only so much you can give back and be so grateful, and for that not to be appreciated or respected.
“Really he should just move on and be happy and grateful for what he’s achieved – he’s had a great career.
“It’s no life to be bitter and talking negatively about people – it festers in your soul,” Keating concluded.