BBC-2's pre-festive schedule comes to life on Saturday evening (13th December) as the network pays tribute to Wham!, one of the top bands of the 1980s, and its gay hero lead singer, George Michael. At five past nine, after a previous programme about Christmas pop videos, we join a celebration of Wham! performances at the BBC over the years. Then at 10.15pm, a documentary looks at the story of Last Christmas, the legendary Wham! Christmas single, which was released in 1984, and finally reached the coveted Number 1 in 2023.
Finally, at 11.15pm, the late great George Michael is celebrated with a selection of his performances at the BBC, from the time of Wham! until his sad passing in 2016. As well as being a talented writer of pop music and master of a sweet soul voice, George was a philanthropist, and the true extent of his kind generosity only became known on his death on Christmas Day in 2016. He volunteered time and money at homeless shelters, gave tens of thousands of pounds away to charities, and preferentially gave interviews to street sold progressive newspapers like The Big Issue, so that his fans would benefit their charitable work. He was in short, a gay hero.
If you miss either of these live, don't forget you can always watch them again on BBC IPlayer.
