May 15, 2024 – “To sit down with two music icons, that we recorded on the same day, was very special indeed. Two very different stories, but ones that share a drive, hunger, ethic and a heap of talent, plus two very engaging and warm, fun personalities.” — Dermot O’Leary

This June on BBC Two, two of music’s most popular artists, Jon Bon Jovi and Shania Twain, will sit down with Radio 2’s Dermot O’Leary in a London cinema to reflect on the pivotal moments from their lives in Reel Stories: Jon Bon Jovi and Reel Stories: Shania Twain.

In two individual, 45 minute episodes, the globally successful artists speak candidly about the highs and lows they have experienced on the road to stardom, as they watch live performance, interview and news footage that transports them and the viewers back in time to some of the most significant milestones in their remarkable careers.

Jon says: “Dermot was a great conversation and he took me on a trip thru some very special memories. It was incredible to see the band’s 40 year journey on the screen in a theatre. And what a wonderful coincidence that my sister Shania was there filming on the same day, I look forward to seeing her journey on what will be a great episode .. Thanks Dermot!!”

Shania says: “What a wonderful concept. I loved the setting of the old cinema in London – it was a real cosy chat with Dermot, and I loved the trip down memory lane together – you never know what’s popping up next as the artist, so it’s a lot of fun. Neat that Jon was going in to do the same thing with Dermot on the same day. I can’t wait to see his episode. We are such great friends, and he is so talented as an artist.”

Dermot says: “To sit down with two music icons, that we recorded on the same day, was very special indeed. Two very different stories, but ones that share a drive, hunger, ethic and a heap of talent, plus two very engaging and warm, fun personalities. I hope fans and casual viewers alike find them as engaging and enlightening as I did.”

Rachel Davies, Commissioning Editor, Pop Music TV says: “Reel Stories gives us the opportunity to take an extended trip down memory lane alongside some of our favourite musicians. Jon Bon Jovi is the ultimate rock god and has been adored by UK music lovers for decades, so viewers will love seeing him relive so many memories on the big screen. Shania Twain is one of the biggest-selling artists of all time who continues to be as important today as ever. With country music the genre of the moment, what a time for her to be making her Glastonbury debut, which will be watched by millions on the BBC. It’s a privilege to be able to bring these fascinating journeys, in the artists’ own words, to audiences this summer.”

Reel Stories: Jon Bon Jovi

Dermot takes Jon Bon Jovi on a visual trip that begins with a performance on The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1977 from Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes who, along with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, were a huge influence on Jon as a teenager growing up in New Jersey.

From there, the episode sees Jon relive the early 80s: his route into music, playing in the same New Jersey clubs as his heroes had come through with his cover band, Atlantic City Expressway; writing demos after his shifts as a runner at New York’s Power Station Studios; getting his first hit with Runaway; and learning to become an arena performer through playing shows such as Tokyo Super Rock in 1984.

Bon Jovi’s huge success with their third album, Slippery When Wet (1986), led to worldwide stardom, alongside intense years of touring, and Jon recalls the impact – both good and bad – this had on the band, as well as his own mental health.

The early 90s saw Bon Jovi release Keep The Faith (1992) and Jon describes what it was like for him and the band to enter a new world of self-management, as well as how they stayed true to their unique sound amongst changing musical trends in the decade.

Jon also discusses his cherished relationship with his UK fans, as he reflects on Bon Jovi’s three sell-out Wembley Stadium shows in 1995; losing his musical partner, Richie Sambora, who left the band in 2013; the vocal issues he experienced in 2015; the upcoming release of his 16th studio album, Forever; and what the future holds for him.

Reel Stories: Shania Twain

Dermot begins by taking Shania back to her childhood with a clip of Dolly Parton performing Jolene on American variety show, The Midnight Special, in 1975. Shania remembers how, from eight years old, she was taken to local bars and clubs by her mother to sing late at night in order to bring in some extra money for the family.

Shania also speaks to Dermot about her teenage years, performing on TV shows across Canada – despite her stage fright which continued well into her adult life – and her time at high school, where she would reluctantly perform to her peers and skip classes to write songs.

The late 80s saw the beginning of an incredibly difficult period for the star, following the passing of her mother and step-father. She recalls working as a performer at Deerhurst Resort, Ontario to support her siblings, whilst living in a cabin which she built herself, before she was discovered by a Nashville music attorney and secured a record deal.

Moving into the 90s and 00s, Shania takes Dermot through: her move to Nashville; how she found her way as a solo artist with her second album, The Woman in Me (1995); her expanding success with Come On Over (1997), and Up! (2002); and how she overcame Lyme disease, which affected her ability to sing.

Shania also reveals why her comeback Las Vegas residency, Shania: Still The One (2012), was so challenging but important to her, how her performance with Harry Styles at Coachella in 2023 came about and looks forward to her anticipated Glastonbury debut on the Pyramid Stage this summer.

Reel Stories: Jon Bon Jovi and Reel Stories: Shania Twain were commissioned for BBC Two by Rachel Davies, Commissioning Editor, BBC Pop Music TV. The Head of BBC Pop Music TV is Jonathan Rothery. They are produced by Craft Films and Ora Et Labora.

Reel Stories: Jon Bon Jovi and Reel Stories: Shania Twain will be broadcast as part of separate themed nights on BBC Two, which celebrate these artists. Other programmes will include: a new Bon Jovi at the BBC; another chance to see Bon Jovi in Concert (first broadcast in 2014), in which the band perform classics from six albums to a small audience at the BBC Radio Theatre at Broadcasting House, London; Shania Twain at the BBC (first broadcast in 2023), and Shania’s Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park performance from 2017.

Previous Reel Stories interviewees have included: Dave Grohl (2021), Kylie (2018), Noel Gallagher (2019), Pet Shop Boys (2023), Robbie Williams (2022), Rod Stewart (2019), Sting (2021) and Take That (2023).

About BBC Pop Music TV

BBC Pop Music TV highlights over the past months have included: 60 Songs: BBC Two at 60 (BBC Two); Kurt Cobain: Moments That Shook Music (BBC Two); When ABBA Came To Britain (BBC Two); Highlights from the BBC Radio 6 Music Festival (BBC Four); Texas Live in the Piano Room (BBC Two); RAYE at the Royal Albert Hall (BBC One); Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Change the World, a landmark four-part documentary series for BBC Two, which charted the history of the genre and which won the Arts prize at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards in March 2024; Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution (BBC Two) and Cher Meets Rylan (BBC Two). A new series of Later…with Jools Holland returns to BBC Two and BBC iPlayer this month, featuring performances from Elbow, Ghetts (and guest artist Sampha), The Black Keys (and guest artist Noel Gallagher), Sam Morton and Lainey Wilson.