IT’S a huge year for ABBA, as they prepare to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their Eurovision Song Contest win next month.
The rumour mill has gone into overdrive ahead of the competition in Sweden in May, with claims the group could reunite for a special appearance at the song contest.
And BBC2 are going all out for the celebration with a night of special shows dedicated to the Waterloo stars.
One very special moment will come on their show, More Abba At The BBC, after the Beeb found a tape of their 1974 Top Of The Pops performance in the archives.
The recording, which shows them singing So Long and can be seen here in my exclusive images, was thought to be lost but will now be shown in full for the first time in 50 years.
Another BBC2 programme, When Abba Came To Britain, will also celebrate the success of the group, made up of Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.
A source said: “Finding the lost Top Of The Pops recording was a coup for the BBC.
“It will make up a part of a series of huge programmes to celebrate the 50th anniversary of ABBA’s Eurovision win.
“As well as the TOTP gig, which hasn’t been seen in five decades, on More Abba At The BBC, When Abba Came To Britain will feature never-before-seen interviews with the band, as well as musicians who have been influenced by them including Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie and Blossoms.
“Their old tour manager Thomas Johansson will also open up about ABBA-mania in the UK and the Eurovision judge who scored them ‘nul points’ back in ’74 also makes an appearance.”
I’m sure that will be begrudging backtracking at its finest.
When ABBA Came To Britain, produced by Wise Owl Films, will air next month alongside More Abba At The BBC.
The Beeb has also created a smorgasbord of other ABBA specials, including Abba In Switzerland: 1979 Special and The Joy Of Abba, which will air next month.
We’re huge fans of Abba on Biz so we’ll be cracking out the vino and sticking on our silver boots and flares in homage.
CAUGHT LIVE
JAMES ARTHUR @ Ovo Arena Wembley
★★★★☆
AFTER seven years since his last Wembley gig, James Arthur came out with a bang, quite literally.
The singer kicked off his stellar set with Bittersweet Love as pyrotechnics and confetti rained down on him.
11
James looked in his element and was more confident than ever as he performed hit after hit to the sold out crowd.
Fans watching went wild for Empty Space before he began a mashup of Sermon and the Fugees 1996 hit Ready Or Not.
James also took a moment to slow down the high-energy set list with an acoustic set which showed off his impressive vocals on songs including A Year Ago and Falling Like The Stars with Dean Lewis.
He also brought on his support act NEVE for a special rendition of Rewrite The Stars which was one of the most magical moments of the night.
While James has come a long way from his start on The X Factor, he made sure he made a nod to his roots – with audio from his audition filling the arena before he bounced straight into Impossible, his first No1 hit from back in 2012.
If you have managed to get your hands on a ticket for the remaining run of the tour, you are in for a treat.
WE DO LIKE MONDAYS
THE Happy Mondays came back with a bang over this weekend.
After two Glasgow dates the group opened the English leg of their UK tour in Nottingham yesterday, supported by Stereo MCs and Inspiral Carpets.
11
Hits included Kinky Afro, Step On and a killer encore with Wrote For Luck.
On stage, frontman Shaun Ryder laughed about seeing himself on Top Of The Pops the night before, adding: “I can’t believe we were that f***ing young.”
The group plan a break after finishing the tour, with Shaun joking they will be “going to bed for about three or four years”.
He and his bandmates will next play in Newcastle on Friday, before further shows including Cardiff, Leeds and Birmingham.
Their date on home turf in Manchester on April 4 will be a highlight for Shaun, who said: “We have more guest lists than we have fans in Manchester – it gets a bit mad.”
Wrap it up, Idris
IDRIS Elba couldn’t keep his hands off wife Sabrina as the pair took to the stage of the NAACP Image Awards last night.
And based on her figure-hugging dress, I can see why.
11
11
The Hijack actor tied the knot with the model in 2019, but they still looked just as loved up as ever at the Los Angeles event.
He placed a kiss on his wife’s back and wrapped his arms around her as they presented The Colour Purple star Fantasia with the award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture.
Meanwhile, Idris was nominated for Outstanding Actor in his recent Apple TV+ drama series, missing out on the gong to Snowfall’s Damson Idris.
The week in bizness
MONDAY: The Teenage Cancer Trust’s annual week-long takeover of London’s Royal Albert Hall gets under way with a concert by The Who.
Other acts on the line-up for the charity fundraiser include Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Young Fathers and The Chemical Brothers.
THURSDAY: Stars are due out in force for a gala screening for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, which hits screens the next day.
Celebrities are expected to descend on Leicester Square, including the film’s stars Bill Murray and Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard.
