Since 7.20pm on Thursday night, a much-loved television host has been moving constantly to music without stopping, even continuing to shoulder-hunch rhythmically during comfort breaks, he says. Dermot O’Leary pledged to do a 24-hour dance marathon in aid of Comic Relief “when I was drunk” a few months ago.
The BBC has been running non-stop coverage on the red button since it all kicked off last night and every single second I’ve seen – and that’s been a lot thanks to a persistent cough – has been a delight.
It began with guest dancers – flamenco experts, Cossacks and others – providing an ever-changing, jiggling backdrop to this excessively likable man in a Comic Relief t-shirt, who has bounced from foot-to-foot with varying degrees of energy depending upon the hour and where he is in his cycle of exhaustion.
While you were asleep @radioleary has danced MORE than a marathon. 30 miles & countin. Worth a fiver? #dancingdermot pic.twitter.com/oZmWIvpIzC
— Red Nose Day (@rednoseday) March 13, 2015
Last night O’Leary was joined by some splendid 80s throwback acts – Five Star and Go West were stand-outs. He dutifully boogied to their tracks, and he even knew all the words. Every new celebrity visitor or guest DJ has been greeted with a grateful hug and every crowd member standing around the perimeter outside Broadcasting House in Central London has been treated to endless autographs, selfies and friendly chat. He is a reservoir of never-ending warmth.
I stopped watching at around 3am and was woken by my son again at 7am, asking to see the dancing man to check if he was still going.
Highlights this morning have included a Wogan takeover – in which the veteran DJ stormed the floor with a troupe of morris dancers and gave a patchy but glorious rendition of the Floral Dance – and the arrival of some bhangra dancers who properly put the lead back O’Leary’s pencil.
In our house, we have danced along with him at points, just watched him in awe during others, and one of us even cried when they had to go to school and miss all the fun. Judging by my Twitter feed, most of my freelance colleagues are similarly perched in front of screens and phones, tools downed to take in the lovely spectacle. A glance at the scrolling feed occasionally throws up a “MICHAEL BALL IS SINGING ONE STEP OUT OF TIME” or similarly gleeful declaration. It feels like a holiday.
I’m using the appearance of Geri Halliwell and Keith Lemon as my ideal opportunity to write this and maybe make some more tea before diving back in.
BBC DJs have stopped by to play uplifting tunes: Evan Davis put on a gay disco in which he insisted he would “paint the dancefloor pink” for the next half hour. He did, and then some.
We always knew @evanhd had the moves. #DancingDermot for @rednoseday https://t.co/Jkw6qChReK
— BBC Radio 2 (@BBCRadio2) March 13, 2015
If you have any spare time or can justify it during your lunchbreak, go to the website or hit the red button, then watch Dermot dance and charm everyone in a one-mile radius. Dancing Dermot is keeping this up until 7.30pm tonight when the main Comic Relief charity show starts on BBC One.
Ditch your cynicism, wallow in the joy and text DERMOT to 70005 to donate £5 to a brilliant cause.
