BBC to mark the 40th anniversary of Band Aid

06 November 2024 - Press release

BBC Four and BBC Radio 2 will be marking the 40^th anniversary since the recording of the first ever Band Aid single, Do They Know It's Christmas?, which took place on Sunday 25^th November 1984. The programming includes footage from that day which has never previously been broadcast.

On the BBC 10 O'Clock News on 23^rd October, 1984, Michael Buerk delivered a report on the Ethiopian famine and the heart-breaking human tragedy that was unfolding there. It was the catalyst for Sir Bob Geldof to take action, creating Band Aid which brought together some of the biggest names in pop for the ground-breaking charity single, Do They Know It's Christmas? - produced by Midge Ure and released on 10^th December, 1984 - and the Live Aid concert in 1985.

Sir Bob Geldof from the Band Aid Trust says of BBC Four's documentary, The Making of Do They Know It's Christmas?: "That Sunday morning when a bunch of young spotty English pop stars who were (more or less) just out of school and had taken over the pop culture of the world, ambled up a Ladbroke Grove street in London to make a song their friends had written for the starving people of Ethiopia, they could never have understood the enormous consequences of that day. It was, if not exactly the 'shot that rang around the world', it certainly became, however unwittingly, 'the shout that rang around the world', culminating 20 years later in all its unlikely majesty in ultimately forcing the global political process to bend to its focused will at the Gleneagles G8 summit of 2005 and after the Live8 concerts. This then is the 'fly on the wall' story of that day from found footage that no-one had thought to look for before, but is now an integral part of British pop history. I love it because it is so... English. So guileless, so charming and yes so innocent."

He continues: "These rock stars piling into the control room, babies under arm - it was a Sunday, family day, chipping in, laughing, shouting suggestions, taking the p*ss, funny, having fun making history, on top of the world. And boy can they sing. Compare and contrast with the American follow up and it's hyper-sophisticated, hyper super-talent, hyper-organised and professional and our lot, basically a bunch of bouffanted oiks giving it large and being quite brilliant. What wonderful people they were. And largely still are. Great film. The Maysles Bros would be proud."

On BBC Radio 2, Zoe Ball presents Do They Know It's Christmas?: The Song That Changed The World (12-1am, Sunday 1st December, and on BBC Sounds from Monday 25th November) - a one hour documentary which tells the story of the world's most successful charity record across the years. It was an era-defining call to action that proved the power of pop music as a force for change. The programme tells the story of Band Aid's potent legacy, with contributions from producers Midge Ure, Trevor Horn, Nigel Godrich, Paul Epworth and Pete Waterman, along with Bob Geldof and those who have participated in the versions recorded in the last forty years, including Bono, Fran Healy, Sting, Phil Collins, Keren Woodward, Sara Dallin, Cathy Dennis, Rita Ora, Seal, Jason Donovan, Marti Pellow, Will Young, Tom Chaplin, Ellie Goulding, Lisa Stansfield, Justin Hawkins and Olly Murs. A Zinc Media production.

On Monday 25^th November, in honour of today being the 40th anniversary of the recording of the song, The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show (6.30-9.30am) will be switching on Christmas on Radio 2, playing the first festive songs of the season. The show will also feature a selection of guests who have been associated with Band Aid across the years, as well as hearing from listeners sharing their memories of that iconic day. Later that day, Jeremy Vine (12-2pm) will be covering the anniversary in more depth, looking back to when it was recorded and what has followed since.

Helen Thomas, Head of BBC Radio 2, says: "Do They Know It's Christmas? is a true Christmas classic, loved by our audience. On Radio 2 and BBC Sounds, The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show and Jeremy Vine will both look at the enduring appeal of the song across four decades since Band Aid released the original in 1984, alongside a special documentary also presented by Zoe Ball."

Later that week, BBC Four and BBC iPlayer present a new 75-minute documentary, The Making of Do They Know It's Christmas? The song was recorded over the course of one day at SARM Studios in Notting Hill, and was filmed by director Nigel Dick. Whilst some of the footage was used for the iconic music video, much of what Nigel recorded has remained unseen for four decades and some of it has never been seen before, until now. 

This documentary unearths 75 minutes of that original footage, shot on 16mm film and newly-restored and digitised. In rare and previously unseen moments, stars including Bananarama, Bono, Boy George, Duran Duran, George Michael, Glenn Gregory of Heaven 17, Paul Young, Phil Collins, Spandau Ballet and Sting, rehearse and record their parts and interact with each other during 24 hours which would make musical history. The film also includes interviews which were shot on the day with Bono, Gary Kemp, George Michael, John Taylor, Simon Le Bon and Trevor Horn, plus an appearance from Nigel Planer, who played Neil in the BBC TV series, The Young Ones. The Making of Do They Know It's Christmas? is produced by Jill S Sinclair for the Band Aid Trust.

Jonathan Rothery, Head of BBC Pop Music TV, says: "The creation of the Band Aid supergroup and release of Do They Know It's Christmas? was a hugely significant moment in pop music history, and BBC TV will be celebrating the 40^th anniversary since its recording, and its incredible legacy which lives on today."