Will Young is 'honoured and proud' to make a documentary about losing his twin Rupert
Rupert died in 2020
Last updated 28th Apr 2022
Pop star Will Young has shared news about a documentary he has made about losing his twin brother Rupert in 2020. Will told his fans on social media that he was 'honoured and proud' to have made the Channel 4 show called Will Young: Losing my Twin Rupert.
Sharing a photo of the pair, the 'Evergreen' singer wrote: 'I’m very honoured and proud to tell my brother Rupert’s story in a documentary on Channel 4 airing May 10th at 10pm. Will Young: Losing my Twin Rupert'.
Since Will posted the news of the documentary, fans have been quick to show support for the singer saying: 'Being a twin myself the thought of losing her is unbearable. Lots of love Will. X', with another saying: 'I met lovely Rupert at one of your concerts a few years back... Thank you for sharing your story & I cannot wait to see you live again after so long this November! #20years 🥰'.
Speaking about the programme, which will air on Channel 4 on 10th May, Will said: "It was very enlightening and emotional to make this film and I am extremely proud of everyone’s involvement in it. I hope it shines a light on the difficulties that so many people face today in the UK with addiction and getting the necessary help."
Whilst Will is known for his successful music career, starting back in 2002 when he won Pop Idol, his twin brother used alcohol as a way to cope with anxiety and depression. During the programme, Will, along with his family speak about the stigma surrounding addiction and the struggle to get long-term help on the NHS.
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Now take a look through Will Young's career:
Summer 2001: Will Young auditioned for Pop Idol
In early summer 2001, 22-year-old Will Young auditioned with 'Blame It on the Boogie' by The Jacksons for the first ever series of Pop Idol. Will's soulful voice and playful personality won over viewers and the judges.
December 2001: Will Young and Gareth Gates went head-to-head
Pop Idol's first live show was broadcast on the 15th December 2001 with 10 contestants. Rik Waller withdrew and was replaced by Darius Rucker, who finished third. However, it was Will Young and Gareth Gates who the battle was really between, with Will topping the public votes weeks 1-4, Gareth topping weeks 5-7 and Will back on top for week 8.
February 2002: Will Young won Pop Idol
Will Young won the competition with 53.1% of the public vote with over 14 million viewers tuning in. He won over fans and also took home a £1 million recording contract to release his debut album.
March 2002: Will Young's Guinness World Record
Will's debut single 'Anything Is Possible'/'Evergreen' earned a place in the Guinness World Records becoming the fastest-selling debut single in the UK. The single sold over 1.1 million copies in its first chart week between 25th February and 2nd March 2002. In total it sold an unprecedented 2 million UK singles in 15 weeks. The song was certified 3x Platinum after just one week.
June 2002: Will Young performed with Queen
Will Young stepped in to sing with Queen at the Golden Jubilee pop concert of Queen Elizabeth II, which was held in the gardens of Buckingham Palace on the 3rd June 2002. Speaking on Magic Radio, Will said: "I wasn't meant to be singing 'We Are The Champions' but Phil Collins didn't want to do it, because he was too busy drumming, which is fair enough, because he is a drummer... I was really bad in the dress rehearsal and I actually swore on stage and it went out all the way down The Mall!"
September 2002: Will Young performed with Kelly Clarkson on American Idol
Kelly Clarkson performed with Will Young during the final of American Idol on the 4th September 2002 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Kelly went on to win the contest and a recording contract. She is now known for her hits 'Stronger', 'Catch My Breath' and 'Because of You'.
October 2002: Debut album released 'From Now On'
In October 2002, Will released his debut album 'From Now On' which included singles 'Light My Fire', 'The Long and Winding Road' and 'Don't Let Me Down'/'You and I', as well as his Number 1 single 'Evergreen'. The album was certified 2x Platinum after a month, meaning it sold 600K units.
February 2003: BRIT Award win
Will was up for three BRIT Awards at the 2003 ceremony: Best British Single, Best British Pop/R&B Act and Breakthrough Artist (now named Best New Artist). He won the latter and it became his first of two BRIT Award wins in his career.
December 2003-January 2004: World Idol
Broadcast on Christmas Day 2003 and the results announced on New Year's Day 2004, Pop Idol winners from 11 countries took part in ITV's World Idol. Will finished in fifth place with his rendition of The Doors 'Light My Fire'. Kelly Clarkson finished in second and Norwegian Kurt Nilsen won.
Pictured left to right: Peter Evrard (Belgium), Guy Sebastian (Australia), Alexander Klaws (Germany), Alex Janosz {Poland}, Jamai (Norway), Will Young (UK), Kelly Clarkson (USA), Kurt Nilsen (Norway), Ryan Malcolm (Canada), Diana Karzon (Pan Arabic Region) and Heinz Winckler (South Africa).
February 2005: Will Young won his second BRIT Award
At the 25th BRIT Awards in 2005, 6.3 million people watched as Will Young took home the award for British Single of the Year for his song 'Your Game'. He was also nominated for Best British Song of 25 Years for 'Leave Right Now'.
November 2005: Will Young's film debut in Mrs Henderson Presents
Will made his acting debut alongside Judi Dench in a film about the true story of British socialite Laura Henderson who opened the Windmill Theatre in London in 1931. Will Young played Bertie and featured on the film's soundtrack.
June 2008: Will Young performed at Glastonbury
Will Young performed an intimate show on the Avalon stage at Glastonbury in 2008 and wowed the crowd with his rendition of new track 'Changes'.
