Ex-BBC correspondent in Africa says first reaction to Live Aid was ‘real anger'
The concerts raised millions of pounds, but some have criticised its portrayal of Africa, with Geldof rejecting the idea that he is a 'white saviour' due to his charity work.
Veteran broadcaster Buerk, 79, who was a presenter on the BBC's Ten O'Clock News, now known as BBC News At Ten, brought the shocking plight of famine-hit Ethiopia to the world in 1984 with his heart-rending reports.
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, he said: 'My first reaction (to Live Aid) was real anger that I thought superficial, grandstanding pop singers were riding on the back of these people who I felt very protective of.
'I didn't watch it and in fact on the afternoon of Live Aid I was in a black township just to the east of Johannesburg being tear gassed… also of course South Africa was one of the very, very few countries that didn't show it.'
Speaking about the famine in Ethiopia, he added: 'I'd never seen anything like this, there was a lot of drought and a lot of hunger in South Africa in the 1980s (but) what we hadn't seen was famine, death at that kind of scale before…
'I was very concerned when I got back to Nairobi about how to tell the story because I was there I was not just seeing it and hearing it but smelling it; and I wondered what the reaction would be for people who would be sitting and watching it in the comfort of their own homes, cup of tea, glass of beer or something and it's just on in two dimensions in the corner of the living room.'
Asked how he feels about Live Aid now he said: 'I think it was extraordinary really, I think Geldof, the personality, the intelligence, the focus the foul-mouthedness; just an extraordinary person. It was a moment in time, wasn't it?'
Greatest Hits Radio is recreating the 1985 Live Aid broadcast in its entirety in a 10-hour special, hosted by Simon Mayo, featuring all of the original live performances from the likes of David Bowie, The Who and Sir Paul McCartney.
Listen to Live Aid Relived from midday Sunday on Greatest Hits Radio.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
18 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Iga Swiatek has to give back Wimbledon trophy after thrashing Amanda Anisimova
Iga Swiatek was forced to give back the Venus Rosewater Dish almost immediately after winning Wimbledon, with the All England Club taking the trophy and giving the Polish star a replica instead Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek experienced a bittersweet moment as she won the Wimbledon Women's singles on Saturday. Despite her stunning 6-0, 6-0 victory, which she chalked up in just under an hour, the 24-year-old soon learned that the Venus Rosewater Dish wouldn't be hers to keep. After dominating an emotional Amanda Anisimova, in what turned out to be the most lopsided final in the Open Era, Swiatek was quickly acquainted with Wimbledon's harsh tradition. The iconic trophy is traditionally taken back soon after the presentation ceremony, leaving champions like Swiatek with a smaller replica. The revelation came to light during the BBC's coverage, where host Clare Balding, and pundit Tracy Austin, were chatting about the champion's walk towards the balcony for Swiatek's celebratory moment. Balding said: "It looks so lovely that side of the clubhouse and it's just great, you've got your hands on this trophy." Austin then chimed in adding: "She keeps looking at it! It's so beautiful to see her smiling." However, 2013 Wimbledon winner Marion Bartoli was on hand to drop a bombshell. "But she can't keep it," she interjected. Bartoli continued: "You only get a replica of it. This one goes back into the trophy gallery. You will have it at the Champions Ball in your hand again, then it will go back to the trophy gallery. You don't go back home with that trophy, there is only one place and it stays in the trophy gallery at Wimbledon." After Swiatek returned indoors to snap some photos with the trophy and her team, she encountered All England Club CEO Sally Bolton, who promptly reclaimed the trophy, reports the Express. Bartoli humorously said that the Wimbledon boss will have told Swiatek that she had to give the famous trophy up. When Balding queried the French legend about the size of the replica trophy winners keep, she responded: "Three-quarters size." She added: "But all the names are engraved, all the names of the past champions who have graced that court before you are engraved with the replica you can take home. But it's only three-quarters size. But it's still beautiful." Coco Gauff also learned this hard truth in June when she clinched her first French Open title. The US Star even created a TikTok video where she joked about the smaller size of her replica trophy. Meanwhile, Andy Murray, who was absent from Wimbledon this year before the Sunday final, playfully took issue with the replica trophy situation by taking to Instagram. "Surely the tennis majors can do a better job with the replica trophies?! They are tiny," he wrote. He did add a laughing emoji in his response to Gauff's complaint however.
