Get those red noses out..it’s Comic Relief!!

It has been 35 years since Red Nose Day was launched by director and scriptwriter Richard Curtis alongside Sir Lenny Henry in response to the famine in Ethiopia.

Over the past three and a half decades, the biennial event has raised in excess of £1.4 billion and seen millions of people, young and old, in schools and workplaces take part in fundraising activities.

However, like most things this year, the charity has been affected by Covid, and as we are still in the middle of a lockdown, the majority of Comic Relief’s fundraising activities will have to be done at home. With that in mind, this year’s theme is designed to help the nation through what will hopefully be the final months of restrictions and “get us laughing at home”.

RND aims to harness the power of humour to bring a smile to the nation and the money raised will go towards helping issues including homelessness, domestic abuse and mental health stigma, and support those impacted by the pandemic.

“We all need cheering up, so this year Red Nose Day will be a bit different,” Sir Lenny explains. “Of course we want to raise as much money as possible for people who really need it in the UK and around the world. But we also want to make you smile and bring you some laughter.”

Thankfully, one thing that hasn’t changed this year is the quality of the entertainment and the calibre of guests joining in. As usual, stars of stage and screen will be taking part in hilarious sketches, live performances and big surprises.

Hosted by Sir Lenny, as well as Davina McCall, Paddy McGuinness Alesha Dixon and David Tennant, tonight’s show will see David teaming up with Michael Sheen once more for a special instalment of their hit comedy series Staged. Plus, Anna Friel and Keira Knightley co-star in the greatest disaster movie never made, and Paddy and his fellow Top Gear hosts face interrogation by their most savage critics to date. Dawn French is also set to make an appearance as her much-loved character the Rev Geraldine Granger from The Vicar of Dibley, and she will joined by the Rev Kate Bottley.

And fans of Fleabag and Normal People get a confessional close-up, as the stars of two of TV’s biggest shows meet for a mash up like no other. During this week, The One Show has been taking part by pitting celebrities together in a competition described as a ‘race with a difference’.

Tonight, Alex Scott and Jermaine Jenas take part in the world’s largest and longest Red Nose and Spoon Race.

Tim Vine rewards the men and women of the UK’s military forces by spreading a smile, and Jack Whitehall hosts a Comic Relief Zoom meeting that quickly descends into chaos.

Some of the other famous faces involved this year are Benedict Cumberbatch, Dame Judi Dench, Karim Zeroual, Joe Lycett, Mo Gilligan, Roman Kemp and Shappi Khorsandi. Sherlock and Marvel star Cumberbatch said: “I think laughter is a panacea, it’s always been a national medicine.

“I think people reached out for it in lockdown; it’s a way of getting through life’s difficulties and release the tension to just have a moments respite from it; and that relief is much needed now.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper whenever you are able to do so.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper when you can safely.

You can also enjoy unlimited access to the best news from across Northern Ireland and the UK by subscribing to newsletter.co.uk

With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Thank you