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July 13th 2025 will mark 40th anniversary of one of the biggest gigs in pop music history: Live Aid. Organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for Ethiopian famine relief, the 16-hour event – held at Wembley Stadium in London and the JFK Stadium in Philadelphia - featured over 70 performers and was watched by an estimated 1.5 billion people all over the world.

This special is introduced by Radio 2’s Paul Gambaccini, who sets the scene and recalls his involvement on that seminal day back in 1985, broadcasting backstage for the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½. Midge Ure and Bob Geldof reflect on the event, and we then hear from some of the big name performers of the day: Frances Rossi of Status Quo, Dee C. Lee of The Style Council, Howard Jones, Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet, Rob Halford of Judas Priest, Billy Ocean, Nik Kershaw as well as Iain Parkhouse of the Coldstream Guards.

Also, Radio 2’s host of Sounds of the 80s, Gary Davies, as well as Michelle Visage (who watched from her home in New Jersey) and Michael Ball share their memories of where they were and how they watched the event. We hear the stories of pop fans Jayne, Laura, Simon and Lucy, who travelled from different parts of the UK to be at Wembley on that day, recalling a pre-internet world of holding physical tickets and enjoying the moment, without documenting it for social media.

Packed with fascinating insights from backstage, onstage, in the audience and viewing from home, soundtracked by some of the most iconic performances ever recorded, we are bringing Live Aid back to life 40 years on.