The original Live Aid concerts took place in London and Philadelphia in July 1985, following the global response to a BBC news report on Ethiopia’s famine crisis in 1984, filmed by Kenyan cameraman Mohamed Amin. Initiated by Bob Geldof, the event brought together some of the world’s leading musicians and reached over 80% of the world’s television audience, in one of the most significant global music events in history.
In 2005, I was part of the BBC’s coverage of Live 8, a series of simultaneous concerts held in eight cities around the world. My role involved filming backstage interviews with several key music artists, including Bono and Bob Geldof.
Twenty years later, I was delighted to be asked to work on Live Aid at 40, , a three-part documentary series co-produced by the BBC and CNN., including new interviews with Bob Geldof, Patti LaBelle, Nile Rodgers, former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo, and former U.S. president George Bush, among many others.
The series revisits the origins of the movement, the politics surrounding international aid, and the cultural and political legacy of Live Aid and Live 8.
BBC TV 3x60mins
Zinc Media
Producers Jamal Osman Olivia Bernhardt Brogan
Directors Thomas Pollard Max Stern
Series Producer Angus Macqueen
Editors Zeb Achonu Matt Ashton
Executive Producer Tanya Shaw
Executive Producer Norma Percy
DoP: Ian Watts
“To use an insensitive metaphor, Live Aid at 40 had plenty of fresh meat to bring to the table. I feared three hours, covering Band Aid, Live Aid and its 2005 successor, Live 8, would be too long but it is fresh, multifaceted and zesty, serving up a nostalgic slice of British politics through the lens of pop with a high calibre of talking heads.” Carol Midgley, The Times
“The tension between glamour and guilt is at the heart of this three-part retrospective that doesn’t ignore the flaws in Geldof’s grand plan to use music to feed the world. It’s a fascinating portrait of a complex man’s imperfect attempt to solve an impossible problem.”Jack Seale, The Guardian
“ It’s a big sweary slice of rockumentary heaven. Live Aid is a great pop story, but it was also a response to a terrible human tragedy. The BBC’s excellent film never loses sight of that fact.” Ed Power, The i
“Band Aid and Live Aid were raw Thatcherism in action, and the first two hour-long episodes of this inspirational, hugely entertaining documentary proved it repeatedly.” Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail