Reflective: Britney Spears speaks openly about her life in the documentary. Photo / Supplied

KEY POINTS:

Pick of the week
Britney: For The Record
When: Tuesday, 9.30pm
Where: TV2

What: In her own words

You don't have to be a gossip-monger to know the key events of Britney Spears' past two years. It began with her divorce from aspiring rapper Kevin Federline and ended with the recent release of her sixth studio album Circus.

In between there was the head-shaving incident; the screaming umbrella attack; and, of course, the highly publicised meltdown, which saw her restrained on a gurney and temporarily committed to a psychiatric ward.

She lost custody of her children and control of all her finances. She embarrassed herself in front of the world with an attempted "comeback" performance at the 2007 MTV Awards, and engaged in an ill-advised affair with Brit paparrazzo Adnan Ghalib.

She also released one of the best albums of her career - the scathing Blackout, which took aim at all those trying to control her out-of-control life.

We know all this from the screeds of tabloid stories, photos and constant blog updates from gossip junkies. Insiders close to Spears fed the gossip hounds regular tidbits on the singer's state of mind, but Spears herself remained silent.

Filmed over three months, Britney: For the Record is the singer's attempt to tell her story and explain herself, in her own words, as she prepares for yet another comeback.

No topics were off limits as film-maker Phil Griffin followed Spears as she prepared for the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, recorded her new album and began the endless stream of photo shoots and interviews that feed the media machine.

Described by some as her most candid interview to date, Spears discusses everything from her break-up with Justin Timberlake to her current situation - living under her father's control and away from her two sons.

Speaking of her breakdown last year, Spears says: "I lost focus. I lost myself.

"I let certain people into my life that were just bad people ...

"What the hell was I thinking?"