Britain’s Royal Mail on Friday unveiled a set of 15 special stamps to celebrate one of the world’s most successful female pop groups of all time, the Spice Girls.
With more than 100 million global record sales across three decades and nine UK number-one singles, the girl band is considered one of the most successful British bands in music history.
Formed in 1994, the Spice Girls are the biggest female group of all time, with worldwide record sales of over 100 million. Emma, Geri, Mel B, Melanie C, and Victoria – aka Baby, Ginger, Scary, Sporty, and Posh Spice – spearheaded their own rise to chart dominance at a time when girl groups were not considered to be commercially viable. Their infectious pop sound and bold "Girl Power!" philosophy changed the face of music and inspired a generation of artists and fans.
This is the first time Royal Mail has dedicated an entire stamp issue to a female pop group and they become only the sixth music group to feature in a dedicated stamp issue – following on from The Beatles in 2007, Pink Floyd in 2016, Queen in 2020, The Rolling Stones in 2022 and Iron Maiden in 2023.
“We are so excited to be celebrated by Royal Mail, alongside some of the most iconic and influential music legends,” the Spice Girls said in a collective statement.
“When we formed the Spice Girls we couldn’t have dreamt that 30 years later we would be the first female group to be dedicated an entire stamp collection, that’s Girl Power,” they said.
In partnership with Bravado, Universal Music Group’s brand management and merchandise division, Royal Mail said it worked closely with the band to carefully curate and select images that celebrated the “incredible legacy” of the Spice Girls.
David Gold, Director of External Affairs and Policy said: “The Spice Girls have been a force to be reckoned with since they formed as a group in 1994. We are proud to celebrate the most successful female music group ever seen, not only for their music but their enduring influence over so many aspects of our lives.”
The main set of 10 stamps features iconic images of group and individual live performances from 1997 to 2012 and completing the set are a further five stamps, presented in a miniature sheet, featuring individual images of the girls from the iconic Spice World photoshoot. The image was chosen as it features each of the Spice Girls individually on their own stamp, but also within a group shot.
Spicemania swept the globe in 1996 with the release of the group's debut single, ‘Wannabe’ and the influence of the group touched all spheres of modern life. They became a lasting symbol of the "Cool Britannia" era, owing in no small part to the iconic Union Jack dress worn by Geri for the group's performance at the 1997 BRIT Awards, Royal Mail notes.
The Spice Girls were awarded two Ivor Novello Awards, and three BRITS – one of these a special BRIT Award in recognition of their global achievement – three American Music Awards and four global MTV Awards.
The new stamps are available to individually pre-order now and a presentation pack including all 15 stamps in the set is priced at GBP 19.65.
So, Kajol and Twinkle Khanna’s show, Two Much, is already near its fourth episode. And people keep asking: why do we love watching stars sit on sofas so much? It’s not the gossip. Not really. We’re not paying for the gossip. We’re paying for the glimpse. For the little wobble in a voice, a tiny apology, a family story you recognise. It’s why Simi’s white sofa mattered once, why Karan’s sofa rattled the tabloids, and why Kapil’s stage made everyone feel at home. The chat show isn’t dead. It just keeps changing clothes.
Why Indian audiences can’t stop watching chat shows from Simi Garewal to Karan Johar Instagram/karanjohar/primevideoin/ Youtube Screengrab
Remember the woman in white?
Simi Garewal brought quiet and intimacy. Her Rendezvous with Simi Garewal was all white sets and soft lights, and it felt almost like a church for confessions. She never went full interrogation mode with her guests. Instead, she’d just slowly unravel them, almost like magic. Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha, they all sat on that legendary white sofa, dropping their guard and letting something real slip out, something you’d never stumble across anywhere else. The whole thing was gentle, personal, and almost revolutionary.
Simi Garewal and her iconic white sofa changed the face of Indian talk showsYoutube Screengrab/SimiGarewalOfficial
Then along came Karan Johar
Let’s be honest, Karan Johar changed the game completely. Koffee with Karan was the polar opposite. Where Simi was a whisper, Karan was a roar. His rapid-fire round was a headline machine. Suddenly, it stopped being about struggles or emotions but opinions, little rivalries, and that full-on, shiny Bollywood chaos. He almost spun the film industry into a full-blown high school drama, and honestly? We loved it up.
Kapil Sharma rewired the format again and took the chat show, threw it in a blender with a comedy sketch, and created a monster hit. His genius was in creating a world or what we call his crazy “Shantivan Society” and making the celebrities enter his universe. Suddenly, Shah Rukh Khan was being teased by a fictional, grumpy neighbour and Ranbir Kapoor was taunted by a fictional disappointed ex-girlfriend. Stars were suddenly part of the spectacle, all halos tossed aside. It was chaotic, yes, but delightfully so. The sort of chaos that still passed the family-TV test. For once, these impossibly glamorous faces felt like old friends lounging in your living room.
Kajol and Twinkle’s Amazon show Two Much feels like friends talking to people in their circle, and that matters. What’s wild is, these folks aren’t the stiff, traditional hosts, they’re insiders. The fun ones. The ones who know every secret because, let’s be honest, they were there when the drama started. On a platform like Amazon, they don’t have to play for TRPs or stick to a strict clock. They can just… talk.
People want to peep behind the curtain. Even with Instagram and Reels, there’s value in a longer, live-feeling exchange. It’s maybe the nuance, like an awkward pause, a memory that makes a star human, or a silly joke that lands. OTT gives space for that. Celebs turned hosts, like Twinkle and Kajol in Two Much or peers like Rana Daggubati in Telugu with The Rana Daggubati Show, can ask differently; they make room for stories that feel earned, not engineered.
How have streaming and regional shows changed the game?
Streaming freed chat shows from TRP pressure and ad breaks. You get episodes that breathe. Even regional versions likeThe Rana Daggubati Show, or long-running local weekend programmes, prove this isn’t a Mumbai-only appetite. Viewers want local language and local memories, the same star-curiosity in Kannada, Telugu, or Tamil. That widens the talent pool and the tone.
From White Sofas to OTT Screens How Indian Talk Shows Keep Capturing HeartsiStock
Are shock moments over?
Not really. But people are getting sick of obvious bait. Recent launches lean into warmth and inside jokes rather than feeding headlines. White set, gold couch, or a stage full of noise, it doesn’t matter. You just want to sit there, listen, get pulled into their stories, like a campfire you can’t leave. We watch, just curious, hoping maybe these stars are a little like us. Or maybe we’re hoping we can borrow a bit of their sparkle.
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