Cheryl Cole v Arctic Monkeys Pop Slam!

Two of the biggest pop stars in the universe

are about to go into battle. Queen of Pop Cheryl Cole

against Kings of Rock the Arctic Monkeys.

There can only be one winner,

so stay right here. I'm Amberley Lobo and this is Pop Slam.

Going head-to-head, we've got...

# How d'you think I feel when you call my name?

-# You got me confused... #

-..Cheryl Cole.

# How do you think I feel when you call my name... #

She's the Geordie singing sensation who's spent more than a decade

recording hit after hit.

And along the way, she's become a serious style icon.

But how will she fare against...

..The Arctic Monkeys?

They're a bunch of talented Yorkshire lads

who've grown into a global mega rock band,

winning awards and filling stadiums across the world.

This Pop Slam is going to be huge.

Whose team are you on? Team Cheryl or Team Arctics?

I'm going to be delving into the lives of these megastars

to see who has what it takes to win the ultimate prize

in pop music - the Ambo!

There's only one way to win the Ambo, and that's by gaining as many

of my Ambo points as possible.

I'll be dishing them out over three slamming rounds of poposity...

..where I meet the people who knew the stars back in the day...

..then I check out how hard they've been working

and finally, I scrutinise their style.

All before the big moment.

And the winner of the Ambo is...

Now, you might not agree with the outcome,

and if not, get to the CBBC website and have your say.

But seriously, who do you think's going to win?

It's anyone's game at this point.

Cheryl, Arctic Monkeys... Cheryl, Arctic Monkeys...

Who knows? It's time for Pop Slam.

Round One - Pop Potential.

This is all about how our stars made it.

# I'm sure you'll tell me anything under the sun... #

Cheryl, she's such a big superstar, she doesn't even need a last name.

But back when she was known as Cheryl Tweedy,

she was right here, in Newcastle.

Meanwhile, the Arctic Monkeys

are currently playing to massive crowds across the world.

But before all the arenas, the Arctic Monkeys

were learning to rock right here, in Sheffield.

So how did the Arctic Monkeys and Cheryl hit the big time?

Let's begin with Chezzer.

# We've gotta fight, fight, fight, fight, fight for this love

# We've gotta fight, fight, fight, fight, fight for this love... #

This is the neighbourhood Cheryl grew up in.

In a few short years, she went from here to being top of the charts

and one of the most famous women in Britain.

# Now every day ain't gonna be no picnic

# Love ain't no walk in the park... #

Cheryl's always been a star. She was just in nappies

when she won Newcastle's Bonniest Baby competition

and then, she hit the big time.

# One, two, three, yo Gimme 5... #

Well, sort of.

In 1993, Cheryl appeared on a Saturday morning show

called Gimme 5.

But she wasn't there to sing, no.

She was there to show off her awesome ballet skills.

It just so happens we have a potential superstar of the ballet

world, who's... Well, you started off in our Gimme 5 titles.

-And her name's Cheryl Tweedy. Hello, Cheryl.

-Hello.

Awww, have three Ambo points for being on telly at such a young age.

# I don't need a parachute, baby if I've got you... #

I wanted to find out how Cheryl learned her killer moves, like this.

So I've come to her old dance school for all the goss.

Change feet... One, two, three...

These fancy feet belong to Michael,

who used to actually teach Cheryl when she was 11.

# I don't need a parachute, baby if I've got you... #

She's been putting the skills she learned here to good use

in her pop videos.

# You're going to catch me, you're going to catch me... #

Ooh, nice moves, Chezzer!

What was your initial reaction when you first met Cheryl?

Very keen to learn.

And it was obvious from the beginning that she had talent.

It always takes a lot of hard work.

It's a thing you can't teach, talent.

It's either there or it's not. You can't put it there.

You just have to try and bring it out.

# You're going to catch if I fall... #

Cheryl makes it look so easy.

-Time for my go.

-It's good.

Cheryl obviously sings and does these dance moves.

Is that quite hard?

Yes, because you have to concentrate on two things at once.

I know, I'm struggling to ask you questions and do these dance moves!

I don't know how she sings and does them.

She must be amazing.

'Michael, what a mover!'

Cheryl, you had an awesome teacher.

Take two Ambo points for learning those elegant moves.

So, Cheryl Tweedy could dance, wasn't afraid of the limelight

and turns out she could bust a tune, too.

Sounds a little bit familiar. So, when one of her teachers

heard her singing and told her she had talent,

Cheryl made up her mind that pop music was her way to fame.

