Boyband Forever: what happened to E17's Brian Harvey and where is he now

Fans have been tuning in to the BBC's latest docuseries, Boyband Forever, which has charted the rise and falls of major boybands from East 17 to Westlife.

One of those featured is Brian Harvey, the former frontman of East 17. After initially auditioning as a backing vocalist for the band, Brian was promoted to lead singer when his vocalist talents were recognised by managers.

Although the star was central in the band's success, Brian was also central in the band disbanding in 1997 after he admitted to drug use. Since then, the now 50-year-old has been involved in numerous incidents from being stabbed in 2001 to nearly dying in a bizarre car accident in 2005.

Here's everything you need to know…

Drug use

In a radio interview in 1997, Brian seemingly downplayed the severity of the drug ecstasy and claimed to have taken 12 pills in one night. Following a media uproar, including condemnation from the then Prime Minister, John Major, Brian issued an apology, saying: "Never take ecstasy - it can kill you."

Despite his apology, Brian was dropped by the band a day later. A statement from the remaining members read: "His recent remarks about drugs to the media have forced the other three members to demand that Brian leaves the band.

© Dave Tonge

"The remaining three members of East 17 under no circumstances can condone the taking of ecstasy or any other illegal substances. They want it known that these remarks made by Brian Harvey do not reflect the views of the three other members."

The singer would later rejoin the group and in the documentary, his former bandmate Terry Coldwell said that Brian had been encouraged to speak about his drug use. "I think we were exploited," Terry reflected. "I think every band is exploited, especially if you're getting into the music industry at a young age. I was 16 when I joined the band and 17 when we got a record deal."

Stabbing

© Jo Hale

On 11 December 2001, Brian was attacked outside of a Nottingham nightclub as he was leaving with a group of women. The singer was slashed with a bladed item by a group of men that left him hospitalised and requiring a skin graft on his head.

A spokesman for the singer said: "He is now in hospital and in a stable condition following surgery. The doctors expect Brian to make a full recovery... we'd like to thank everyone who has sent messages of support."

Suicide attempt

In 2005, amid his solo career and the death of his grandmother, Brian ended up "desperate" and was hospitalised following what was believed to be a suicide attempt. The singer had been competing on I'm a Celebrity when his grandmother passed, prompting him to leave the ITV show.

Brian had been diagnosed with clinical depression and reportedly overdosed on sleeping tablets. His spokesman described it as a "cry for help".

© Avalon

The singer has been open about his mental health struggles and in 2015, he spoke of continuing to have suicidal thoughts. "The next thing is to start shouting, get irate and walk out," he said in an interview following an argument with medics.

"And that is exactly what happened. Now I could have walked out of that place that night, walked off and jumped off a bridge. Because, I tell you what: I felt like it."

© Mike Prior

He continued: "We need a walk-in centre specifically designed for when, in the middle of the night, someone thinks 'I am going to hang myself' or 'I am going to a forest and jump out of a tree with a noose around my neck', because I have thought of all these things. Desperation takes over."

Car accident

Following his reported suicide attempt in 2005, Brian was involved in a bizarre car accident that left him in hospital. The singer was ran over by his own car and later confessed that the accident happened when he fell ill after eating too many "jacket potatoes".

© Fred Duval

The singer was left with a punctured lung, broken ribs and a fractured pelvis.

Terry explained that the accident happened due to tight parking and said ultimately the singer was "lucky" to be alive. "It took him a long time to pull get over that."

Life on benefits

Despite creating the smash Christmas hit Stay Another Day, Brian and the band received very little royalties from the song itself, leading to hardships later on in Brian's life.

In 2015, the singer told the Independent: "We sold 18 million records and the frustrating thing for me is that I have to sit there every Christmas and listen to myself while I don’t even have the money for a Christmas dinner.

© Samir Hussein

"I am sitting here eating a cold chicken burger on Christmas Day. You have got this number one record, I am just rattling around in a cold house with no food, on my own, with my record being played – but you are just a no one."

His local MP at the time, Simon Danczuk said: "His situation is very desperate. It's been a few weeks since we did the interview but I've been speaking to him over many months. He is on benefits and is in a fairly desperate situation to be honest."

The three-part Boyband Forever documentary is available to view on BBC iPlayer.