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1. George is spending the lockdown alone in Soho

Boy George was in the middle of filming The Voice in Australia when he flew back to England to spend the lockdown in London. He’s on his own in a rented flat because his home is being refurbished. “I wouldn’t wish me upon anyone in a situation like this!” he jokes. But he’s happy living alone: “I like my own company… As I’ve got older I’ve learnt to be with myself.”

2. Louis has been a massive Boy George fan since he was young

“I still vividly remember 1982 when Culture Club were on Top of the Pops,” he says. Louis was a fan of the band as they went on to achieve huge fame in the UK and America. “People like you and Annie Lennox and Adam Ant were like superheroes,” he tells George.

3. When Boy George achieved global stardom, it became “almost a kind of daily nightmare”

By the time George was 22, Culture Club were topping the charts in the UK and the US, but fame wasn’t easy. “It was at first thrilling and exhilarating and overwhelming,” he says. But it soon became difficult. “You get famous, and fame becomes your new job. You didn’t just get a little bit of publicity, it was relentless, and people wanted to know everything about what you did, every detail”. As a result, he said “some stupid things” to fill in the gaps.

4. George has faced abuse for both his style and his sexuality

Growing up as a flamboyantly dressed gay teenager in South East London, George was frequently chased and beaten up for being different. When he first appeared on Top of the Pops, he remembers receiving a “tirade of abuse”. Even today, he says, “I get sniggered at all the time.” George used to tackle the insults head-on: “I was much tougher when I was a kid. I had a mouth on me… I’d get heckled by builders and I would go for it.” But now that he’s older, he tries to avoid conflict.

5. With Culture Club, George initially wanted to make more “gothy” music

He says, “I was a Siouxsie and the Banshees fan, you know. I wanted to make gothy music really.” In the end he had to compromise musically with the rest of the band. “It became something else and I kind of went with it, because I was like, ‘I don’t mind this actually, because it’s got a bit of soul in it, it’s got a bit of reggae.’”

6. He has a tattoo of David Bowie on his arm

George is “a Bowie obsessive” and says his lack of self-consciousness is inspired by his idol, who “always looked like he was where he should be”. George’s other body ink includes images of the performance artist Leigh Bowery, the punk legend Soo Catwoman and the singer Mark Bolan. He says he’s also planning to add Ari Up, lead singer of band The Slits.

7. George can be outspoken on Twitter, but he’s trying to change that

The masked singer: George in lockdown

“If you appear on my timeline with a comment, and if I disagree with what you’re saying, I will hijack your tweet and say what I think,” George admits. Most people don’t respond because “they know what I’m capable of in terms of being a bit of a cat,” but he will apologise if he realises he’s in the wrong. Nowadays, George tries to keep his comments surreal and jokey. He once confused Louis by tweeting “What’s wrong with Louis Theroux?” after seeing him on The Graham Norton Show, but later took it down.

8. He doesn't own the rights to Culture Club’s music

“I don’t own any of the stuff I did in the ’80s,” he says. “The publishers can do what they want with it, and they do”. This includes changing the lyrics – they even did a version of Karma Chameleon that was about carrots and peas. Although George does earn money from it, he says, “I’d pay them not to do that.”

9. George appeared in hit 1980s TV show The A-Team

George makes a cameo in an episode of the action-packed US series about a group of ex-Special Forces soldiers on the run. He says, “it was some sort of weird storyline about a band, and there was a gig in a country bar... I had to say things like, ‘I’ll be damned!’”

10. He may be successful, but George still identifies as an outsider

George says he’ll always stand up for those who are marginalised. “I will say: anyone other, for any reason, whether it’s because of their sexuality, or their religion, or their race or anything... I am 100% on your side, always, because I am one of you. I am you. I’m an outsider.”