So, at age 19, she entered a new TV talent show

called Popstars: The Rivals. Nice move, Cheryl.

# Bap bap doo-wah! #

Back in 2002, Popstars: The Rivals was a TV singing show

which set out to create one girl band and one boy band.

And the usual mixed bag of talent turned up for auditions.

Next!

Amongst the wannabes was a nervous Cheryl Tweedy.

-Shall I stand here?

-786, you're Cheryl?

-Yeah.

-Tweedy. Where are you from?

-Newcastle.

SHE SINGS: # Tell me, have you ever loved and lost somebody?

# Wished there was a chance to say I'm sorry

# I should know... #

We have to put her through. We have to!

-We'll see you back in London.

-OK.

-OK?

-Thanks very much.

-Thank you.

-GERI:

-Gorgeous!

Cheryl made it through to the live shows.

# Baby, now that I found you I can't let you go... #

Her singing was great.

# I need you so... #

Her dancing? Yeah, it was good.

# You don't need me You don't need me... #

And Britain fell in love with her.

And, in an incredibly tense finale, she won a place in the group.

The first member of the band is...

..Cheryl!

Come on! SHE SCREAMS

# The sound of the underground

# The beat of the drum goes round and round... #

Cheryl and the band became Girls Aloud.

They released Sound Of The Underground,

which went on to outsell the rival boys' song

and storm to number one.

And that earned Cheryl three chart-topping Ambo points.

But that was just the start.

Meanwhile, down the road in Sheffield...

..four Yorkshire lads who called themselves the Arctic Monkeys

were starting to make a big name for themselves.

This is High Green, a quiet corner of Sheffield,

but back in 2001 it was about to get a whole lot louder

when four poor teenagers decided to form a band.

Little did they know it would go on to become

one of the greatest British rock bands of all time.

This is how it all happened.

# I bet that you look good on the dance floor

# I don't know if you're looking for romance or...

# I don't know it you're looking for

# I said I bet... #

Like many bands, the Arctic Monkeys started out as a group of mates.

Alex, Jamie, Andy and Matt who fancied being rock stars.

Alex and Jamie got guitars for Christmas,

Andy had a bass guitar

and Matt's mum bought him a £200 drum kit.

They had a band, they had a name - Arctic Monkeys,

but they had one problem,

none of them could actually play their instruments

and no-one wanted to be the lead singer.

# Fake tales of San Francisco echo... #

After a bit of persuading, Alex took to the mic

and the lads locked themselves away

for a couple of years of serious practising.

By 2003, they had written some songs and decided

it was time for the world to see the Arctic monkeys play live.

Their first gig, which took place at a pub in Sheffield,

earned them the princely sum of £27.

You're hardly millionaires, lads,

but take two Ambo points

for earning your first dough.

# Kick me out, kick me out. #

The Arctics had arrived

but they were hardly taking the world by storm.

What the boys desperately needed

was a way of getting their music out to a much wider audience.

The band saved up until they could afford some studio time.

And it was right here that the first Arctic Monkeys record was made,

and I'm about to meet the man who made it all happen.

So keen.

Alan was the first producer the Arctic Monkeys ever worked with.

Legend.

Take us back to 2003 when they were just emerging in Sheffield.

What was the buzz about them around town?

At that point, nothing.

No-one knew.

I went to see their second gig in The Boardwalk in Sheffield

and there was only 15 people there.

-15 people?

-Yeah.

And what was your first impression when you saw them performing?

-They were a shambles.

-Really?

Utter shambles but a really beautiful shambles to watch.

The lads came to Alan's studio to record what's known as a demo,

a collection of songs bands show to record labels

in the hope they'll get signed.

They were only 17.

They were giddy about being in the studio and they were excited.

So, the moment he started singing

I was completely hooked into it.

And then I heard the words. Cos the words were incredible.

So, after they recorded their demos, what happened then?

All their mates were saying "No, it's really good.

"Let's just give it away to people."

-Just hand it out?

-Yeah.

But then someone else who knew...

It was a mate, he said, "I'm going to stick it on the internet."

Lads, take two Ambo points

for recording your first record.

Back in 2003, sharing music online was a very new idea

but the Arctic Monkeys fans were ahead of the game.

Word spread about how awesome they were and the band went viral.

# The said it changes when the sun goes down

# Around here... #

I remember like getting the first single

and going to my friend's, burning it off...

Probably not allowed to do that.

..and giving it to everybody I could and just going,

"Listen to this, this is the band

"that's going to define our generation."

