A new documentary is set to celebrate 40 years of the classic Band Aid single Do They Know It’s Christmas?.
Set to air on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer, the 75-minute film features footage from the November 25, 1984 recording session at SARM Studios in Notting Hill, London, filmed by director Nigel Dick.
Inspired by a news report on BBC 10 O’Clock News on October 23, 1984, Sir Bob Geldof created Band Aid and brought together some of the biggest names in pop – including Bananarama, Bono, Boy George, Duran Duran, George Michael, Glenn Gregory of Heaven 17, Paul Young, Phil Collins, Spandau Ballet and Sting – for the groundbreaking charity single, produced by Midge Ure.
In a press release, he 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 piss, 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.”
Additional programs will also air across the BBC, with Zoe Ball presenting ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?: The Song That Changed The World’ between 12-1am GMT on December 1. The one-hour documentary will be available on BBC Sounds from November 25.
Meanwhile, on November 25, in honour of the 40th anniversary of the recording of the song, ‘The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show’ (6.30-9.30am GMT) will be switching on Christmas on Radio 2, playing the first festive songs of the season. Later that day, Jeremy Vine (12-2pm GMT) will be covering the anniversary in more depth.