May 2012: Will Young joined Cabaret
Bill Kenwright presented the multi-award winning production of Cabaret which starred Will Young. The announcement was made in May 2012 and the shows began in October of that year.
Will said at the time: "I am very excited about the challenge of choosing Cabaret as my first musical theatre role. The role of the Emcee is a part I have wanted to play since before I started training at Arts Education in Chiswick when I first moved to London. With Rufus and Javier I couldn't wish for better people to be surrounded by."
A year later, Will won Best Newcomer of the Year at the WhatsOnStage Awards for his role in Cabaret.
October 2012: Will Young released his autobiography
Will had already released books, but Funny Peculiar was his first autobiography and detailed his experience on Pop Idol, to the crazy reality of being famous. Will opened up about the highs and lows of his life and his book went on to sell 1.7 million copies.
In a Q&A session he revealed why he decided to write the book: "I started writing a book with my brother, then I started writing a comedy, comedy-drama and then got to my autobiography."
May 2015: Will released his sixth album '85% Proof'
Will signed with Island Records in 2012, and '85% Proof' was the sixth studio album by Will Young, and his first released by Island Records. Released on 25th May 2015, the album was certified Gold on 13th December 2024.
The album featured songs such as 'Love Revolution', 'Thank You' and 'Joy', the album was produced by Jim Eliot and Richard Stannard (who have both worked with Ellie Goulding and Kylie Minogue).
August - September 2016: Manchester Pride and Strictly Come Dancing
Will Young headlined at Manchester Pride in August 2016. The singer and actor made his only LGBT festival appearance of the year at the event.
He also took part in the 2016 series of Strictly Come Dancing and was partnered with Karen Clifton. After three weeks of dancing, the singer and actor withdrew from the competition, he said: "To be a part of Strictly has been a long-time ambition of mine. As a performer, a viewer, and a fan of the show, to dance as a contestant was an experience I always hoped for.
"I have made some great friends, and am in awe of their performances week in, week out. I have found a creative partnership with Karen that has been the most wonderful thing to experience. Unfortunately, I am leaving the show for personal reasons. I leave with joy in my heart that I have been able to take part in one of the most loved shows on British television."
March 2018: Will joined Strictly Ballroom on the West End
Will Young played the role of band leader, Wally Strand in the West End show based on the 1992 film Strictly Ballroom (which inspired Strictly Come Dancing). The Baz Luhrmann musical made its debut at the Piccadilly Theatre, London in 2018.
December 2021: Magic Radio's Magic of Christmas
Will Young took to the stage at Magic of Christmas 2021. The show was hosted by Magic Breakfast presenters Ronan Keating and Harriet Scott. There were performances from Ronan Keating, Rag'N'Bone Man, Emeli Sandé, Will Young, Jamie Cullum, Mica Paris and James Arthur.
Watch his performance on YouTube.
January 2022: Masked Singer contestant
Will was unmasked as Lionfish in series 3, episode 3 of the UK's version of The Masked Singer, he was the third person to be eliminated from the show, following Heather Small and Gloria Hunniford. He performed 'I Will Always Love You' by Dolly Parton during his last episode.
February 2022: '20 Years - The Greatest Hits' album
In 2022 Will announced an album, '20 Years - The Greatest Hits', revealing he'd be embarking on a 22-date tour across the UK in October and November of that year. He wrote on Instagram: 'Time flies when you're having fun… this week marks the 20th anniversary since I won Pop Idol!!! Due to popular demand, I'm adding a couple of extra shows to the #20Years tour, including a second date at the London Palladium on Sat 12th November.
'I'm also now kicking off the tour with a new show at the Villa Marina on the Isle Of Man on Monday 10th October.. Both of the new shows go on sale at 9am this Wednesday 9th February - exactly 20 years to the day of my Pop Idol win!!'
May 2022: Will Young: Losing my Twin Rupert
Will Young took part in a documentary about losing his twin brother in 2020 at the age of 41. The programme called Will Young: Losing my Twin Rupert saw Will discuss in the honest and moving film, how he lived with his twin's alcoholism for 20 years.
June 2023: Will performed at Glastonbury
Will performed at Glastonbury Festival in June 2023, taking to the Avalon Stage. On performing at the world-renowned festival, Will wrote on Instagram: 'It will be my fourth time performing and 12th time attending the most historic wonderful festival. From seeing Bowie when I was a student, to watching Suzanne Vega, Beyoncé to Empire of the Sun, there have been so many highlights! Hope you can come and join me to celebrate 20 years and sing along to all the hits! Xx'.
August 2024: Will released his album 'Light It Up'
On 18th April 2024, Will released a brand new single titled 'Falling Deep', after weeks of teasing that something exciting was on the way. The track featured on Will's ninth studio album 'Light It Up', which was released in August 2024.
In 2024, Will also went on tour, however sadly some of this tour dates has to be postponed until early 2025 due to doctor's advice.
August 2025: Will Young performed at Brighton Pride
Following some tour dates in early 2025, Will performed at Brighton Pride. The singer performed songs 'Love Revolution', 'Joy', 'Leave Right Now' and 'All Time Love'. Also in 2025, Will continued to release music videos for songs from his latest album 'Light It Up'.
Away from music, Will joined panto for the first time, performing as The Spirit of the Beans in Jack and the Beanstalk at the Bristol Hippodrome.
Now read:
Will Young: Celebrating his incredible 20 year career
Will Young reveals the track list for '20 Years The Greatest Hits' album