# They said it changes when the sun goes down... #

Boys, have three Ambo points

for gaining a massive fan base.

In under a year,

hard work and talent had seen the Arctics move

from gigging in front of mates in a pub

to performing to packed-out crowds across the UK.

And not only that, they hadn't even released a proper album yet.

The Arctics set that straight in January, 2006,

when Whatever You Say I Am, That's What I'm Not came out.

And it became the fastest selling debut album in British history.

# Tonight there'll be some love. #

Take three Ambo points

for an awesome debut.

The Arctics had arrived.

Let's take a look at the scores at the end of Round One.

The Arctic Monkeys lead by ten

Ambo points to Cheryl's eight,

but don't write her off yet.

Now that we know how our stars made it,

let's check out how hard they've been working since then.

It's time for Round Two.

Round Two is all about what our stars have been up to

to make sure they stay at the top of The Charts.

First up, it's Cheryl.

Cheryl and her girls were the biggest girl group

of the noughties and racked up an incredible 21 top ten hits.

SHE MOUTHS

# Give it up and then they take it away

# A girls got to zip it up. #

Girls aloud owned The Charts.

They became one of the most successful bands

in British history with a monster run of hits, five massive albums,

sell out tours, basically we're talking mega successful.

# You can't mistake my biology

# The way that we talk

# The way that we walk

# It's there in our thoughts

# The magic number's in front of me... #

To give you an idea of how big they were,

they were like One Direction but with long hair and lip gloss.

You could get Girls Aloud dolls, a Cheryl mask

a Nicola eyelash set.

I'm not even kidding about that last one.

For being part of one of the biggest UK girl bands ever,

take four Ambo points, Chez.

# She's a silver lining

# Loan ranger riding through an open space. #

Meanwhile, the Arctic Monkeys have also been cleaning up

at the top of The Charts.

The lads have become masters of song writing

and it's earned them an incredible five,

yes - five, number one albums.

That earns them four Ambo points.

# Hear her say is, "Are you mine?" #

And it's not just Ambo points the boys have been collecting.

There's one thing that sets the Arctic Monkeys aside

from other bands - awards.

And these guys have won lots of them.

They're brilliant and I'm delighted to say they are here.

Please welcome to collect their award

the wonderful Arctic Monkeys.

I'm talking Mercury Music Prizes, Ivor Novello Awards,

NME Awards.

So you think they'd be fairly good at acceptance speeches, right?

Uh-uh.

# Find a well-known hardman... #

In 2007, the Arctics couldn't make the Brit Awards,

so they appeared on the big screen to accept the award

for Best British Group...

The Arctic Monkeys!

..dressed as characters from the Wizard Of Oz.

Thank you for presenting us with this most prestigious award.

It means a great deal considering the competition.

O-K.

A year later they landed Best British Group again.

Arctic Monkeys.

And this time turned up wearing country gent clothing.

Ooh, look, there's Cheryl.

I'm awarding them two Ambo points

for not taking themselves too seriously.

# Something kind of ooh

# Makes my heart go boom, boom

# Something 'side of me

# Wanting what you do oo-ooh. #

Back in Cheryl's world,

life at Girls Aloud was also red carpet-tastic,

but Cheryl was ready for a change.

She wanted to branch out on her own.

In 2009, when the band were on a break, the opportunity came

when Cheryl had the chance to sing with one of her idols -

Will.i.am.

# I'm a heartbreaker

# You're a heartbreaker

-# I'm a heartbreaker

-You're a heartbreaker. #

Will invited Cheryl to sing on the song Heartbreaker

and the duet went to number four in The Charts.

All eyes were on her.

People were wondering if she could succeed after Girls Aloud,

and to get Will.i.am on her side

meant she was off to a really good start.

# We got to fight, fight, fight, fight

# Fight for this love

# We got to fight, fight, fight, fight

# Fight for this love... #

Cheryl released her debut solo album Three Words in 2009

and it soared to number one.

I'm giving Cheryl four solo

sensational Ambo points.

# Fight, fight, fight, Fight for this love. #

And if all this musical superstardom wasn't enough,

Cheryl's gone from talent show star to queen of the talent show judges,

taking a seat on The X Factor.

Cheryl, take two Ambo points for

keeping Simon in his place.

# Brian

# Top marks for not trying

# So kind of you... #

So, how has all this hard work affected the Arctic Monkeys

and Cheryl's record sales?

# Bringing on the flood of love. #

Cheryl sold a staggering eight million records

as part of Girls Aloud,

but sorry, Chezza, we're only counting solo numbers

for this Pop Slam.

