Alan Johnson: Failed Rock Star - Episode 1

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 one Alan meets The Merseybeats, contemporaries of The Area who achieved everything Alan dreamed of, and 45 years later are still touring with the same hits. Has the life gone stale or become tired? Is it really a career that could have sustained someone for all that time?