An Animated Benedict Cumberbatch Reads a Snarky Letter From Rik Mayall to Bob Geldof About ‘Band Aid’

An animated Benedict Cumberbatch captured the witty yet biting snark within a letter by the late great British comedian Rik Mayall of The Young Ones to Bob Geldof on the day after the filming of the Band Aid supergroup video Do They Know It's Christmas?" in November 1984. Needless to say, Mayall was not entirely pleased with how he was treated.

On November 25th, 1984, dozens of the brightest stars on the British music scene descended upon SARM West Studios in London to unite as Band Aid, a supergroup brought together by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to record the song, Do They Know It's Christmas?" in a wildly successful effort to raise money for those suffering in the devastating famine in Ethiopia. The day after the recording session, the Young Ones' Rik Mayall wrote a letter of complaint to Geldof.

Cumberbatch performed this reading at a Letters Live fundraiser for the KOKO Foundation in Camden, London.

This letter was performed at a special fundraising edition of Letters Live at KOKO in Camden, London, celebrating Benedict Cumberbatch's new role as a global ambassador for the KOKO Foundation - a registered charity dedicated to changing lives and creating transformative opportunities.

The Band Aid Video (November 1984)