Netflix press ahead with Liam Payne’s boyband show WITHOUT grieving family’s blessing
NETFLIX is pressing ahead with airing Liam Payne’s TV talent show, Building the Band, without his grieving family’s final blessing.
The former One Direction star’s loved ones were in talks with the streaming giant to ensure they were happy before the programme was scheduled.
But yesterday Netflix confirmed it would release the boyband search show this year — despite not yet having their sign off.
An insider said: “They spoke with Liam’s family as they didn’t want to progress the project without taking their feelings into consideration.
“The family got the sense that this was a celebration of Liam, an image of positivity.
“He was doing what he did best as a true boyband star.
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“But they hadn’t given it a final stamp of approval and as far as they were concerned were still discussing what the show would look like.
“So they were surprised by the announcement.”
Liam, who died in October in a fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, was a guest judge on Building the Band with Nicole Scherzinger and Kelly Rowland.
It is hosted by Backstreet Boys singer AJ Maclean and, says Netflix, has “one big goal: to find the next great music band”.
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Liam finished filming just months before his death at 31, leaving the multi-million-pound project in limbo.
We exclusively revealed in December that Netflix had been in talks with Liam’s family.
Netflix reality show boss Jeff Gaspin confirmed this week in LA that they had been contacted “to discuss what role that will play”.
He added: “There is nothing to announce yet.”
But confusion arose when Netflix’s UK wing said the show would air this year. Netflix declined to comment.