Red Nose Day is back for another year, with a host of famous faces taking part in TV specials and challenges to raise money for Comic Relief.
Founded in 1985 by comedian Lenny Henry and filmmaker Richard Curtis, Comic Relief is a charity which fundraises for disadvantaged people in the UK and around the world.
Red Nose Day is held biennially and was first televised in 1988 to raise money for Comic Relief.
Here’s everything you need to know about Red Nose Day 2019:
When is Red Nose Day on TV?
As is customary, Red Nose Day will be marked with a marathon-long TV extravaganza. Coverage will air on Friday, March 15 from 7pm-10pm on BBC One, 10-10:35 pm on BBC Two and then from 10:35-00:30am on BBC One.
Who are the hosts?
A star-studded line up of celebrities will be chipping in to help with Red Nose Day’s hosting duties.
David Tennant, Joe Sugg, Paddy McGuinness, Emma Willis, Romesh Ranganathan, Rob Beckett, Alesha Dixon, Clara Amfo and Zoe Ball will all be joining Comic Relief veteran Lenny Henry on the night.
Red Nose Day full schedule
The Red Nose Day TV event promises a jam-packed schedule of entertainment and comedy. Here’s what viewers have to look forward to:
Comic Relief Prize Draw
This year Comic Relief is doing a prize draw, where winners will get the chance to bag everything from breakfast with Sir David Attenborough at the Natural History Museum to a visit to the set of Doctor Who with Jodie Whittaker.
Entry costs £10 and you can enter as many times as you please. Enter the prize draw here.
Four Weddings and a Funeral sequel
Four Weddings and a Funeral is back for a highly anticipated sequel exclusively for Comic Relief on Friday night.
Much of the original cast have reunited for the one-off special, including Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, Anna Chancellor, John Hannah and Kristin Scott Thomas.
Comic Relief co-founder Richard Curtis said on Saturday Kitchen: “I think there’ll be three laughs and two tears.
“It’s 25 years since the film came out, and I was never going to follow it up. And then it did just occur to us that the characters in the movie would have children so they might be back in the wedding phase again.
“Without revealing too much, we have another wedding and a reception after the wedding, and all the characters come back.”
Comic Relief Bodyguard
We may still have some time to wait until the second season of the Bodyguard, but for one night only on Friday Richard Madden is back to reprise his role as David Budd. His new assignment? Protect the Red Nose.
Strictly Danceathon
Strictly is back for a Comic Relief special, but this time it will be hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman on the dancefloor.
The pair will be hoping to keep dancing for a full 24-hours to raise money for Comic Relief, starting on Monday evening.
Tess said: “We may not be the greatest dancers, but we host a dancing show and it’s time to practice what we preach. Over 24 hours of non-stop dancing is going to be tough and we need people to support us to help us get through, so please get involved.”
Kilimanjaro: The Bigger Red Nose Climb
Ten years after the first Kilimanjaro climb for Comic Relief, a new host of brave celebrities took on the gravity-defying challenge.
Celebrities lined up to take on the 5,895-metre peak including Strictly judge Shirley Ballas, former chancellor Ed Balls, Love Island winner Dani Dyer, Little Mix’s Jade Thirlwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock, BBC Breakfast host Dan Walker, Pointless presenter Alexander Armstrong, broadcaster Anita Rani and NFL star Osi Umenyiora.
Kilimanjaro: The Bigger Red Nose Climb is on Wednesday, March 13 at 9pm on BBC2.
Other Comic Relief TV specials to keep an eye out for include: Mamma Mia! Here We Go (Yet) Again, Alan Partridge This Time, Freddie’s Top Gear Wind Up and Comic Relief Does University Challenge with Martin Freeman.
How much money did Comic Relief raise last year?
In 2018, the Red Nose Day festivities raised £38 million for Comic Relief.
Over its 30 year existence, Comic Relief has raised more than £1bn.
