LGBTQ+ Hits at the BBC
11:50 pm - 12:50 am, Saturday, May 16 on BBC Two England (2)
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About this Broadcast
Performances by stars whose sex and sexuality is central to their careers and the songs they've created, including George Michael, Boy George, Freddie Mercury, Beth Ditto, MNEK, Lil Nas X and Barry Manilow. Some pushed boundaries and challenged gender stereotypes from the very start, while others only revealed their true selves after years of success and speculation, but all have played their part in changing the world of popular music
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Cast & Crew
George Michael
(Performer)
Boy George
(Performer)
Freddie Mercury
(Performer)
Beth Ditto
(Performer)
MNEK
(Performer)
Barry Manilow
(Performer)
Simon Goretzki
(Series producer)
Shelley Talton
(Producer)
More Information
Did You Know..
George Michael
(Performer)
Born:
June 25, 1963
in
East Finchley, London
Best Known For:
His successful pop career.
Early-life:
Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou was born in East Finchley, London, on June 25, 1963. His father was a Greek-Cypriot restaurateur and his English mother was a dancer. The family later moved to Bushey in Hertfordshire, where George met Andrew Ridgeley for the first time. They formed their first band, the Executive, with schoolfriends and Ridgeley's brother Paul. Throughout his teens, George worked in various jobs, but always dreamed of pop stardom, and practiced his performance skills via busking on the London Underground.
Career:
George formed Wham! in 1981 with Ridgeley. The band went on to massive success, releasing a string of hit singles including Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do), Club Tropicana, Wake Me Up Before You Go Go, and Last Christmas. They were also the first Western pop act to visit China when they played there in 1985. Wham! split in 1986, by which time Michael had already released a handful of solo singles. With songs such as Careless Whisper, Freedom 90, Jesus to a Child and Fastlove, he's become one of the biggest popstars on the planet, selling in excess of 80 million records. However, he's also hit the headlines over his personal life, including drugs and health issues. In 2014, he released Symphonica, his first album since 2006's Twenty Five.
Quote:
Of his various public misdemeanours: 'I have been through enough in 24 years of dealing with the media to know what I am in for. Much of it will be inaccurate or simply untrue. I can handle that.'
Trivia:
In 2013, Michael needed to be airlifted to hospital when he sustained a head injury after falling from his moving car on the M1 motorway.
Boy George
(Performer)
Born:
June 14, 1961
in
Bexley, Kent
Best Known For:
His stunning singing voice.
Early-life:
Born George Alan O'Dowd in Eltham, Kent, on June 14, 1961. He comes from a working-class Irish background and has four brothers and a sister. George became interested in clothes and music at an early age thanks to his admiration of David Bowie. He performed his first gig as a DJ in 1979, but by then was already famous on London's club scene for his outrageous outfits and partying lifestyle. He was often seen with his friend Marilyn, who also had a brief spell as a pop star, at The Blitz, a club run by Steve Strange of Visage.
Career:
George's flamboyant persona led Malcolm McLaren to employ him as co-lead singer in Bow Wow Wow, but the partnership proved short-lived. In 1982, George formed Culture Club with bass player Mikey Craig, drummer Jon Moss, and guitar and keyboards player Roy Hay. The group were a major success around the world thanks to George's image and singles such as Church of the Poisoned Mind and Karma Chameleon. The band split in 1986, but reformed in the late 1990s. The singer has enjoyed some solo success and penned two volumes of autobiography, in which he candidly discussed personal issues, including his battles with drug addiction. He also co-wrote hit musical Taboo and performs as a DJ. In 2013, he released his first solo album in 18 years called This is What I Do.
Quote:
'I think everybody wants to be famous now and they don't quite know why they want to be famous.'
Trivia:
Arguably the strangest entry on George's CV is his appearance in an episode of The A-Team, in which he played himself.
Freddie Mercury
(Performer)
Beth Ditto
(Performer)
MNEK
(Performer)
Barry Manilow
(Performer)
Born:
June 17, 1943
in
Brooklyn, New York
Best Known For:
Hits Mandy and Copacabana.
Early-life:
Born Barry Alan Pincus in Brooklyn, New York, on June 17, 1943. His mother changed his surname to her maiden name, Manilow, after she divorced his father. Barry discovered his love for music at an early age, and began taking accordion lessons when he was just seven, before graduating to the piano. He went on to study at the New York College of Music and the Juilliard School, paying his way by working in the mail room of US TV channel CBS. He eventually landed a position as musical director on one of their shows, which in turn led to work as an advertising jingle writer.
Career:
In 1971, Manilow met Bette Midler and became her pianist and musical arranger. Although he was initially more interested in being a songwriter than a performer, the following year he was given his own record contract and in 1974 scored his first big hit with the single Mandy - a song he'd only recorded at his label boss's Clive Davis insistence. He's been a huge star ever since, enjoying chart success with tracks such as I Write the Songs, Could It Be Magic, Can't Smile Without You and Copacabana, which was later turned into a hit musical. He continues to record and tour in his own right.
Quote:
'Although I have made quite a career as a performer, and I think I have gotten better at it, I was never really comfortable doing it. I'm still comfortable behind the piano as a musician.'
Trivia:
Manilow has produced albums for other artists, including Bette Midler and Dionne Warwick.
Simon Goretzki
(Series producer)
Shelley Talton
(Producer)
