Spice Girls 25th anniversary: The day girl power came to Bristol

  • Watch the Spice Girls in one of their first TV appearances on HTV's 'The List'

It has been 25 years since the Spice Girls released their debut album 'Spice'. The band became icons of British pop culture and are the biggest selling girl group of all time.

A few months beforehand and a week before their first single 'Wannabe' was launched, the women burst into the HTV - now ITV West Country - studio in Bristol, making a lasting impression in an interview for the listings and entertainment show, The List.

One of the presenters, Jon Monie, has never forgotten that day - Monday 1 July 1996.

"I remember well the afternoon the Spice Girls stormed the studio to promote their debut single. They were a whirlwind of energy, excitement and chaos. Whenever I hear 'Wannabe' I still flinch."

In the interview, Jon asked them about their hopes for the song. Geri Halliwell replied: "Very extreme high hopes. Maybe a bit... I don't know... We're trying to be realistic about it but we are optimistic as well".

That debut single raced up the charts, hitting number one in 37 countries and paving the women's way to become global superstars.

They have since sold 100 million records worldwide, won numerous awards, performed at the London 2012 Olympics closing ceremony and even starred as themselves in a film - 'Spice World'.

The group was about a lot more than music and could be said to have changed a generation with its emphasis on 'Girl Power'.

Emma Bunton always said her ambition was to eat 100 doughnuts in 10 minutes. Credit: HTV West / ITV West Country

The women aimed to be different from the start, as Baby Spice Emma Bunton told Kate Sanderson back before they were famous: "We write our own material. We do our own choreography. We dress completely differently.

"We're home grown and this is our baby, nobody else's."

And what was the significance of the doughnuts in that interview in Bristol back in 1996?

Well, Baby Spice had gone on the record that she had an ambition to eat 100 doughnuts in 10 minutes.

The List budget did not run to that but they did come up with 10 of the treats, which she said were 'lovely'.