Some big news if your a big George Michael and Andrew Ridgley fan – like me – a new WHAM! doc is coming to cinemas this year. WHAM! 10 Days In China will debut from Sony Music Vision, in association with Sony Music Entertainment UK, and will focus on the band’s landmark 1985 tour of China, and spotlighting their historic performances in Beijing and Guangzhou. Trafalgar Studios will release the film in the UK.
The film will land from on July 28, with tickets officially on sale from June 24 at 2pm BST. WHAM! 10 Days in China, in association with the BBC, will be broadcast on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer later this summer.
The first Western pop group to perform in China, WHAM!’s concerts in Beijing and Guangzhou introduced live pop music to audiences under strict guidelines at the time. The tour marked a pivotal cultural moment for WHAM!, expanding the band’s international profile and cementing their global reach.
Drawing on meticulously restored, newly digitised and never-before-seen archive footage, alongside interviews with those who experienced the tour firsthand, the film revisits this historic moment through the eyes of the band, their team and Chinese audiences encountering Western pop culture for the first time. This is the untold story of WHAM! at a singular moment in history, East meets West, pop meets politics, and two young stars coming of age on the world stage. The film offers a fresh perspective on China at a moment of transformation, told through the band’s journey and the voices of fans experiencing pop culture in a new way.
“This film finally reveals the unknown legacy of WHAM!’s groundbreaking venture, and lays bare, in all their human contradictions, the individual perspectives behind what was a bold and risky, high stakes gamble,” said Andrew Ridgeley.
George Michael Entertainment and the George Michael estate said “We are proud to be a part of this re-examination of what was a bold, brave foray into unknown territory both political and cultural some 40 years after the event took place. We hope that existing fans of WHAM! and those not so familiar with the China adventure will find this film as fascinating and thought provoking as we did during the making of the film.”
“We can’t wait to bring WHAM! 10 Days in China to audiences around the world, with a film that brings this remarkable moment back to life through incredible archival material and firsthand perspectives,” said Tom Mackay, President, Sony Music Vision. “Partnering with Trafalgar Releasing and the BBC gives fans everywhere the chance to come together and experience it like never before.”