FRIDAY: Shakira will return with her first album in seven years, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, which includes collaborations with Cardi B and Tiesto.
She will have chart competition though as Elbow are back with their latest record Audio Vertigo, while Water singer Tyla drops her self-titled debut album.
And Celebrity Big Brother comes to an end with the grand finale on ITV1.
I’d be chuffed to see David Potts clinch it.
DJ ANNIE HAD TO DAHL IT IN
ANNIE Mac says she suffered every DJ’s worst nightmare – when she went on a 7,000-mile round-trip to play at a swanky wedding only to discover there were no decks.
The ex-Radio 1 star was flown out to Maryland in the US to perform at the nuptials of Roald Dahl’s grandson Luke Kelly last year but ended up having to play tunes off her phone.
Speaking on her Sidetracked podcast, she recalled: “I said to the wedding planners, ‘Where’s the decks?’ They’re like, ‘Uhh, we don’t know.’ Basically the decks had been left out of the tech spec.
“The entire wedding party is due in the room in ten minutes. I had to DJ an entire wedding party off my phone. I felt so bad.
“They had flown me over there from London. I was so mortified that I got absolutely s***faced and there’s a photo of me being crowd-surfed across the room by the bride and groom.
“I was like, anything to deflect from the fact there was no decks.
“And to think this wedding was fully featured in Vogue magazine – it was such a posh wedding.”
HE claims to be one of the highest-paid first-time actors of all time for his movie debut Roadhouse.
But MMA legend Conor McGregor has proved to fans he at least tried to make sure it was worth the money – which he says topped £4million – by ensuring there was no need for a stuntman.
Posting behind-the-scenes shots of his fight sequences with Jake Gyllenhaal, Conor confirmed to fans: “Done all my own stunts.”
SHUTEYE FOR ZAYN
JET lag is a bitch – and Zayn Malik knows it.
He was forced to pull out of promo this weekend after struggling with sickness.
11
The singer is in the UK to push his newly released single, What I Am, and his upcoming album, Room Under The Stairs.
He was in the middle of a live stream with a gamer on Twitch when he had to pull the plug – with fans told Zayn was going to have to bail.
It is nothing a massive sleep and a big meal can’t sort, Zayn.
You’ll soon be right as rain.
More of Mia for Romeo
ROMEO Beckham’s love-life has more twists and turns than The Smiler at Alton Towers.
After he announced he’d split with model Mia Regan after five years together last month, it now seems they are back on.
11
11
The pair were spotted hand-in-hand during a day out in London, just weeks after saying they had broken things off.
Romeo, the middle son of Posh and Becks, previously split from Mia back in 2022 – only to get back together a few weeks later.
The next time his fans see a “split” statement on Instagram, I suggest they don’t pay too much attention.
WE’VE all been in that moment in a new relationship when you simply cannot let go of the person you love.
And it seems Dua Lipa and Callum Turner are in the throes of it, as they stared into each other’s eyes during a day out in Los Angeles.
11
They went public with their new relationship earlier this year and seem totally head-over-heels for each other.
Dua, who wore a Gucci biker jacket with jeans and Ugg boots, is enjoying some downtime before her life gets turned upside down with work.
The pop star will release her new album, Radical Optimism, on May 3 and two months later will headline the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury.
I expect Callum to be glued to Dua’s side when she arrives at Worthy Farm at the end of June.
And if he takes a leaf out of Taylor Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce’s book – we could see him doing some serious fan-girl dancing at the side of the stage.
I’d love to see it.
GARY PATCHES RIFT
THEY were once the best of enemies but it seems Gary Barlow and Robbie Williams are back together for good.
Take That’s Gary, has revealed the pair speak every week after healing their long-running rift, which happened after Robbie quit the band back in 1995.
11
11
Robbie opened up about his troubled times with Gary in his Netflix docuseries and when asked about the show, Gary admitted they had found their “happy ending”.
Gary said: “We’ve had our moments in time where we weren’t talking to each other but luckily for us the story got a happy ending.
“We all did a record together in 2010, we went on tour together. I speak to him most days. If I’m honest, he’s one of my close friends.”
Of his Take That bandmates Mark Owen and Howard Donald, Gary added: “Mark and Howard, these are the best people you’re ever going to meet.
“They’ve been my brothers since 1990, I’ve known them longer than I’ve known my wife.
“We’re just having the best time travelling the world singing songs and having a great time.”
It is only going to get more exciting for the lads, who hit the road for their This Life tour next month.
I can’t wait to see them back on stage.