Boy George's days as a chart-topper are about to be dramatized in a new biopic for the BBC.

Worried About the Boy heads into production next month with newcomer Douglas Booth starring as the Culture Club front man. The film will take a look at the singer's transition from face around town to gender-bending household name.

Culture Club topped the charts in the early '80s with songs including "Karma Chameleon" and "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" But Boy George's battle with heroin addiction took its toll on the band, though he reemerged later with solo hits and the musical Taboo.

In recent years Boy George has made headlines for his brushes with the law. In 2006 he was sentenced to community service for falsely reporting a burglary in his flat. Last year he served four months in prison for assault and false imprisonment.