In which year was the charity supergroup Band Aid the UK Christmas Number One?

Band Aid was a British and Irish charity music supergroup started by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in 1984 to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia. They wished to donate all the money from the sale of their single 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' to the cause. The single was very successful and became the UK Christmas Number One in 1984.

The 1983-1985 famine in Ethiopia left 1.2 million dead and almost 200,000 children orphaned. A BBC news crew was the first to document the famine, which shocked Britain into supporting various famine relief charities. After seeing the film, Paula Yates, Bob Geldof's partner, encouraged him to raise money for the people affected by the famine.

Geldof teamed up with Ure and announced his Band Aid plans on the radio. Very soon, he was joined by singers and musicians across Britain and Ireland. This included the drummer Phil Collins, Bono from U2, Boy George, the group Spandau Ballet, George Michael from Wham! and Sting from The Police.

'Do They Know It's Christmas?' was released on 3rd December 1984 and became Britain's best-selling single within a matter of weeks. Around 3.69 million copies were sold in the UK, raising £8 million for famine relief within twelve months of its release.

Several critics found the song choice ironic because Ethiopia is a predominantly Muslim country. The handful or Christians in the country follow the Orthodox calender, therefore celebrate Christmas on 7th January.