Sir Bob Geldof has recruited the biggest stars in the UK to record a 30th anniversary version of his Band Aid single Do They Know It’s Christmas? to raise money to fight Ebola.

Geldof and his collaborator on the charity single, Midge Ure, announced they were re-recording the song with help from One Direction, U2 frontman Bono, Coldplay singer Chris Martin, Ed Sheeran and Sinead O’Connor, among many other artists.

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The single will be the fourth incarnation of the song, which became one of the world’s biggest-selling singles ever after its release in 1984 to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia.

The original song included vocals from Sting, Phil Collins, Bananarama, Paul Weller, Sting, Boy George and U2 and became the fastest selling single of all time after its release in December, 1984.

Geldof told a London press conference this week that he was inspired to help the victims of the current Ebola crisis because of the insidiousness of the disease.

“This is a particularly pernicious illness because it renders humans untouchable and that is sickening,” Geldof said.

“Mothers can’t comfort their children in their dying hours. Lovers can’t cradle each other. Wives can’t hold their husbands’ hands. People are chased down the streets because of it – and it could come our way.”

The Irish rocker-turned-activist said he had been spurred into action not out of nostalgia but by a call from the United Nations three weeks ago.

The Ebola outbreak in west Africa has claimed almost 5000 lives, according to the World Health Organisation – almost all in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone – while the number of cases registered worldwide has soared to more than 13,000.

The vocals will be recorded at on Saturday at Sarm Studios in west London, just as on the original recording.

The single will be available for download on November 17, with physical copies three weeks later.

Geldof said there would also be French, German and US versions featuring artists from those countries.

With AAP