Radio 2 to mark 40th anniversary of Wham!’s debut album

BBC Radio 2 is to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the release of Wham!’s debut album and what would have been George Michael’s 60th birthday.

George would have been 60 on 25 June and Wham!’s debut album, Fantastic was released on 9 July 1983.

George Michael at the BBC features George in conversation and performing at the BBC from across the decades.

The programme includes a collection of interviews from the BBC’s archive including with Kirsty Wark, Simon Bates, Steve Wright, Kirsty Young, Chris Evans and Michael Parkinson. There’s also a rare opportunity to hear his BBC Radio Theatre concert from 1996, An Audience with George Michael.

George Michael at the BBC will air on BBC Radio 2 on Saturday 17 June, 1-2am. It will be followed by the Ultimate George Michael Top 30, 2-3am.

Last year, Radio 2 listeners voted for Your Ultimate George Michael Song to mark 40 years since Wham!’s first entry, Young Guns (Go For It) in the UK singles chart in 1982.

Scott Mills counts down the listeners’ favourite 30 tracks and Andrew Ridgely tells Scott about behind the scenes stories and inspirations for the tracks he and George worked on together.

Then, Wham! The Fans’ Story can be heard the following morning, Sunday 18 June 12-1am on Radio 2.

Despite releasing just two studio albums and calling it a day only three years later, their pop legacy lives on with their hits still being played all over the world. In this show, Andrew Ridgeley, Shirley Kemp and Pepsi DeMacque reflect on those happy days.

Other stars who share their memories of Wham! mania include Claire Richards of Steps, Mark Feehily of Westlife, Holly Johnson, Lindsay Armaou and Sinéad O’Carroll of B*Witched, Denise Pearson of Five Star, Samantha Fox, Nik Kershaw, Matt Goss, Kim Wilde, Tiffany, Denise Van Outen, Louise, Nicola Roberts of Girls Aloud, Joe McElderry and Emma Willis, as well as Radio 2’s Rylan, Michael Ball and Gary Davies.

Wham! – The Music That Made Us follows from 2-4am, where Andrew Ridgeley reveals the musical influences of a young Georgios Panayiotou (before he became George Michael) – along with his own.

The programme features an eclectic range of music from the likes of Elvis Presley, Joy Division, Elton John, The Specials and Sugarhill Gang.

Andrew talks for the first time about the music that bonded George and him, plus the songs that influenced the sound of The Executive – Andrew and George’s first band together – and then Wham!.

In addition to these programmes airing on Radio 2 on 17 and 18 June, they will be available on BBC Sounds from 11 June for 30 days.

Also on BBC Sounds, there’s another chance to hear George Michael: Older at 25 which sees Melanie C look back at the Older album to mark its 25th anniversary. It features contributions from Russell T Davies, James Blunt, Bananarama, Shirlie Kemp, Ed Sheeran, Jack Savoretti and more.