LONDON (VIP-NEWS) — BBC Four and BBC Radio 2 are set to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first Band Aid single, Do They Know It’s Christmas?, recorded on November 25, 1984.
The special programming includes previously unseen footage from that iconic day, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of this world-famous charity single.
The catalyst for Band Aid came after BBC reporter Michael Buerk’s October 1984 broadcast on the devastating Ethiopian famine, inspiring Sir Bob Geldof to organize a group of top pop stars to record a song to raise awareness and funds. Produced by Midge Ure, the track launched on December 10, 1984, and led to the historic Live Aid concert the following year.
BBC Four’s new documentary, *The Making of Do They Know It’s Christmas?*, reveals rare footage from that day, capturing stars like Bono, Bananarama, George Michael, and Spandau Ballet as they gathered at SARM Studios in London. Sir Bob Geldof, reflecting on the recording, described the day as “guileless, charming, and… innocent,” adding that this documentary captures “a quintessentially English moment” in music history.
Sir Bob Geldof from the Band Aid Trust says “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.”
Jonathan Rothery, Head of BBC Pop Music TV, emphasized the significance of the anniversary, calling the original Band Aid recording “a hugely significant moment in pop music history.” BBC’s special coverage highlights the enduring influence of *Do They Know It’s Christmas?* and the movement it sparked, celebrating its legacy as a force for change.
