What would you do if you discovered George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley rehearsing in a village hall before they were famous? Michael Burdett knows because that’s what happened to him when he was a 19-year-old talent scout.

Michael tried to get the music company he worked for to sign the duo as part of a ska band called The Executive. What happened next defies belief.

BEFORE FAME tells the untold story of the early years before George and Andrew stormed the charts as Wham! It follows Edinburgh-award-winner Burdett as, 40 years later, he took the recording they made together round the UK, photographing strangers listening to it.

Called by The Times one of the funniest shows at Edinburgh Fringe 2024.

The result is a quirky, funny and uplifting solo show that will make you scratch your head at how coincidence shapes destiny. In Michael’s words, it’s a show about two musical geniuses and an idiot. Spoiler: Michael is the idiot.