Director Joe Pearlman on the brilliant Bros documentary, "they knew we’d do them right"

The unexpected highlight of the Christmas period was Joe Pearlman's documentary on 80s boyband Bros, After the Screaming Stops.

Speaking to NME, Pearlman has revealed how he managed to get the comedy gold out of brothers Matt and Luke Goss, "That moment where Matt talks about not being Superstitious because of Stevie Wonder, that came during one five hour interview session. At the end of that, we walked away without any clarity. But then we sat down in the edit and realised some of the gold they’d given us and some of the beautiful moments we’d be able to put across."

The documentary has gone on to be a BBC iPlayer hit, becoming one of the most-watched documentaries on the site. Responding to whether Matt and Luke Goss enjoyed the end result, Pearlman added, "I spoke to Matt the other night and I’ve spoken to Luke as well. They’re really happy about it. I think they didn’t want to make something you’d expect – which is a nostalgic look back at the ’80s. They wanted something that had personality, humour and a real journey as well."

He adds, "They gave us full creative control. They saw the final cut of the film only weeks before we screened it for the first time at Fantastic Fest in Texas last September. They wanted nothing removed and it’s because they trusted us – they knew we’d do them right."

After the Screaming Stops went viral on Twitter when it aired on BBC, and led to viewers comparing the documentary to comedies Spinal Tap and Ricky Gervais' David Brent persona. Pearlman expresses, "To say that this film is being compared to the greatest comedies of all time, there’s nothing justified about that because they’re the greatest comedies of all time. But ultimately, if there’s being comparisons made to those characters then that’s an amazing thing. What we’ve tried to do is tell the story of two brothers and the painful relationship they’ve had throughout their life – which has been affected by death, fame and all the rest of it."

Pearlman also revealed that Bros are "definitely talking about shows this year".