.png)
3 weeks ago
45 ARTICLE AD
EXCLUSIVE: Here’s a little Xmas treatment for Wham! fans.
The BBC has picked up an hour-long Sony documentary special on the everlasting impact of “Last Christmas”, one of the best known festive tunes of all time from George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley.
WHAM!: Last Christmas Unwrapped will tell the story of how the band turned the track into a cultural phenomenon. It will present a number of those involved with the song including new interviews with Ridgeley, while there will be archive radio and video footage of Michael, who died on Christmas day 2016.
Directed by BAFTA and Golden Globe-nominated Nigel Cole (Calendar Girls, Made in Dagenham), the show includes an exclusive broadcast of Michael performing “Last Christmas” at Wembley Arena in December 2006 along with never seen before outtakes from the original 35mm music video footage. The doc will also reunite some of the genuine group of close friends from the original music video, set against the snow-covered backdrop of Saas-Fee in Switzerland.
Wham!’s “Last Christmas” is one of the all-time top festive songs, gaining four billion audio streams, one billion video views, reaching six times platinum sales in the UK and U.S., and the number one chart position in 16 countries. The film has been made in association with Ridgeley and George Michael Entertainment.
The announcement comes a year after Netflix launched Wham!, a feature about the duo that came 40 years after their debut album “Fantastic”.
WHAM!: Last Christmas Unwrapped comes from Sony Music Entertainment and is the first music doc produced by Blink Films. In partnership with Sony Music Vision and Sony Music Entertainment UK, the feature documentary was acquired by Jonathan Rothery, Head of Commissioning, Pop Music TV, BBC. It is produced by Blink with Justine Kershaw and Laura Jones serving as producers. Sony Pictures Entertainment handles distribution outside of the UK.
