Williams reflects on his storied three-decade career
Chronicling the life of the UK’s most successful solo recording artist of all time, Robbie Williams releases his definitive four-part docuseries on Netflix today (Wed, Nov 8th). In Robbie Williams, the iconic singer sits down with his laptop to reflect on 30 years of raw video footage spanning his storied career. The docuseries features Williams reflecting on highlights of the hundreds of hours of intimate, never-before-seen personal video archives that were filmed from his early teenage years as a member of the UK’s No. 1 boy band, Take That, into the explosive rise of his solo career.
An unfiltered, in-depth examination of a global icon and natural-born entertainer who had to navigate through the highs and lows of being in the limelight, the docuseries is a no-holds-barred look at the entertainer, revealing a more nuanced and multifaceted character. The culture-defining series is the first of its kind to explore the real human being behind the salacious headlines.
“It’s astounding what has happened in my life,” says Williams. “I felt like I was giving more and more of myself away, to the point where you’re not somebody you recognize. The thing that would destroy me has also made me successful. Touch the fire, push when it says pull, and see if I can live.”
Robbie Williams is a hard-hitting look at the pitfalls that worldwide fame can bring as the singer discusses his journey to fame. For the first time ever, fans are given an inside look into Williams’ early struggles of being the youngest member in Take That at age 16, to the pressures of his solo career performing in stadiums for 80,000+ adoring fans, drug and alcohol addiction, depression, media scrutiny, professional and personal break-ups, reunions, recovery, and his ultimate path back to personal happiness and fulfillment.
The Netflix docuseries is directed by Joe Pearlman (Bros: After the Screaming Stops) and executive produced by Asif Kapadia (Amy, Diego Maradona, Senna) and Dominic Crossley-Holland (The Love of Money, The Pigeon Tunnel). It was produced by RSA in association with IE Music and RPW Productions.
Williams is currently on tour in support of his solo 25th anniversary album (released in 2022), XXV, a collection of his greatest hits which is, as Williams describes, “re-worked, re-imagined, and re-loved.” Recorded in the Netherlands and backed by the acclaimed orchestra, Metropole Orkest, the album offers a fresh perspective on his most-loved songs from “Angels” to “Millennium,” “Candy,” “Come Undone,” “She’s The One,” and many more.
Robbie Williams has sold more than 85 million albums around the world, including 13 UK No. 1 albums (the most for any solo artist, equaled only by Elvis Presley), 14 No. 1 singles; and has sold the most concert tickets in one day (1.6 million on November 19, 2005). Williams also had a record-breaking three nights at Knebworth, performing for 375,000 people in 2003; successes with his swing albums and of a reconvened Take That (upon release in 2010, the Progress album became the fastest selling album of the 21st century, and the subsequent tour was the biggest-selling British tour ever); an unprecedented and unmatched 18 Brit awards; X-Factor judging, the Royal Shakespeare Company musical The Boy In The Dress, Soccer Aid, numerous collaborations in music, art, radio, books, fashion, TV and film, and more.
