When Harvey Met Bob

When Harvey Met Bob is a 2010 television comedy-drama film focusing on the events and relationship between musician Bob Geldof and concert promoter Harvey Goldsmith as they organize the massive fundraising concert Live Aid in 1985. It stars Domhnall Gleeson as Geldof and Ian Hart as Goldsmith. It was directed by Nicholas Renton.

The film was first broadcast on 26 December 2010 on BBC Four and later in Sweden the following year.

Plot

In October 1984, rock musician Bob Geldof is appalled by the misery of starving Ethiopians as seen on television and persuades his pop musician friends to record the million-selling charity single 'Do They Know It's Christmas?'. Bob goes to Ethiopia and, horrified at the scale of the famine, plans a global rock concert to be staged simultaneously in England and America the next summer. He brings in hard-headed rock promoter Harvey Goldsmith who provides a realistic anchor to Bob's idealistic wish-list of performers. Preparations are fraught with arguments, and Bob is especially disappointed not to secure Bruce Springsteen, in anticipation of whose services he postponed the event. After addressing his old school, where he was less than academically bright but hopes to inspire the students, and with five days before the big event, Bob gets involved with the complicated matter of financial logistics and organizing international broadcasts but gets Prince Charles and Princess Diana to attend simply by asking them. Finally the day of the concerts arrives and, as Paul McCartney sings 'Let it Be', Harvey and Bob know that they have triumphed. The show over, the two men sit alone to reflect on matters.

Cast

Awards

In February 2011 the film picked up two awards at the 8th Irish Film & Television Awards. In the Television Drama category it won "Best Single Drama" and Domhnall Gleeson won an award for "Actor in a Lead Role".

External links

• When Harvey Met Bob at the Internet Movie Database
• When Harvey Met Bob from BBC Two