Alan Johnson: Failed Rock Star - Episode 4

Ex Home Secretary Alan Johnson goes in search of the life he thought he nearly had: as a rock star. In the 1960s Alan Johnson was in a band ("The Area") that cut a single but couldn't get it released. He gave music up for a career that took him from Postman to Union Leader to The Cabinet. So what has he missed out on? Does the fame of being a senior government minister compare in any way with that of being in a successful band. In this series he meets five people who tasted the fame he craved. Each of the warm and engaging interviews reveal something different about life in music and the truth behind the myths. In Episode four Alan meets Jackie Abbott who, for seven years, was the lead singer in The Beautiful South, having a string of massive hits and touring the world. Alan discovers that Jackie's story is remarkable. She was never seeking the life of a singer, she was working in a shop when she was picked up andput straight into an already successful band. After ten years she gave it all up as quickly as she accepted it. Could it be that Alan's ambitions were misinformed?