On her own she sold a not-to-be-sniffed-at

4.2 million records.

# I thought I saw you in the parrot's beak

# Messing with the smoke alarm. #

The Arctics have racked up a massive

6.9 million UK record sales.

Smooth going, boys.

So, that's three Ambo points to

the Arctics and two to Cheryl.

Let's check out what this means

for the scores.

The Arctic Monkeys

now have 19 Ambo points

with Cheryl just

sneaking ahead on 20.

So close.

Don't agree with me? You know what to do.

Get online and have your say.

We've seen our stars' pop potential and how hard they've worked at it

but now that they've reached the dizzy heights of superstardom,

let's see how glamorously outrageous they have become.

Round Three, what you got?

Round Three - Pop Style,

is all about our celebrities' lives.

Clothes, cars, pets or whatever else they choose to splash their cash on.

Both Cheryl and the Arctics come from pretty humble backgrounds,

but now that they're at the top of the musical tree

how has fame changed our stars?

I'm guessing for the better.

# Brooklyn move my soul like this

# Kissing my stilettos... #

The Cheryl we met in 2002 on Popstars

is hardly the glamorous Cheryl we know today.

Hair done, nails done, even teeth done.

We're talking major transformation.

I'm about to meet the guy who makes sure Chezza

really stands out on the red carpet.

Cheryl's always been, um, really into streetwear.

So she used to wear the kind of sportswear and things

that she'd wear like around the house.

I know, it would literally look like she'd just done a work out.

Exactly, but she slowly like brought that then

into what she can wear sort of day-to-day now

with being papped in an airport and look sensational.

She's quite different, isn't she, from the music videos to then

when she's on the red carpet and to I imagine

when she's in her personal life, she's probably really chilled?

-Yeah, absolutely.

-She is really distinct.

But I think it's really important

because each of those things you mentioned,

you would dress differently for. Like, you'd never wear

one of those gowns if you were lying on the sofa watching telly or...

If I had access to one of those gowns maybe I would.

So, that's Cheryl sort of day-to-day

but what about her super-glam music videos? Can you help me out?

Well, I looked after Cheryl for The Promise video

with the rest of Girls Aloud.

# You're going to make me, make me love you

# Nothing at all, nothing that I do

# Promise I made, promise I made

# Starting to fade, starting to fade, babe. #

Frank was given the majorly-exciting job

of styling Cheryl in the 2008 Girls Aloud video The Promise.

And he's got a real treat for me. So keen.

-We've got the dress here from the video.

-Oh, no way.

-Is this the actual dress?

-The actual dress. Super sparkly.

She touched it.

-Can I actually put it on?

-Yeah, course.

So keen.

# I can't play this like I'm meant to now

# My Aladdin's lamp is down... #

Cheryl looks amazing in the dress.

I can't believe I'm going to get to wear it.

Whoo, come on, shuffle along.

Who am I? Who am I? Wait for it. Wait for it.

# Promise I made, promise I made

# Starting to fade, starting to fade. #

You're looking fantastic

but I don't think Cheryl would have worn those socks with it.

Nothing of it. Bring it in here.

# Cos you're going to make... #

Cheryl takes three Ambo points

for rocking a Hollywood style,

but hold up, what about the Arctic Monkeys' look?

# From the bottom of your heart. #

When we first met the lads they were awkward indie kids,

but over the years we've watched them

morph into rock'n'roll royalty.

When the boys started out and they were in Sheffield,

they very much had their own image

and now they've had a bit of an image overhaul

but it's all been very cool.

# Blackout blind. #

Alex Turner's hair, I mean, that should have its own website.

I'm sure it probably does. It's just amazing.

For going all rock'n'roll retro cool

on us, that's two Ambo points.

And the Arctics have taken their new look to a whole new continent.

# One for the road. #

So you're the biggest rock'n'roll band in Britain,

you're headlining festivals, you've got number one albums

performing in front of millions of people,

what's the next step?

Ah, you move to LA, buy a big house

and hang out with all the beautiful people, of course.

And in 2011, that's exactly what the Arctic Monkeys did.

It's a pretty long way from Sheffield.

# Brick by brick. #

After spending some time touring in the US,

the lads decided LA was the place to record their fourth album,

so, naturally, they set up camp in the Hollywood Hills.

To keep themselves out of trouble,

the boys rented themselves a modest - not in my words -

£3 million mansion.

Let me drop some stats at you.

