Simon Cowell to organise charity single for Haiti

Gordon Brown may be seeing out the last days of his premiership, but when he says jump, some people still respond - including, it seems, The X Factor impresario and record producer Simon Cowell. Asked by the Prime Minister to organise a charity single to raise money for Haiti, Cowell has agreed.

"It's not the best time, logistically we're all over the place but we're going to make it happen," Cowell said after last night's National Television Awards at which The X Factor won best reality show.

He said his fellow judge Cheryl Cole had already pledged to take part and that he hoped to have a line-up of singers in place quickly.

Unlike Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, who wrote a new song - Do They Know It's Christmas? - when they started the charity single tradition in 1984 inspired by the suffering in Ethiopia, Cowell looks more likely to choose an existing hit for a cover version. He said he hoped to have the whole thing finished in ten days.

The Geldof-Ure recording featured some of the biggest names on the music scene of the time, including Bono of U2, Phil Collins, George Michael, Rick Parfitt of Status Quo and Paul Weller. By the time the recording was finished, the instant group Band Aid was made up of more than 20 big names, at least two of whom, David Bowie and Paul McCartney, mailed in individual recordings to be dubbed in.

Cowell's line-up is though more likely to comprise artists associated with the TV reality scene. Asked if the single would include the 2008 X Factor winner Leona Lewis and 2009 Britain's Got Talent runner-up Susan Boyle, Cowell said: "As many people as possible, whoever we've got available is going to be on the record."

Cheryl Cole said: "I think it's a fantastic thing to do, I'd love to be involved in it." ·