In Conversation with Alan Yentob: Sir Bob Geldof (S1EP2 BBC Four Monday 31 October 2022)

Sir Bob Geldof: Alan Yentob and Bob Geldof have a wide-ranging discussion at the BFI Southbank about the political, musical, technological, and personal events that make up the background of a pivotal moment in BBC history—the global TV event made possible by the Live Aid Concert of 1985—as part of a TV festival leading up to the BBC’s centennial.

Following a Michael Buerk report for BBC News on a humanitarian crisis of “biblical proportions” as millions in Ethiopia starved, Geldof divulges new information about how chance meetings and fierce willpower combined to bring many of the world’s most celebrated musicians together for a single cause.

Geldof describes how a network of international satellites from broadcasters, industry, and governments were enlisted in the cause of one of the most watched events in human history, from his awestruck encounters with the likes of Quincy Jones, Willie Nelson, Bruce Springsteen, and many other cultural titans, to lunch with presidents and meetings with the heads of spy agencies.

Airdate: Monday 31 October 2022 at 21:00 on BBC Four

Season 1 Episode 2

From the BFI Imax in London, Alan Yentob talks to Bob Geldof and Stephen Fry about their achievements and the challenges they have faced in their extraordinary lives.