Simon Cowell opened up about the ‘horrible and disgusting’ side to the music industry in a new documentary unveiling the dark side of Nineties boybands. 

The music mogul, 65, recalled working with 5ive in BBC series Boybands Forever, revealing he nearly punched a singer in the face during one heated exchange. 

5ive – formed of Ritchie Neville, Scott Robinson, Sean Conlon, J Brown and Abz Love – were signed by signed by Simon and BMG/RCA for a six-album deal in 1997 but struggled to cope with the pressure of fame and their gruelling schedules. 

Scott, 44, confessed he reached breaking point in 2001, recalling: ‘I pinned one of the big cheeses at the record label up against his desk with my foot, crushing him into the wall, and said, “I will f***ing leave this band, you try and f***ing stop me”, with Simon Cowell trying to fight me off him.’

Simon admitted: ‘We almost ended up in a fist fight. I was that close to punching him in the face.’

Simon Cowell opened up about the ‘horrible and disgusting’ side to the music industry and confessed he nearly punched a star in the face as he spoke in BBC series Boybands Forever

5ive – clockwise from bottom Abz Love, Ritchie Neville, Sean Conlon, Scott Robinson and J Brown – were signed by signed by Simon and BMG/RCA for a six-album deal in 1997

As reported by The Sun, Scott went on to confess: ‘I’d lost my mind. They had to call security and carry me out of the building kicking and screaming like a f***ing wild dog.’

5ive split in 2001 and after reuniting several times over the years, the group are currently a trio formed of Ritchie, Sean and Scott. 

Admitting the music industry came with a dark side, Simon mused: ‘You could make a lot of money, but it’s a really horrible, disgusting business at times. You’ve got to have thick skin.’ 

Despite this, he claimed stars shouldn’t complain because they were warned what they were getting themselves into.

‘There is a contract you sign which says, I will be available to shake every hand, to have my picture taken whenever requested and my privacy now has pretty much disappeared. It’s just a fact,’ Simon explained.

‘If you don’t want that, be an accountant. You can’t have it both ways.’

Louis Theroux’s documentary Boybands Forever, which takes a deep dive into the careers of Nineties and Noughties acts such as Take That, Westlife and Blue, is set to hit screens on Saturday.

The three hour-long episodes will follow the life changing reality of stars finding fame at a young age and will dive into topics such as drink, drugs, bust-ups and exploitation.

Despite admitting the industry came with a dark side, Simon claimed stars shouldn’t complain because they were warned what they were getting themselves into

Read More Five star Ritchie Neville and 911’s Lee Brennan reflect on gruelling work conditions and low pay

Louis interviewed the likes of Robbie Williams and Brian McFadden as well as music label boss Louis Walsh.

Speaking ahead of his boyband series, Louis said: ‘I couldn’t be more thrilled about this series. An epic story featuring a cast of stars and star-makers, spanning three decades, it involves some of the icons of modern British pop.

‘We see them through them through their highs and lows, hearing from the key players, as we chart the golden years of boybands.

‘How they came together, the experience of sudden fame, the opportunity and temptations that came their way, conflicts within the groups, between the groups, and between the boys and their managers.

‘It’s a gripping fable about getting everything you dreamed of, and it not being what you imagined, centred on a generation of young men, and their managers, who were wildly successful and also immensely vulnerable, having the times of their lives and also in some cases cracking up.

‘Those boys we all watched singing and dancing in тιԍнт formation – Take That, East 17, Westlife, Blue, Five, Damage, 911 and so many others – are now middle aged men who have the time and the maturity to look back reflect on what they went through. It’s taken us more than a year to make the series. 

‘Now I’m just excited for people to see it.’

The first two episodes of Boybands Forever air on Saturday at 9.15pm and 10.15pm on BBC Two

Louis Theroux’s documentary Boybands Forever, which takes a deep dive into the careers of Nineties and Noughties acts such as Take That, Westlife and Blue, will air on Saturday