Band it without Beckham: Will Spice Girls reunite?

Now, almost 20 years after they first topped the charts, the Spice Girls could be reuniting.

Reports suggest Ginger, Baby, Scary and Sporty might reunite for a special tour – without Posh Spice Victoria Beckham.

Leeds’s own Melanie Brown, known as Scary Spice Mel B, tweeted an old photograph of herself yesterday from her girl band days, adding further fuel to the fire.

She said: “The world deserves to hear your voice! #BeLoud.”

However, Baby Spice Emma Bunton quashed rumours on her radio show, saying: “If anything happens and it’s concrete, and we decide on something, I will let you know, but nothing’s happening at the moment.”

Sporty Spice Mel C tweeted: “Woke up this morning wondering whether I need to start practising my backflips?!”

Victoria also tweeted a photograph of an old Spice Girls photo album, with the words: “Love my Spice Girls.”

Spice Girls fever most recently hit Leeds when an exhibition showcasing hundreds of items of memorabilia went on display at Leeds City Museum in 2011. Owner and superfan Liz West, from Huddersfield, now owns an estimated 5,000 items, from Girl Power biscuits to Christmas crackers – and has the Guinness World Record for the largest Spice Girls collection.

Speaking about the reunion rumours on Twitter, she said: “Very excited if it’s true. I’ll believe it when I see it...”

Scary Spice Mel B was born in Harehills, Leeds, and grew up in Burley, where the girl group regularly stayed at her parents’ home before the band went global. Her parents Andrea and Martin later moved to Horsforth.

Speaking in 2008, Mel B, who is currently a judge on America’s Got Talent, said: “Leeds has totally made me who I am today.”

She also visited the children’s wards at St James’ Hospital in December 1997, and said she hoped it would raise the spirits of babies and children who were at away from their parents at Christmas. Before hitting the big time, Mel C was also a familiar face in Leeds.

Her father, Alan Chisholm, lived in Churwell, near Morley in south Leeds, and the singer would regularly visit him at home. She later bought him a house in a quiet cul-de-sac in the suburbs.

The Spice Girls sold more than 75 million records worldwide and had nine number ones.

Geri Halliwell quit the band in 1998 but the group continued as a quartet until 2001, when they decided to work on their solo careers.

After much speculation they later reformed for a money-spinning 47-date tour starting in 2007.

The quintet also reunited to perform together at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics.

They also got together to launch a stage musical inspired by their songs, called, ‘Viva Forever’.

What have the Spice Girls been up to since the band split?