Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas? gets 40th anniversary all-star mix

The first line-up of Band Aid was assembled by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, consisting of such '80s stars as Phil Collins, Tony Hadley, George Michael and Sting.

A largely new version of the supergroup came together in 2004 for Band Aid 20, adding the Sugababes, Dizzee Rascal, Chris Martin, Robbie Williams and Dido among others, while U2's Bono returned from the original.

A further remake in 2014 was performed by the likes of Paloma Faith, Ellie Goulding, One Direction, Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran and Emeli Sandé, with cameos from then-YouTube stars Joe Sugg, Zoella and Alfie Deyes.

Each of these casts will be merged for Band Aid 40, which brings together all three recordings in an "seamless" ultimate mix devised by music producer Trevor Horn.

You can expect to hear the singers and instrumentalists of the original performing alongside the more modern versions, while director Oliver Murray (of The Beatles' Now and Then) is behind an accompanying music video.

A brief teaser for Band Aid 40 was released today, which you can watch below:

Original Band Aid cover art designer Sir Peter Blake is working on the sleeve for this release, too, with Band Aid 40 to get CD and 12" vinyl releases alongside the digital download.

In the UK, a minimum of £5 will be donated to charity from each vinyl sold, a minimum of £1.50 donated from each CD, and a minimum of 50p donated from each digital download.

The Band Aid Charitable Trust supports initiatives across Africa, and is believed to have raised around $200m since 1984.

However, each iteration of Do They Know It's Christmas? has faced criticism for lyrics that some have accused of enforcing negative stereotypes, as well as factual inaccuracies about the continent.

Do They Know It's Christmas? 2024 Ultimate Mix is streaming on Monday 25th November 2024.

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