Living welcomes you aboard the nostalgia express, with the launch of its new TV series Pop Goes The Band, as it turns back time to transform some of the biggest bands of the last three decades. With collective record sales in excess of 30 million units, number one singles, and even close friendships with Madonna, these bands once resided in the heady heights of pop superstardom, only to be brought back down to earth with a bang years later. Now, in 2009, the groups that provided the soundtracks to our youth want another “piece of the action”! With LIVING’s help, each band is restored to their former glory to perform their best known hits at a very special reveal in front of fans, family and friends.

Kicking off the series are 80’s idols Dollar, comprising members Thereza Bazar and David Van Day, also familiar to viewers from his recent endeavours on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here. Their brand of perfect pop produced five top 10 singles and three top 40 albums. They scored their biggest hits with Love’s Got a Hold on Me, Mirror Mirror and Give Me Back My Heart before splitting in 1988.

David Van Day said: “To think you can have any chance of success looking – shall we say rough – I don’t think it would happen. So, if we really mean this, we’ve got to do it properly, and that means getting up to speed and getting our looks right.”

Thereza says “This is my opportunity to buy back time! Motivation will come from a team of professionals and the knowledge it will be revealed for all to see on TV!”

Pop Goes The Band will also catch up with The Original Bucks Fizz, 911, Shakatak, Visage and Cleopatra and haul them into the 21st Century. Now appearing older than the iconic posters which once adorned the walls of millions of teenagers, the bands will, one by one, be rescued from the proverbial museum of pop history and made over to look even better than their fans remember. A team of experts will put them through a strenuous fitness and diet regime, painful cosmetic procedures and, in some cases, even major plastic surgery to transform them from worn out relics to contemporary pop art.

Every week viewers will witness the efforts of a different band as they bravely undertake the daunting task of recapturing their heyday. Once the transformations are complete, each group will be unveiled to perform their best known hits for their closest friends, family and biggest fans at their very own explosive reveal parties at the end of each show.

The Original Bucks Fizz also appear in the show, featuring Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan, Shelly Preston and, for the first time since 1985, Jay Aston returns to perform with the group. Bucks Fizz are the iconic 80’s pop band, best remembered for their 1981 Eurovision winning song Making Your Mind Up and the infamous skirt ripping dance routine. The group had massive success between 1981 and 1985 with their original line-up, scoring three number one singles in just 12 months. After Jay Aston left the group in June 1985 the group continued with new member Shelley Preston, a new recording contract with Polydor and more hit singles such as “New Beginning” and “Keep Each Other Warm”. The demand for the Original Bucks Fizz remains strong, they continue to appear on television and in concert, and are enjoying this 80’s revival.

Cheryl Baker says “My battle with fitness and flubber has been fairly well documented in the past. I always say “This time, I’m going to stick to it” but then I fall back into bad habits. I really hope that with the help of Mark Anthony, THIS TIME I will stick to it and feel good about myself. And the extra help from Nina’s magic fingers and Hannah’s eye for style will be the cream on my low-fat, low-sugar, low-taste cake!”

Boyband 911, who enjoyed considerable chart success between 1996 and 2000, selling in excess of seven million records around the world. Their energetic dance moves, chirpy songs and boyish good looks allowed Simon ‘Spike’ Dawbarn, Lee Brennan and Jimmy Constable to clock up ten top 10 singles and three hit albums, whilst competing in a ferociously competitive market against such artists as A1, Peter Andre and 5ive. Jimmy says “myself and the guys are very excited to be doing the show and re-living some of the old memories. It’s strange to be performing together and talking about the old days and hope people enjoy some of the stories. ”

Pioneers of the New Romantic movement, pop group Visage emerged in 1978 from the London club Billy’s, a neo-glam nightspot which stood in stark contrast to the prevailing punk mentality of the time. The group are best known for their single Fade to Grey which became a huge hit in 1980 (making the top ten in the UK and topping the chart in several other countries). The band will comprise of members Steve Strange, Rusty Egan and Sandrine Gouriou for the show. Steve says “I’m delighted to be on this show, hopefully by the end of it I’ll feel like and look like it is 1980 again.”

Cleopatra came to prominence in 1998 and continued to be a chart success until they called it a day in 2001. The group comprises sisters Cleo, Yonah and Zainam Higgins who all hail from Manchester’s infamous Moss Side. Their pop and R&B sound was a big hit which spawned four top 5 singles, two albums, and a hit sit-com series on CITV. In the US, the band were signed to Madonna’s record label Maverick by the lady herself, and fronted a campaign for cosmetics company CoverGirl. Cleo says “I’m really apprehensive about the impending surgery, but the show is really exciting. It’s come at a good time for us as we’ve just reformed and it’ll be great fun to have Hannah Sandling and the team help restyle us to find Cleopatra’s look for 2008! I can’ wait to see how my sisters look at the end of this too!”

Shakatak are a British jazz-funk band formed in London in 1980. Comprising members Bill Sharpe, Jill Saward, Roger Odell and George Anderson, the band scored a number of chart entries, including two top ten hits in the UK singles chart, “Night Birds” and “Down on the Street”. The group is still very popular in Europe and the Far East, touring there regularly and recording a new album each year for JVC in Japan. Roger says “we are all enjoying the experience immensely. We’re really looking forward to the journey and to what we hope will be a positive outcome”.

The Pop Goes The Band experts

Joining the groups will be a panel of four experts who will contribute to returning the bands to their former glory. Celebrity fitness guru Mark Antony will slim down and tone up each band member using his very own Easy 1/7 day Workout. Mark has helped to sculpt stars such as Jordan and Billie Piper into perfection and is looking forward to working his magic on the show.

High profile fashion stylist Hannah Sandling, responsible for creating iconic looks for the likes of Sienna Miller, Carmen Electra and Jamelia, will recapture the looks that made each band famous, while adding her own contemporary style to bring them bang up to date.

Also contributing to the bands’ transformation will be aesthetic practitioner Dr Nina Couvaras. Hailing from South Africa, and qualified for over 20 years, Nina specialises in facial, body and skin rejuvenation and will be applying her expertise to restore each group’s heyday glow.

Finally, plastic surgeon Dr Fabian Blaschke will be on hand to nip and tuck away those extra .lbs and flabby skin. Fabian is a member of ISAPS, open only to Plastic Surgeons with a proven record in aesthetic surgery. He performs cosmetic surgery in both Germany and the UK.

Pop Goes The Band will be essential viewing on LIVING as the bands are put through their paces and returned to the limelight, looking and sounding better than ever. Don’t miss your chance to witness the rebirth of the some of the best pop bands of all time.