Forty years ago, Bob Geldof was sitting at home watching The 6 O’Clock News on BBC1. He became very angry at what he saw. Within a month he was in a recording studio in west London, overseeing an unruly band of Britain’s best music talent.
In this week’s issue Radio timesread the story of how the supergroup Band aid came together. RT‘s David Hepworth was there to tell the story and, thinking back on the day, Geldof tells him that no one wanted to be the first to sing until Paul Young stepped up to the microphone.
Do they know it’s Christmas? might never have become the most famous Christmas number one if the Boomtown Rats’ 1984 album In the Long Grass hadn’t sunk without a trace and Geldof had been dreaming about being a pop star instead of listening to the heartbreaking account of Ethiopia’s Michael Buerk on October 23rd. It shows the power of television (and Bob Geldof) to change the world we live in.
In keeping with the anniversary, there is a new version of the song in which Harry Styles, Chris Martin and Sam Smith sing with young versions of Sting, Boy George and Bono. It’s the gift that keeps on giving…
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Also in this week’s Radio Times:
- Death in paradise returns and is on its way… to Australia.
- New drama Joy tells the story of the pioneers of IVF treatment – and the unsung woman who was key to its success.
- Take a deep dive beneath the waves where you’ll find crafty octopuses, elusive narwhals and much more.
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