‘Two kids who met at school’: Netflix tells the story of Wham! – early ’80s pop phenomenon – through surviving member Andrew Ridgeley and the voice of George Michael

The pair behind ’80s mega hits like Club Tropicana, Freedom and Last Christmas met as teenagers before forming Wham!, one of the biggest pop acts of their era

40 years on, Netflix’s documentary charts the rapid rise of Andrew Ridgeley and the late George Michael using private photos, amateur footage and TV recordings

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George Michael (right) and Andrew Ridgeley on the cover of Wham!’s 1983 debut album “Fantastic”. A Netflix documentary looks at the rise and heyday of the influential ‘80s pop duo. Photo: Netflix

Published: 4:15am, 6 Jul 2023Updated: 4:59am, 6 Jul 2023

While the mega hit “Last Christmas” is set to remain forever enshrined in music history – as much as we try to forget – not everyone may remember the 1980s pop legends behind it.

A new Netflix documentary about Andrew John Ridgeley and Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou – a.k.a. George Michael – is out to change that.

In 1981, the duo, friends since their teenage years at school, formed a band in the English town of Bushey, near London, and soon triggered global hype: Wham! were only active for a few years, but their influence on pop culture continues to this day.

Ridgeley is now celebrating the 40th Wham! anniversary with a new The Singles box set and the documentary, which launched on Netflix on Wednesday.

Ridgeley (left) and Michael in a still from “Wham!”. The duo met at school in a town near London and went on to become one of the most influential pop acts of the 1980s. Photo: Netflix

The film, simply titled Wham!, looks back at the years from 1981 to 1986, which saw the duo logging hit after hit, including “Wake Me Up (Before You Go-Go)“ and “Careless Whisper”.

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