For the first time, Andrew Ridgeley - one half of one of the most famous bands in the world - tells the inside story of Wham!, his life-long friendship with George Michael and the formation of a band that changed the shape of the music scene in the early eighties.

In 1975 Andrew took a shy new boy at school under his wing. They instantly hit it off and their boyhood escapades at Bushy Meads School built a bond that was never broken. The duo found themselves riding an astonishing rollercoaster of success, taking them all over the world. They made and broke iconic records, they were treated like gods, but they stayed true to their friendship and ultimately to themselves. It was a party that seemed as if it would never end. And then it did, in front of tens of thousands of tearful fans at Wembley Stadium in 1986.

Andrew's memoir covers in wonderful detail those years, up until that last iconic concert: the scrapes, the laughs, the relationships, the good and the bad. It's a unique and one-and-only time to remember that era, that band and those boys.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER & BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR GUARDIAN BOOKS OF THE YEAR 'Charming, heartfelt . . . there's a real poignancy to Ridgeley's description of Wham!'s glory days' Sunday Times For the first time, Andrew Ridgeley - one half of one of the most famous bands in the world - tells the inside story of WHAM! and his life-long friendship with George Michael. ____________ It is 1975, Watford, and two teenagers, George and Andrew, meet for the first time. Bonding over their love for singing, song writing and pop music, together they set out to follow an impossible dream. They didn't know it then, but they were taking their first steps towards forming Wham!, a band that was to become one of the biggest in the world. Wham! were the soundtrack of the 80s; whether it was choosing life or Live Aid, the decade of flamboyance and fun was a party that seemed like it would never end. But it had to stop somewhere - and that was in front of tens of thousands of tearful fans at Wembley Stadium in 1986. In Wham! George and Me, Andrew Ridgeley tells the story of Wham! - from the day they met to that iconic final concert. For the first time, he reveals what it was like being at the centre of a pop hurricane and talks of his love for and friendship with George. It's a story only he can tell. ____________ 'A joyous celebration of the WHAM! years. For anyone who was a teenager in the early 1980s, it will take you on a nostalgia trip . . . It's an honest but affectionate account of a remarkable duo' Daily Express 'A remarkably generous memoir . . . in more than one sense, the biography of a friend' Spectator 'I couldn't put it down. Such a fantastic book' Chris Evans, Virgin Radio 'The Wham! star charts his treasured friendship with George Michael, from their meeting at school in 1975 to George's untimely death in 2016. Ridgeley's enthusiasm for life in a chart-topping band is as infectious as their music' Daily Mirror 'A lovely book. A love letter to George' Graham Norton, BBC1 'All you could want and more!' Magic Radio Book Club

Make It Big is the second album from British pop duo Wham!, released in 1984. The album was a critical and commercial success, hitting #1 in both the UK and the USA and spawning four singles, all topping the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. "Careless Whisper" was credited as a George Michael solo effort upon its release as a single, while "Everything She Wants" was released as a double A-side with the non-album track "Last Christmas".