Millions In The UK Treated To Band Aid 20 Screening

Twenty million Brits tuned in for the first showing of Band Aid 20's video.

The nation fell silent for Do They Know It's Christmas? in the UK's biggest simultaneous broadcast ever. The single - expected to raise £20 million for famine-stricken Sudan - will hit the shops on November 29, and is tipped to be the seasonal Number One.

A third of the population was glued to screens to see a star-studded line-up belt out the single last night. Madonna introduced the broadcast by saying: "Bob Geldof and his friends are here to remind you that we can never forget. Not ever. Feed the world. I am honoured to introduce Band Aid 20."

The screening was shown on Sky One, Sky Sports, Sky Mix, Sky Travel, all MTV channels, BBC1, BBC2, BBC3, CBBC, ITV, C4, Five, The Amp, Flaunt, The Box, Kiss, Magic, Kerrang and Q.

A Band Aid spokesman said: "This is unprecendented. I've never known it even for a royal occasion, like the Queen's Speech, to be shown on all channels like that. We have to make sure that as many people as possible buy the single and I can't think of a better way of doing it."

The video includes footage of Birhan Woldu, an Ethiopian survivor who was left for dead 20 years ago. U2 frontman Bono, Coldplay's Chris Martin (picture supplied by Mimi), singers Dido and Robbie Williams made contributions to the recording.