

Paper Dolls delves into the inner workings of a manufactured girl group, and while the story is fictionalised it was inspired by a pivotal moment in Australian pop culture history.
Based on an original concept by Belinda Chapple and created and written by Ainslie Clouston, Paper Dolls is an eight-part scripted drama that tells the story of a girl group called Harlow, which features five young women who have been thrust together via the reality show Pop Rush.
In 2000, Australian audiences religiously tuned into a new reality TV series called Popstars, which featured thousands of hopeful women lining up to audition for the chance to be part of a new all-girl pop group.
After a televised flurry of callbacks, tears, home visits, performances, and make-overs (which proved to be an immense ratings success) an Aussie pop group was formed, a band that went on to top the charts comprised of Sophie Monk, Belinda Chapple, Katie Underwood, Sally Polihronas and Tiffani Wood.
And then in 2022, away from the TV cameras, it all came crashing down.
The rise, fall and behind-the-scenes moments of their making were chronicled in a book released this year by Belinda Chapple entitled The Girl in the Band: Bardot – a Cautionary Tale and is the inspiration for the new Paramount+ Australian original series Paper Dolls.
Watch: Paramount+ Paper Dolls official trailer. Post continues after video.