Wham!’s Andrew Ridgeley and singers Pepsi and Shirlie have said they felt George Michael’s presence and that trees started falling down when they returned to the place they filmed the Last Christmas music video.
Last singer Michael, Ridgeley and their back-up singers Pepsi and Shirlie shot scenes for the video for the festive hit in Switzerland 40 years ago in 1984. Ridgeley, Pepsi and Shirlie marked the anniversary by going back to the same spot as they filmed new TV documentary Wham!: Last Christmas Unwrapped eight years after Michael’s death.
And during an appearance on The One Show they told how Christmas trees started falling down around them as they talked about Michael, who died on Christmas Day in 2016 aged 53 as result of heart and liver disease.
The stars were on the BBC show on Wednesday, 11 December and were talking about making the documentary without Michael, when Shirlie said: “You felt him there with you. He loved his music and for us to be highlighting going back and now sitting here now and talking about it, that’s what he wants for his music and that’s what we are here to do.”
“And he was there,” said Pepsi. “There were moments when we really felt his energy and there were moments where certain things happened. Christmas trees falling down!”
Shirlie chimed in: “Christmas trees falling down as we were talking about him!”
She went on: “All having hot chocolate up in the mountain in the chalet, it was such a beautiful scene and I was telling them something about, ‘Oh his presence is here’ and then suddenly, domino, all the trees went.”
“It was him,” added Pepsi.
Read more: George Michael
“Oooh that gives me goosebumps,” said The One Show presenter Alex Jones.
Wham!: Last Christmas Unwrapped celebrates the 40th anniversary of the song and how it became a phenomenon over the years. It will feature interviews with figures including Sir Bob Geldof and Sam Smith.
Speaking on The One Show, Ridgeley said that the programme and return to Switzerland were a “love letter to the song”, which finally made it to number one last year, 39 years after its initial release.
“A love letter to George as well, and the songwriting genius that he was,” he added.
The One Show airs at 7pm on BBC One on weekdays.
Wham!: Last Christmas Unwrapped airs on Saturday, 14 December at 8.35pm on BBC Two.
