After watching a BBC news report on Ethiopia’s ‘biblical famine’ in 1984, filmed by the great Kenyan cameraman Mohamed Amin, fading rock star Bob Geldof was moved to act. He put together a group of rock and pop musicians to record Do They Know It’s Christmas?, under the name Band Aid.

 

The success of that single, and Geldof’s subsequent trip to Africa, led to the largest global fundraising event ever staged: Live Aid. Broadcast simultaneously from London and Philadelphia in July 1985, the concert reached over 80% of the world’s television sets, setting a new benchmark for global solidarity through music.

 

In July 2005, Geldof reluctantly agreed to restage a global concert. This time the focus had shifted: not to raise money, but to challenge the leaders of the world’s richest nations to address the root causes of poverty in Africa. That event became Live 8, with simultaneous concerts held in eight cities worldwide.

 

I had the privilege of working on the BBC’s coverage of Live 8, filming interviews with a wide range of artists involved including Bono, and Bob Geldof.

 

Twenty years later, it was a welcome surprise to be asked to work on a new anniversary documentary series: Live Aid at 40, co-produced by the BBC and CNN. This time, the films delve deeper into the origins and legacy of Live Aid, featuring interviews with Patti LaBelle, Nile Rodgers, former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and George Bush of the USA, as well as Geldof, and Bono.

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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

 

 

 

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