Andrew Ridgeley has recalled the surreal nature of Wham!'s 1985 trip to China, which made them the first western pop act to play in the country. The tour, documented in a new film Wham! 10 Days in China, was driven by commercial logic to boost their US fame without a gruelling arena tour.
"When the idea was originally proposed to George and myself, I thought it didn't stand a cat's chance in hell," Ridgeley said. "I wasn't a fan, but George was pretty immovable on not touring in the States to the extent to which we would have to. It was a bit of a Hobson's choice – China or bust."
Unseen footage and awkward moments
The documentary uses previously unseen archive footage and new interviews, showing Wham! performing in Beijing and Guangzhou. It captures awkward embassy receptions, silent gigs where the audience had been told to stay seated, and the band's discomfort with press demands.
Ridgeley noted the pressure was different from a usual tour: "We went there to achieve a goal, it was constructed to achieve a purpose." He recalled feeling "slightly restricted" with chaperones in Beijing.
The ill-fated Lindsay Anderson film
A key strand is the hiring of director Lindsay Anderson to oversee a documentary. Ridgeley described it as "bloody ludicrous." Anderson, then 61, did not get on with the band and was fired six months later. His cut was "as dull as dishwater," Ridgeley said, and "just not fit for purpose."
Anderson twisted his knee on the Great Wall, leaving most shooting to his cinematographers. The raw footage lay in storage for decades until director Mike Christie started work in September 2024, discovering over 20 hours of Super 16 film reels.
New documentary and legacy
Wham! 10 Days in China is the third documentary about the band in recent years. Ridgeley hopes to keep Wham!'s music alive for new audiences: "It's about developing new audiences and it is about trying to keep Wham! there or thereabouts in the musical consciousness."
The film is in cinemas from 28 July and will air on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer in August.
