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Boomtown Rats frontman Sir Bob Geldof and Ultravox’s Midge Ure are today expected to announce the line-up for this year’s offering - the fourth recording of the song Do They Know It’s Christmas?

The track, comprising almost entirely British and Irish musicians and performers, was originally released in 1984 to raise £8 million for famine-affected Ethiopia.

However, it has since been re-recorded in 1989 and 2004.

The original supergroup featured the likes of Bananarama, George Michael and Duran Duran, as well as U2 frontman Bono - the only singer to perform the same line in both the original and the most recent versions.

The Irishman was joined ten years ago by what were then fresh faces on the music scene including the likes of Will Young, Jamelia, Ms Dynamite, Rachel Stevens, Natasha Bedingfield, the Sugababes, Busted, Katie Melua, Lemar, Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Travis singer Fran Healy.

Others, such as soul singer Joss Stone, were not born when the original was recorded, while Mercury prize winner Dizzee Rascal won acclaim for writing and performing a rap to accompany one of the verses.

The Government will be under immediate pressure to waive VAT on the charity single, as has been done in previous years.

Although the single’s release date has yet to be disclosed, it is likely to be installed as an immediate favourite for the Christmas number one spot in the singles chart.