VIDEO: Band Aid 30 single hits the shops

The Band Aid charity single hits shelves today, and is the bookies favourite to become the Christmas number one.

The reworked version of Do They Know It’s Christmas? features stars including One Direction, Bono and Ellie Goulding, and is expected to raise millions to help fight the Ebola crisis in West Africa.

Britain's Chancellor George Osborne agreed to waive VAT on the single’s sales in the UK, so every penny will help the charity effort.

The new recording marks the 30th anniversary of the song, which was originally put together to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia.

The single was premiered on last night’s X Factor, and Bob Geldof made a special appearance on the show to urge people to buy it and help the charity effort.

He said the song is “a little bit of pop history” but also delivered a powerful message about the urgent need to fight the deadly virus, which is estimated to have killed more than 5,000 people in West Africa.

He said: “The reason they came yesterday, and the reason Simon wants you to see this, is because this thing could arrive on a plane here any time.”

He said Ebola created “mothers not able to touch their baby” and “husbands and wives not able to touch each other in the last moments.

“This is the most inhuman disease out there, but we can stop it and we will stop it.”

Geldof added: “X Factor, we go to war. We are going to stop this thing.”

Bookmaker Coral said it has already taken “a flood of bets” on 4-6 favourite Band Aid 30 becoming Christmas number one this year.

Coral’s John Hill said: “Although the charity single is out early this time around, punters are still anticipating that the song is going to do very well and even top charts during Christmas where it will have fierce competition from the X Factor winner.”