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A four-part documentary series featuring up to 30 years of previously unseen video has dragged the spotlight back onto Robbie Williams once again.

This is the next in a series of shows seemingly dedicated to celebrities ‘setting the record straight’, with Sly having dropped recently as well. Stallone’s look back through the years was surprisingly emotional and left one feeling somewhat sorry for the old guy, and judging by the visceral response from critics, Robbie Williams seems to double down on the sadness.

As the Guardian review notes – with a little too much acidity: “Robbie Williams is an oppressive, masochistic binge of past lows that shies away from its subject’s professional triumphs.” Ouch. It’s a tiny shock to see how old Robbie looks these days, but it has been ages since Rock DJ ruled the airwaves, and as the man himself will tell you, fame is a heavy burden.

For some reason Robbie does the whole series in his jockeys, perhaps to emphasise the intimate nature of his story, but instead, we get an “unvarnished ride through Williams’s whiplash-inducing career”.

The 49-year-old Williams rose to prominence as a member of Take That in the 1990s before becoming a hugely successful solo artist. In his jockeys, Williams reflects on his rollercoaster career and personal struggles in the self-titled documentary, admitting that he “struggled to navigate his mental health and celebrity status at the same time.”

EMMY and BAFTA nominee Joe Pearlman directed the documentary but it is mostly Williams in the footage, the only other main character being his on-off songwriting partner Guy Chambers who filmed most of it.

“This is Williams on Williams: a claustrophobic, navel-gazing, four-hour-long monologue delivered by Robbie past and present, outlining the depression, anxiety and addiction that accompanied his uber-stardom and has seemingly characterised his entire life.”

So ja, the doccie is not like the Beckham one. Robbie’s had a rougher ride, but he seems to want people to truly understand what he went through.

“It’s very difficult for people to understand the psychology of this great gift that has been given to you but yet it’s breaking you. Up to now, mental health was talked about in a different way. It was very confusing for people who went, ‘All he’s gotta do is get up and sing another song. Give him a nudge or else we’ll lose all the money.’

Maybe the critics are a bit harsh in saying the series “feels like an opportunity to rubberneck at disaster”. Perhaps the guy deserves to set the record straight.

The four-part series is on Netflix from 8 November.

[source:guardian]