McCartney confirms Band Aid role

Sir Paul McCartney did not appear on the first Band Aid single

Sir Paul McCartney has confirmed he will appear on the new Band Aid charity single to be recorded later this month.

He told BBC Radio One he will play bass guitar on the track but would also be up for singing if asked.

"If they want me to sing on it and there's a spot for me, I'll probably do it," he told presenter Colin Murray.

Busted, Will Young and Ms Dynamite have also confirmed they will appear on the new version of the 1984 hit Do They Know It's Christmas?

Sir Paul said the song's producer, Nigel Godrich, persuaded him to take part. "He just said 'Will you do us a favour and play bass?' and I said 'yes'."

Midge Ure has enlisted many current stars for the new Band Aid

Katie Melua, Natasha Bedingfield, Snow Patrol, Shaznay Lewis and Tim Wheeler from rock band Ash have also signed up.

They join a string of other famous names who have already agreed to appear on the track, including Robbie Williams, Chris Martin and Dido. Artist Damien Hirst is designing the single's sleeve.

The track will be released on 29 November, with all proceeds going to the Band Aid Trust, which will raise funds for famine in the Darfur region of Sudan.

The original 1984 song sold 3.5 million copies in the UK after Bob Geldof wanted to raise funds for famine in Ethiopia.

Duran Duran, U2, Sting and George Michael were among the big names to lend their talent to the first Band Aid single.