In "Robbie Williams", filmed over several days and set inside his Los Angeles home, the "Angels" and "Rock DJ" singer is shown behind-the-scenes footage of himself, shot over several decades, for the first time. Watching the videos on his laptop, often in his bed, Williams shares his observations and emotions.
Williams' mental health is a running theme of the four-part series, which captures the intensity of his success and sees him opening up about his battles with addiction and self-doubt and the toxic effects of the tabloid culture of the 2000s.
Raw. Honest. Real. Get ready to see Robbie's life through a whole new lens. ROBBIE WILLIAMS - coming to Netflix globally - 8th November. — Robbie Williams (@robbiewilliams) pic.twitter.com/j0lshQkPx5October 11, 2023
"That was a trauma trip," Williams said as he attended the launch of the show and a pop-up exhibition in London on Wednesday.
"I've just been delving into mental illness and alcoholism and drug addiction. And then I'm watching it, all of those episodes. What is important to me is that I get to control some of the narrative. This is me controlling some of the narrative."
Williams shot to fame as the youngest member of the '90s pop group Take That and went on to launch a successful solo career which has seen him topping charts and performing in front of tens of thousands around the world.
The show's director Joe Pearlman and his team combed through some 30,000 hours of material filmed by camera operators following Williams since his early Take That days.
"I wanted to tell a real story. I think Rob's story is one of real pain and struggle and inner turmoil. I didn't want to make something fluffy. I wanted to make something that served Rob, and Rob wanted to tell the truth," Pearlman said.
"Robbie Williams" begins streaming on Netflix on Wednesday.