Edinburgh Live
35 minutes ago
- Edinburgh Live
Inside Beyond Paradise locations and the place crying out to be in BBC crime drama
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info As one of the most beloved crime dramas on BBC, it's only fitting that Beyond Paradise's sets are as impressive and detailed as the show itself. The programme reinvents the successful premise of Death In Paradise, set in a fictional coastal village in Devon. With fan-favourite Humphrey Goodman (portrayed by Kris Marshall) now partnered with DS Esther Williams (Zara Ahmadi), the series follows their adventures in a new precinct, maintaining all the classic elements of a crime drama. As an avid viewer, I was thrilled to spend a day exploring some of the most scenic towns featured in the series. After a six-hour journey to sunny Buckfastleigh, I immediately took a leisurely walk around the charming village, often shown on screen under the fictional name Shipton Abbott. (Image: Express) It was a surreal experience walking through the streets so frequently depicted on television and reminiscing about some of my favourite scenes. The town was adorned with summer bunting strung up between the shops and cafes along the main street. The high street was bustling with people making the most of the glorious heatwave, enjoying a weekend stroll through the thriving independent shops, reports the Express. The locals were brimming with tales of their encounters with the show's stars and proudly exhibited photos taken with the stellar cast in their shops. Devoted fans may be surprised to learn that many of the high street shops were entirely transformed for the series. A local wine bar, Dough, was repurposed as a quaint chocolate shop for the show, a coffee bar was turned into a fudge shop, and a hair salon typically known as Plum was rebranded 'Snip and Style' for filming. We also took the opportunity to visit the South Devon Railway station in the village, which served as the setting for a chilling murder in the show back in 2024. (Image: BBC) Die-hard fans might recall how the Devon railway became the focal point in the opening episode of the second series, featuring an Agatha Christie-style murder mystery play rehearsal that took a fatal twist. TV detectives can even tap into their inner sleuth as the railway has launched a new murder mystery experience following the episode's broadcast. Presented by Murder by Appointment, the Train to Nowhere experience is a 1950s themed evening filled with suspense and intrigue. Guests are invited to a party on a train hosted by a flamboyant and successful film director, where he plans to remake the iconic 1945 film Brief Encounter. However, jealousy and corruption soon split the cast, leading to an unforeseen murder which attendees will need to solve before the train journey concludes. (Image: Express) Another treat that fans can savour during a day trip to Buckfastleigh is a tour around the town's magnificent abbey - a location that seems destined to feature in a future episode. The grand abbey fell into disrepair following the dissolution of the monasteries during the reign of King Henry VII. However, in 1882, a group of French monks took up residence and meticulously restored the magnificent building brick by brick. After a quarter-century of hard graft, the Abbey church was consecrated and is now a bustling monastery, with monks regularly seen going about their religious practices across the site. The building itself is a marvel to behold, nestled amidst beautifully adorned yet functional gardens and ancient oak trees that have stood for millennia. (Image: Express) It also boasts a medicinal garden brimming with plants and fruit trees used to treat a variety of ailments, as well as a decorative garden teeming with a plethora of flowers and water features. But one unexpected feature the monastery possesses is a dramatic stained-glass installation of Jesus Christ at the rear of the church, casting a rainbow of colours throughout the room. This artistic feature was installed by artist Charles Norris back in 1968, alongside a stained-glass studio on site where he completed his eight-metre wide window before dedicating his life to the church as a monk. The abbey is open to tourists free of charge and also features a delightful cafe overlooking the grounds and a gift shop stocked with handmade items and herbs and plants grown in-house. The breathtaking architecture is simply begging to be a future set for the BBC crime drama, and with filming for the fourth series poised to kick off any week now, it could very well be. Fans will need to stay alert for their favourite Devon and Cornwall spots appearing in the evening programme, which is slated to premiere in Spring 2026. Beyond Paradise is available to watch on BBC iPlayer
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Brafa: 'They didn't invite us to do Live Aid so we did our own thing'
