Andrew Ridgeley has revealed he was plied with so much real wine over several hours of filming the chalet party section for Wham!’s Last Christmas single video that he was too drunk to do the final scene.
Ridgeley now admits the video producers were daft to give genuine alcohol rather than fake wine because it descended into a “riotous party”. The video, which included Wham! partner George Michael and backing singers Pepsi and Shirlie plus other pals, was shot in the Swiss ski resort of Saas-Fee.
Remembering the making of the annual festive hit’s video, Ridgeley says: “We were in an Alpine resort with our good friends.
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“There were loose guidelines but a lot of latitude to have the sense of a Christmas house party. So it’s authentic, which is part of its attraction.”
But he added in the festive edition of the Big Issue: “I don’t know which bright spark thought it was a good idea to use real wine for the dinner scene – but we were there for hours.
“And it descended into a riotous party.
“Great fun, but it did have its casualty – which was me!
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“I missed the last scene because of over-excitement at the dinner table.”
Kathy Hill, who cosied up next to George Michael as they portrayed a couple on a skiing holiday in the music video, recalled the magic of the scene came from everyone having “tipsy” fun.
She said: “It was so much fun and really natural. It was just right. It wasn’t staged – it’s just a group of friends having fun. That’s the magic.
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“In the scene around the festive dinner table, we all got a little bit tipsy. I don’t think George did, but we did. I drank a lot of red wine.”
She also revealed that George’s fall in the snow wasn’t staged and he actually slipped.
Kathy added: “George slipped down every time. Once he ended up sitting on me, laughing – and that’s the bit they used. It was completely natural. We were just laughing our heads off. He couldn’t stand up. It’s my favourite scene.”