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The boy band heartthrob who dreamed of writing Viking novels

In his early twenties Giles Kristian became famous overnight as the lead singer of the British boy band Upside Down, but all the while he dreamed of becoming a writer.

Giles Kristian was a student in his early twenties when he was catapulted into the world of 90s pop. In 1995 he competed with over 7,500 performers to become the frontman of a new boy band called Upside Down. The creation of the band was the subject of a 麻豆社 documentary at the time, but when the programme was broadcast the group faced a backlash for being a manufactured band. Although they went on to have four singles in the British top 20 chart, Upside Down came to an end in 1997. But Giles had always dreamed of being a writer and decided to follow his dream. Focussing on historical fiction he's now sold over a million copies of his novels. His latest book is a thriller called Where Blood Runs Cold.

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

Presenter: Emily Webb
Producers: June Christie and Deiniol Buxton

(Photo: Upside Down. Giles is wearing the lilac jacket. Credit: World Records, courtesy of Giles Kristian)

Available now

41 minutes

Last on

Thu 24 Mar 2022 03:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Wed 23 Mar 2022 12:06GMT
  • Wed 23 Mar 2022 23:06GMT
  • Thu 24 Mar 2022 03:06GMT

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