It had six bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a pool, a sauna,

an outdoor kitchen, ooh, and don't forget the library.

And isn't it right here?

A-list celebrity LA pad,

two Ambo points.

Estate agent Tony has agreed to give me the lowdown

on this celebrity zip code.

OK, Tony, we have a situation.

I am a rock star, I just sold my place in Sheffield

and I'm looking to move into the area.

I have got a cool 400,000. What can I start with?

Unfortunately, Amberley,

400,000 ain't going to cut it in this neighbourhood.

Oh, OK. I can maybe stretch it up to about a million.

You're going to have two stretch it up to at least two million.

Can you do that?

I will call my mum and maybe the rest of my entire family

and my friends and we will network and I'll make it happen.

But, sell it to me, why do I want to move into this area?

What kind of people live in here?

Well, look, you're in Hollywood, California.

People come from all over the world to make it big.

What does LA have that Sheffield doesn't?

Well, we've got everything else you might want if you're a rock star.

Let me hear it. Let me hear it.

OK. So we've got all the recording studios you could ever want

to make your music.

Then you've got all the nightlife in Hollywood.

We've got it all, baby.

Tony, I'm moving to...

-Where are we?

-THEY LAUGH

The Bird Streets in Hollywood Hills, baby.

The Bird Streets in Hollywood, baby.

-Let's go and find me a place. This way?

-All right, let's do it.

# Crawling back to you. #

Moving stateside has paid off brilliantly for the Arctics

because their album AM,

which they recorded in Los Angeles, made it into the American top ten.

And how do the Arctic Monkeys get to their cool LA recording studios?

On one of these bad boys of course. Vroom-vroom!

That's right, the boys collect motorbikes.

And I thought my stamp collection was cool.

Transatlantic domination

gets the lads two Ambo points.

When it comes to style stakes, the Arctic Monkeys are definitely

holding their own

but there's one accessory they can't compete with our Cheryl on,

and that's her pet Chihuahuas.

Buster and Coco both have their own Twitter accounts

with over 6,000 followers.

Little bit weird. But wait, there's more.

Cheryl has admitted to actually calling up her dogs

when she's on tour.

Now, there's no footage of this actually happening

but I can imagine how this would go down.

"Do-do-do-do-do.

-IN A GEORDIE ACCENT:

-"Oh, I'm a bit lonely.

"I might call Buster up and see what he's up to.

"Do-do-do-do-do-do-do."

-GRUFF VOICE:

-"Hello."

"Ooh, Buster.

"It's me, Mummy.

"Ah, just wanting to see what you're up to."

"Nothing much."

"Have you pooed today?"

"No."

"Oh, me neither."

"I'd better get going."

"Oh, you've got to get going? Oh, um, OK.

"Well, you hang up first." "No, you first."

"No, you hang up first."

"No, you hang up first." "No, you hang up first."

Beep-beep-beep.

"Oh, he hung up on me.

"Ooh."

-# So rain on me

-# What's the price of thunder? #

And this slightly odd behaviour wins Cheryl

two pet-loving Ambo points.

And that brings us to the end of Round Three.

We're at the end of Pop Slam and it's been heaps of fun

but I've still got this bad boy to give away.

Who has won the Ambo?

Will it be Cheryl Cole or the Arctic Monkeys?

SHE HOLDS BREATH

Let's look back at what we've learnt.

Cheryl's catchy pop has come up against the all-conquering

rock of the Arctic Monkeys.

They've both become epic successes by taking risks

and keeping their styles cutting edge.

This Pop Slam couldn't be closer.

Ladies and gentlemen, it's the moment we've all been waiting for.

The points have been counted and independently verified by me.

And the winner of the Ambo is...

No way, it's a tie!

Ah, this has never happened before!

You ought to read about it. Everyone's a winner.

Oh, well, bring it in, this is great.

Let's take a look at both of you guys in action.

# Brooklyn move my soul like this

# Kissing my stilettos Move your mouth up to my lips. #

It's a Pop Slam first.

Cheryl has held her own against the boys from Sheffield to share

the honours.

Only problem is...

..how do I hand over the Ambo?

Hello, is this the BBC help desk?

Oh, cool, all right.

I have a situation.

Basically, I want to set up a conference call

between a group of guys in LA,

a girl in Newcastle and me.

Yes, this is a high priority.

Oh, you're just sorting it? Cool.

Oh, just out of interest, how much

does something like this cost?

Actually, you know what? Don't worry about it.

It's fine. OK, bye.

# You can't be sure. #