Episode 1

In late October 1984, a BBC news report about a 'biblical famine' in Ethiopia inspired 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.