In October 1984 the BBC's Michael Buerk reported on the famine in Ethiopia, calling it a biblical famine in the 20th century, and the images shocked Britain. Bob Geldof and Midge Ure co-wrote Do They Know It's Christmas? in response, and a supergroup recorded it as Band Aid on 25 November 1984. It stayed at number one for five weeks, became the fastest-selling single in Britain, and raised £8 million, far more than the £70,000 its makers had expected. The concert idea came from Boy George of Culture Club, and Geldof expanded it into a show linking Wembley with Madison Square Garden so it could be televised worldwide. Geldof persuaded artists to join by telling each one that others had already agreed.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.