Spice Girls talent show plans scrapped

Geri Horner, Mel B and Emma Bunton have been forced to scrap plans to stage a Spice Girls talent show.

The celebrity trio had planned to give fans of the record-breaking girl group the opportunity to join them on stage as they made their much-anticipated return to the spotlight, but the plans have been blocked by former bandmates Victoria Beckham and Mel C, who reportedly feared it would "damage the Spice Girls brand".

A source explained: "While fans would have preferred to see all five on stage again, the chance to become a Spice Girl was definitely the next best thing.

"Unfortunately, that won’t be happening now. Neither Victoria nor Mel C were on board with the idea and faced with an ‘us and them’ situation, it was dropped.

"It’s a shame because it would have been one of the most sought-after prizes in reality TV show history."

Despite this, there remains a feint hope that the plan could be resurrected at some stage in the future.

The source told The Sun newspaper: "Given how unpredictable the Spice Girls reunion has been so far, there’s a chance it could be resurrected. But there has been no movement on it since last year."

Meanwhile, Mel C has spoken out against the reunion, saying the band reached their peak when they performed at the London Olympics in 2012.

She previously said: "I’d love to play huge arenas across the world, sing our brilliantly bonkers pop songs and relive our former glory.

"It is of course a very lucrative opportunity too. But we were a five-piece band. Didn’t we reach a peak with the Olympics? There’s a lot to be said for bowing out on a high note.

"For me the absolute pinnacle of my Spice existence was being watched by a billion people around the globe belting out ‘Spice Up Your Life’ on top of a black cab at the 2012 London Olympics.

"Anything less than the full line-up just didn’t feel like we’d be doing justice to the band or the fans."