LIVE AID AT 40: WHEN ROCK 'N' ROLL TOOK ON THE WORLD (2025)

In late October 1984, a BBC news report about a 'biblical famine' in Ethiopia inspires fading rock star Bob Geldof to collaborate with Midge Ure on a pop song that would mobilise not only Britain but also the United States, raising millions for the cause. The single, Do They Know It’s Christmas? by Band Aid, catapulted Geldof into the complex worlds of aid, charity and African politics.

Featuring archival footage and specially filmed interviews, including Geldof and Ure themselves, Bono, and Sting, as well as key figures such as the Ethiopian ministers responsible for aid, the head of USAID and two survivors of the famine.

EPISODE 1: THE PRICE OF LIFE IS A PIECE OF VINYL (00:58:01)

After watching a BBC report on Ethiopia's 'biblical famine,' Bob Geldof puts a band of rock stars together and records a song that sparks a global response, inspiring millions.

EPISODE 2: THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH (00:59:11)

Live Aid becomes the biggest global benefit concert, drawing Geldof into charity politics in Africa as he navigates fundraising, controversy and celebrity.

EPISODE 3: IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN (00:59:29:00)

In 2005, Geldof and Bono team up to stage Live 8, a global concert to pressure the world's richest leaders to confront the root causes of poverty in Africa.