The 50th anniversary of ABBA winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 is to be celebrated in a new BBC Two documentary from Wise Owl Films, chronicling the band’s unique relationship with the UK.
When ABBA Came To Britain will form the centrepiece of a dedicated Saturday night of ABBA content on BBC Two.
Ever since they were introduced on stage at the Brighton Dome the Swedish super group have held an enduring place in Britain’s hearts and in British pop culture.
The documentary looks at the time Agnetha, Anni-Frid, Benny and Björn spent in the UK from 1974 to 1982 and examines their ground-breaking legacy, from Eurovision to ABBA Voyage.
Featuring previously untransmitted interviews with ABBA, it’s the tale of a relationship that started with the band’s fascination with British music, including The Beatles in the 1960s. After winning the Eurovision Song Contest with Waterloo in 1974, the band would eventually find global stardom, but their relationship with the UK remains unique.
The BBC was there at the beginning in Brighton - where the world first heard their name 50 years ago - and at the end of their initial chart-busting career in 1982, with what was thought to be the band’s last appearance on BBC One’s The Late, Late Breakfast Show.
The documentary includes a wealth of BBC and non-BBC performances, as well as long forgotten news footage, which all show how ABBAmania took hold in the UK in the 1970s. The story is brought up to date with the quartet’s return to Britain in 2022, choosing to launch their ground-breaking ‘comeback’ concert - ABBA Voyage – in London.
Contributors include ‘Little’ Mike Watson, who performed with the band; tour manager Thomas Johansson, who recalls the performance in Glasgow (1979) which inspired the hit Super Trouper; an ABBA superfan who travelled from Liverpool to London aged 14 to meet the band; staff who worked at their British-based record label; the British Eurovision judge who scored them ‘nul points’ in 1974; the producers behind ABBA Voyage; and a now-famous member of the children’s choir which accompanied ABBA at their Wembley Arena concerts in 1979. It also features interviews with musicians who were heavily influenced by the band, like Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie and Blossoms.
Through interviews with those who witnessed the ABBA story unfold, the film crosses the nations and regions, visiting locations which had a part to play in the story, including the Brighton Dome and the Birmingham Odeon where the band played their first ever British concert in 1977, hearing from those who were there.
The documentary is made by the Leeds-based team behind BBC Two’s award-winning When X Came To Britain strand (Bob Marley, Nirvana, Motown, Tina Turner and Blondie) and The Hacienda: The Club That Shook Britain.
Rachel Davies, Commissioning Editor, BBC Pop Music TV said: “When ABBA Came To Britain is a love letter from this country to the beloved Swedish super-group, celebrating the special relationship we have as a nation with Benny, Björn, Agnetha and Anni-Frid. We focus on the stories of individuals who were lucky to be caught up in their world. A must watch for pop fans of all ages.”
Mark Robinson of Wise Owl Films said: “There can be fewer bands, if any, who have straddled generations of British music fans in a more impressive way than ABBA. Their original fans might now be in their fifties and sixties, but their children, and even their grandchildren, will be just as familiar with their biggest hits thanks to the likes of Mamma Mia! and Voyage. This film shows the enduring and often emotional impact that ABBA have left on British fans and musicians across the decades, but we will also chart the key role that Britain played in the band’s history – from the music of groups like The Beatles to playing host to defining moments in their career”.
When ABBA Came to Britain is a Wise Owl Films production for BBC Two and BBC Pop Music TV. It was commissioned by Rachel Davies, Commissioning Editor, BBC Pop Music TV and Jonathan Rothery, BBC Head of Pop Music TV. It is produced and directed by Dhivya Kate Chetty, edited by James Alcock and the Executive Producer for Wise Owl Films is Mark Robinson.