1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia out the first airdrops from Hercules C-130s delivering food to the starving people. Other countries including Sweden, East and West Germany, Poland, Canada, United States and the Soviet Union were also involved in the international response. Buerk's news piece on the BBC was seen by Irish singer Bob Geldof, who quickly organised the charity supergroup Band Aid, primarily made up of the biggest British and Irish artists of the era. Their single, "Do They Know It's Christmas?", was released on 3 December 1984 and became Britain's best-selling single within a few weeks, eventually selling 3.69 million copies domestically. It raised
Band Aid (band) Many of the people involved in the original Band Aid single appeared on the 1984 Christmas edition of "Top of the Pops", along with Slade, The Thompson Twins, Bronski Beat, Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Jim Diamond to mime to the record. This was the only time the original Band Aid single was performed live on television. However Bono could not attend, and Paul Weller mimed Bono's line. According to the film made by The Tube on the days of the recording 24–25 November 1984, Bob Geldof says The Edge from U2 was to have played guitar on the track