Boy George opens Radio 10 in Brisbane

Nothing says 1984 like Boy George cutting the ribbon on a Brisbane AM station. This extended promo for the launch of Radio 10’s new studios blends breathless praise for the station’s ‘cutting-edge technology’ with news-style reporting of the pop star’s arrival. 

In this excerpt, there’s a neat bit of brand alchemy at work – pairing Radio 10’s big moment with the fame of an ’80s heartthrob. A technician dials up Culture Club’s 'Karma Chameleon' on the station’s gleaming new desk, while the voice-over notes that the ‘combination’ of Boy George and the studio opening was enough to shut down one of Brisbane’s major roads. 

At the airport, Culture Club’s arrival plays out like a localised Beatlemania – girls screaming, waving signs, clutching merch. Outside Radio 10, two fans dressed as Boy George dance while they wait. 

It’s a perfect snapshot of 1980s Australia – commercial bravado, pop-culture longing, tabloid theatre and hometown pride, all turned up to 11.