Louis Walsh has confessed he leaked several false stories about Boyzone to get them tabloid attention, even going as far to manufacture a tale about them surviving a plane crash. 

The Irish manager, 72, formed Boyzone in 1993 and did all he could to keep the members, Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Stephen Gately, Mikey Graham and Shane Lynch in the public eye. 

Now a new documentary about the boyband enтιтled, Boyzone: No Matter What, reveals the extreme lengths Louis would go to, with the music mogul described as ‘the master puppeteer of the press’. 

Speaking in the trailer for the Sky docuseries, Louis laughed: ‘Sometimes, the boys would read stories in the papers about themselves that weren’t true and they’d say “who told them that?” I did! I told them’.

Ronan explained: ‘He believed any story was a good story. He would make up stories constantly about the band, about relationships with girlfriends that were non-existent’.

Louis Walsh confessed in new docuseries Boyzone: No Matter What he leaked several false stories about the band, going as far to manufacture a tale about them surviving a plane crash

The manager, 72, formed Boyzone in 1993 and did all he could to keep (Clockwise from top left: Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating, Stephen Gately, Keith Duffy and Shane Lynch) in the public eye

Listing one of his most outlandish stories, Louis confessed: ‘I had them in a plane crash once in Australia and I forgot to tell the families I made it up!’ 

Laughing, he went on: ‘There was no plane crash, but it got a good story.’ 

Asked if he ever felt guilty about leaking false stories, Louis insisted: ‘No way, I was promoting them. I was doing my job. But I would do it all again, yeah. Absolutely. I’d do it even more now.’

Yet while Louis may have succeeded in keeping the group in the limelight, it didn’t come without consequence, with Ronan revealing the influx of false stories, ‘mᴀssively affected’ the band. 

He explained: ‘It scarred us, it was hugely scarring. What the media did to us all.’

In 2023, Ronan opened up about exactly what inspired the ‘plane crash’ tale, explaining how Louis had blown the story out of proportion. 

Speaking on Magic FM, he shared: ‘We were in Australia doing a promotional tour. We took a plane to a place called Broken Hill, in the middle of Australia.

‘One of the engines failed on the plane and we had to make an emergency landing in the outback.

‘It was totally fine, it wasn’t like “we’re going down!” or anything. These plans can fly with one engine.’

While Louis may have succeeded in keeping the group in the limelight, it didn’t come without consequence, with Ronan revealing the influx of false stories, ‘mᴀssively affected’ the band

Read More Boyzone documentary first look: Louis Walsh’s reaction to Stephen Gately coming out is revealed

Ronan continued: ‘Landed in the middle of nowhere – literally kangaroos jumping around in the middle of nowhere. 

‘It’s about four in the morning and we’re waiting for another plane to come in to pick us up.’

‘In the meantime, Louis Walsh gets wind that one of the planes, one of the engines had, you know, and he goes straight to the press and he tells the press, “Boys in dramatic plane crash!”

‘We hadn’t had time to tell our parents that this had happened. We were fine, we didn’t think anything of it.

‘My mother was up the wall, she thought “Oh my son!” Everything all kicking off big time, where you had to get on the phones and tell them everything’s grand.’

The three-part show, Boyzone: No Matter What, gives fans a look at the ‘fame, fall outs and tragedy’ of the Irish band, who formed in 1993 before splitting seven years later.

Part of the show will focus on the period in which late star Stephen, who died aged 33 in October 2009, publicly came out as gay, with the singer forced to do so after a publication gave him an ultimatum.

A synopsis for the Boyzone: No Matter What documentary reads: ‘They were one of the most successful and iconic boybands of all time – but behind-the-scenes, conflict and rivalry, betrayal and tragedy led to their falling apart.

‘Now, thirty years on, all four remaining members – Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Shane Lynch and Michael ‘Mikey’ Graham, as well as their estranged manager, Louis Walsh – reveal the truth of what really happened, the extraordinary highs of their meteoric rise to fame, and the huge costs that being in a boyband had on each of them.’

Part of the show also focus on the period in which late star Stephen, who died aged 33 in October 2009, publicly came out as gay after being forced to by a publication 

Boyzone: No Matter What is set to air on Sky Documentaries and NOW on February 2 and gives fans a look at the ‘fame, fall-outs and tragedy’ of the Irish band

Last year, Louis told of his real feelings towards Boyzone while in the Celebrity Big Brother house.

Talking about his proudest career accomplishments, he said: ‘Honestly, I think I’m lucky to be still working. I think I’m lucky to have gotten a break originally with Boyzone, that started my life.’

The music manager went on to say Simon Cowell ‘changed his life’ as he bought him onto a number of his projects including X Factor.

He continued: ‘Simon Cowell changed my life because I met him, I did so many things with him. I think I’m just lucky to be working, that’s absolutely true, and still getting away with it!’

Boyzone: No Matter What airs Sunday 2 February on Sky Documentaries and streaming service NOW.