BBC Two Commissions Drama About Boy George

LONDON: The story of a young Boy George and his path to stardom in the ’80s fashion and pop-music scene is chronicled in Worried About the Boy, a BBC Two drama from Red Production Company.

Newcomer Douglas Booth plays Boy George, Mathew Horne (Gavin and Stacey) plays Culture Club drummer Jon Moss, Marc Warren (Hustle) plays nightclub pioneer Steve Strange and Mark Gatiss (The League of Gentlemen) plays music impresario Malcolm McLaren. The 90-minute drama is set against the backdrop of the changing music scene and youth attitudes of the ’80s. Worried About the Boy will reflect on the cultural icon and examine the era he is synonymous with. Worried About the Boy will air as part of the Eighties season, kicking off in spring, on BBC Two, which includes dramas The Royal Wedding and an adaptation of Martin Amis’s Money.

Ben Stephenson, the controller of BBC Drama commissioning, said: "Worried About the Boy will be an evocative and visually enticing drama about one of our most iconic British pop stars. With its mix of music, fashion and youth, it rounds off our trio of dramas for BBC Two’s Eighties season perfectly."

Nicola Shindler, the executive producer for Red Production Company, commented: "At Red Production Company we always try to tackle provocative subjects with humor and warmth and this is exactly what Tony’s script does with Boy George. I was very excited at taking such an iconic British character and showing a different side to a story everyone thinks they know. The early Eighties magical setting of the Blitz Club and the New Romantics is fun, visual and new to TV drama."