Forty years ago a procession of the world's biggest music stars took to Wembley Stadium's stage for Live Aid to raise funds for the relief of famine in in the wake of the Band Aid single Do They Know It's Christmas?, it was watched around the world by millions on TV and has since spawned documentaries, films and a new at around the same time, on the other side of London, a similar fundraising effort with its roots in reggae was taking place, with the charity single Let's Make Africa Green Again breaking into the charts and a star-studded benefit concert attended by was this and why was it started? On Sunday 24 February 1985, lines of musicians and bystanders squeezed into a north London recording studio to record a charity single."Over 200 or more people were there," says Leon Leiffer, founding member of reggae vocal group The Blackstones and the man behind the British Reggae Artists Famine Appeal team (Brafa). "I had phoned Aswad, Janet Kay, Trevor Walters, Christine McNabb... There's so many names."Then there was the general public who was nosey, inquisitive, wanted to know who all these people blocking the road were - had somebody died? "No, we invite them in to be part of the chorus!"Leiffer says he first became aware of "rumours coming out of Ethiopia of starvation" among London's Rastafarian community from people who had been heading back and forth to Africa, but seeing Michael Buerk's famous news report inspired him to do something."My initiative was we are always singing about Africa so let's put our money where our mouth is and do something about it," he says. Leiffer says he began making calls to put on a charity concert at the Royal Albert Hall, but after a couple of weeks he abandoned his plans as others tried to take seeing Bob Geldof and Midge Ure announce their own fundraising plans rekindled his enthusiasm."They came on with this fantastic idea, which was a mirror image of exactly what I was doing... The only difference between them and I was their platform was mega and mine wasn't, in the sense of publicity."He says seeing their efforts made him consider forgetting his plans, "but my girlfriend said: 'No, don't give up. Whatever you can do, it's better than nothing'." Shortly after, Leiffer headed to a Hackney community centre to track down fellow reggae artist Gene Rondo."He was a Rasta man, had good ways, good thought. So I said to Genie, I hear that somewhere in Ethiopia is starvation and people are dying. And now Midge Ure and Bob Geldof are going to do something and I think we should do something as well."Calls went in again to try to organise a concert but, with difficulties finding sponsorship, the pair decided to record a charity single instead and Let's Make Africa Green Again was penned. Next came the task of finding a studio to record it. Having been turned down often, a drive past Eddy Grant's Hive Studios in Stoke Newington, when the Electric Avenue star happened to be standing outside, led to an impromptu meeting."When I tell Eddy Grant the idea he says: 'Leon I know you and I trust you. You can have the studio all day [and] I'll give you a 24-track tape as well,'" Leiffer calls were made, a plea was put out on the radio - and subsequently many of reggae's finest - along with all manner of bystanders - arrived to record the song.A distribution deal was arranged with Island Records and a music video was filmed, which had its first play on BBC programme Ebony, with the single released on 21 April."It was a big thing, but can't be compared to the publicity [of Band Aid]," says Leiffer, noting that the coverage which Brafa received from most national newspapers at the time would often only fill "the back of a stamp". The single just made it into the top 100 (for unknown reasons the Official Charts site has it marked as being called Let's Make America Green Again), with the proceeds from sales donated to the Save the Children fund to be distributed in the release of further details about Live Aid only spurred Leiffer many hailed a line-up featuring the likes of Queen, U2 and David Bowie, some questioned the lack of diversity on the bill."We weren't feeling pleased with Bob Geldof and Midge Ure or whoever was responsible for calling all these artists to perform," says Leiffer."We had Aswad in the charts, we had Trevor Walters in the charts, we had Janet Kay in the charts, just to mention a few, and none of us was called upon as if we weren't important enough to play a role."They did fantastic by raising millions and millions of pounds," he adds, "but we felt let down that we were ignored." In reaction, Leiffer and Rondo decided to set up their own benefit concert and in May the following year more than 10,000 people descended on Hackney's Shoreditch Park."There was a massive tent. People were jumping over the railings [to break in], the place was ram-packed," recalls of the stars from the Brafa single played, while other special guests turned up to offer their support."The famous boxer Lloyd Honeyghan, he was about to go to America to fight where he won the world championship, and I said to him, 'Lloyd, what you doing?' And he said 'I'm alright man, I'm travelling. I'm gonna bring the title back'." More than £8,000 was raised through Brafa, and Leiffer and his fellow organisers were invited to Save the Children's headquarters for a function with the charity's patron Princess their work was largely forgotten, until an initiative in Hackney to celebrate the local Afro-Caribbean community in the wake of George Floyd's death led to someone mentioning Let's Make Africa Green Again."Brafa" subsequently won a public vote for the naming of a new public square beside Shoreditch Park, where the history of what happened is now told on various plaques around the square. While Brafa's work may have created less of a splash than Live Aid, Leiffer still looks back fondly on what they achieved."They didn't invite us so we did our own thing," he says."We made ourselves proud that we could put in whatever small fee to what Live Aid did."
