[Source: BBC]
Robbie Williams has responded to comments made by former Take That manager Nigel Martin-Smith in a new BBC three-part documentary about the highs and lows of being in a boyband.
Both have taken part in Boybands Forever, the first two episodes aired on Saturday.
In one scene, Martin-Smith – who managed Take That in the 1990s – claims Williams was “smart and quite clever” to blame his drug-taking on being “in this band where he couldn’t have girlfriends or couldn’t go out”.
But the singer, who quit the band in 1995, took issue with the assertions, posting a lengthy post on Instagram on Sunday.
BBC News has approached Martin-Smith for a comment.
In the documentary, Martin-Smith said Williams had made him out to be “evil” and had blamed him for some of his behavior, including his drug-taking.
Williams also said he wanted to remind Martin-Smith that he was just 16 when he joined the band, and 21 when he left.
Williams, who has since forged a successful solo career, also used his post to speak more generally about the pressures of being in a boyband.
He outlined the struggles his bandmates have had in the past, including Gary Barlow’s battles with an eating disorder and Mark Owen’s struggles with alcohol abuse.
Returning to his former manager, he told him he had “deep admiration” for his work and his ability to take big risks.
He went on to urge Martin-Smith to take accountability and to “admit your shortcomings”.
The documentary, which reaches its conclusion this week, focuses on some of the biggest boybands to grace the charts during the 1990s and early 2000s.
