New York, NY (Top40 Charts) On Monday 6 May from 5-7pm, legendary 'Young Gun' Andrew will be playing the tracks that mean the most to him from the decade and sharing his own memories and stories from the era in which he dominated the pop charts as one half of Wham!, alongside
George Michael. Artists to be played include Aztec Camera, Prince, XTC and Fleetwood Mac.
Andrew says: "I am absolutely thrilled and privileged to have been asked by
Radio 2 to host my very own radio show this May Bank Holiday and to have the chance to play my definitive greatest 80s playlist. I am really rather excited at the prospect!
"I've spent hours and hours trying to whittle down my favourite tracks spanning the decade and it's been a real treat revisiting so many wonderful songs. There are some omissions that I've hated making, but have chosen tracks that excited or moved me and that are shining examples of the talent of the era. It's a really varied selection and reflects the vast breadth of styles that made the 80s a stand out decade. I hope you enjoy my playlist as much as I have enjoyed putting this fantastic audio retrospective together - and yes, I will be playing Wham!"
Lewis Carnie, Head of
Radio 2 says: "As Andrew was one of the best loved figures of the pop world in the 80s, and as
Wham! continue to be a favourite with our listeners, he's the perfect choice to play us his most loved tracks of the era."
Forming in 1981 after meeting at school in Bushey, Herts,
Wham! were one of the most successful pop groups of the 1980s. Selling over 30 million records worldwide between 1982 and 1986,
Wham! were the first pop music act to perform concerts in China in 1985 and won the Brit Award for Best Group in 1985. The band played their last ever gig, The Final, in-front of over 70,000 heartbroken pop fans at Wembley Stadium in June 1986.
BBC
Radio 2 is the UK's most listened-to radio station, with a weekly audience of 14.89million (RAJAR Q4, 2018).
Radio 2's output is highly distinctive and features a huge range of music, including the biggest pop tunes from the last six decades as well as individual programmes dedicated to blues, funk, dance, folk, rock, jazz, big band, country music and show tunes. The network brings a huge range of live performances to music lovers across the UK each year, broadcasting events such as
Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park, Proms in the Park,
Radio 2 In Concert as well as many shows across the network.
Radio 2 is committed to encouraging and highlighting young talent, supporting music at grass roots level with its Young Chorister of the Year and Young Folk Award. BBC
Radio 2's 500 Words competition is the world's biggest children's story-writing competition, this year attracting 113,000 entries. The network also broadcasts speech-based content - such as news, current affairs, documentaries, religion, arts, comedy and social action output - reflecting the diversity of the UK.