Oct. 29 (UPI) — The BBC has announced plans to air an hour-long special called WHAM! Last Christmas Unwrapped.
The program will feature new interviews with Andrew Ridgeley, one half of the 1980s pop duo WHAM!, and archival footage of his former bandmate George Michael, in cooperation with his estate.
Michael died of heart issues on Christmas Day 2016. He was 53.
The timing of his death was considered by many to be especially poignant because the WHAM! song, “Last Christmas,” has been a holiday special since it was released in 1984.
Mary J. Blige, Bob Geldof, Neil Tennant and Sam Smith also discuss the song’s cultural impact in the special.
“It’s a privilege, 40 years on, to be able to have this opportunity to celebrate WHAM!’s wonderful and enduring musical homage to Christmas and I’m absolutely thrilled that WHAM! in partnership with The BBC will present this joyful and touching tribute to the nation this Christmas,” Ridgeley, 61, said in a statement Tuesday.
“Christmas was a special time of year for George and Christmas songs were a special type of song for him too and that was why he considered writing a Christmas classic one of the great achievements of his career,” the singer added. “Only he will ever know quite what inspired him to such dizzying heights, but his songwriting genius led him to distil the quintessential essence of Christmas into a song whose breadth of appeal spans the generations.”
No premiere date has been announced yet.
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