This is the extended version of a TV documentary about Abba shown in 1999 at the time of Mamma Mia's opening in London. The original TV show was presented off camera by John Gordon-Sinclair. This longer version - with John Gordon-Sinclair's voiceover mysteriously replaced by Neil Pearson - was previously available on VHS. The DVD version has no additional content.

The Winner Takes It All--The ABBA Story reflects the peaks and troughs of the Swedish supergroup's popularity over the decades, as well as the quartet's turbulent years together.

Initially labelled as just another trashy Eurovision act following their win with "Waterloo" in 1974, the group confounded their critics by emerging as a credible musical team with superior songwriting abilities. Following a few years of mass adoration the punters got tired, and for most of the 1980s the group, along with their fans, were forced into years of hibernation and denial. Luckily a new dawn rose in the early 1990s with the emergence of ABBA tribute bands such as Bjorn Again, the appropriation of the group's music in the movies Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Muriel's Wedding, and the global success of the ABBA Gold greatest hits collection.

This documentary successfully manages to piece together both the public and private side of the group, through the use of interview excerpts and video footage. The DVD also contains exclusive interviews with all four members of the band for the first time since their split. Reflecting on the intricate nature of their music, as well as the elevation of their compositions to the heady heights of pop classics, the documentary concludes with behind-the-scenes footage of preparations for the ABBA-inspired West End stage show Mamma Mia! This is a must for all ABBA fans, as well as those wishing to discover the heritage of one of the world's greatest pop groups.