Heart-warming movie and music documentary lands on ITVX

How do you turn ordinary movie marketing into a must-see TV documentary? You tell a “making of” story that spans 30 years – from Take That’s earliest days to Greatest Days, their new movie musical.

A bigger story

When RWD Films was invited on to the set of Greatest Days – a new British musical featuring the songs of Take That – we saw an opportunity to tell a bigger story than just the making of a movie. Working closely with our client, the film company Elysium, we saw that the movie’s narrative about four female fans of a boy band had a vivid parallel in real life – in the massed legions of the “Take That Army” who had followed the band for three decades. And so our pitch to the band, and eventually to ITV, was a branded entertainment story about a movie that was in fact “30 Years In The Making”.

A huge canvas.

From band break-up hotlines to on-set Covid setbacks 30 Years, in the Making tells two parallel stories – the against-the-odds making of Greatest Days, plus three decades of the band – and the fans – that inspired it. The 75-minute documentary features contributions from Take That’s Gary, Howard and Mark and insights from the filmmakers behind Greatest Days, including star Aisling Bea. The stars of the show however, are the most dedicated members of the “Take That Army”, including celebrity fans Mel and Sue, Alesha Dixon and Calum Scott who all share funny and revealing anecdotes that recall Take That’s unique career from the earliest pop singles to the biggest stadium shows.

A delicate balance.

Shot over more than year, 30 Years in the Making was an epic undertaking itself – but the most important capability on show for RWD Films was creative solutions to any story challenges that meant we managed to keep all stakeholders happy from legal compliance to the all-important band sign-off. Finished against the clock for the theatrical release of Greatest Days – the result was a truly priceless piece of branded entertainment for an independent UK film company. By aiming for the big ‘branded entertainment’ story, Elysium was able to punch far above its marketing budget producing a long-form, story-first and broadcast-calibre output that ITV was keen to host and promote on their streaming service ITV X.