Today Friday March 19th is Red Nose Day 2021, which will culminate in an unmissable evening of television that will be broadcast live on BBC One as some of the nation’s favourite faces come together for a very special night of comedy, entertainment, music and much more besides.
The Red Nose Day night of TV will feature hilarious sketches, live performances and one-off comedy specials, while showcasing the incredible impact that donations have in the UK and across the world.
Comic Relief 2021 is set to be hosted by Alesha Dixon, David Tennant, Davina McCall, Paddy McGuinness and Sir Lenny Henry.
The Red Nose Day night of TV is made by BBC Studios Productions.
The Night Of TV
Vicar Of Dibley
Dawn French as Geraldine Granger is back! In this special message, she’s taking on this year’s fundraising challenge set by the villagers, to lip sync to her favourite song of last year, Juice by Lizzo.
Geraldine is also joined by a very special guest, Reverend Kate Bottley.
2020: The Movie
After a year like no other, prepare for the biggest blockbuster movie NEVER made (yet) with 2020: The Movie. Part biopic, part disaster film, this new release turns movie stars into unlikely everyday British heroes. Starring Keira Knightley, Michael Sheen and KSI among many other special guests, prepare to see your favourite celebrities in the most unlikely roles!
Comic Opera
Comic Relief and the English National Opera are pushing five comedians to their limits in a unique challenge – learning to be opera singers. Getting to grips with this highly skilled classical art form, they’ll have just 24 hours to come together and perform LIVE in front of the entire nation. Thankfully they’ve got the support of a world-famous mentor, soprano Charlotte Church, and ENO’s award-winning Chorus and Orchestra behind them.
Jack Whitehall’s Zoom Meeting
Jack Whitehall tries to host a Comic Relief Zoom meeting with some of his celebrity friends… but realises it’s harder to do than he thought! This star-studded sketch with special guests such as Guz Khan, Olivia Colman and Anya Taylor-Joy proves that even A-list stars can go straight to video (conference).
All By Myself the Music Video
Mel Giedroyc guest stars as Bridget Jones in this parody of the famous opening scene of Bridget Jones’ Diary, singing All By Myself. Mel is joined in the video by a host of famous faces who are… yes you guessed it, are all singing by themselves!
Staged
In a bespoke sketch from the cast of the hit series Staged, David Tennant and Michael Sheen give us a hysterical historical take on their lockdown series, with a guest appearance from Sir Lenny Henry.
Harry Styles’ Treat People With Kindness challenge
Paying homage to the fantastic music video of Harry Styles’ single Treat People With Kindness, featuring comedian Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Comic Relief will begin a bid to get the nation up and dancing for Red Nose Day 2021.
Comic Relief is releasing bitesize dance tutorials in the lead up to the big night of TV in association with Morning Live for all people of all ages to get up and dance in their homes.
A special selection of videos will be compiled and showcased on Comic Relief 2021’s night of TV.
Top Gear – Radio 1’s Kids Ask Difficult Questions
Prepare for the ‘very candid’ interview where children ask the Top Gear presenters the most difficult questions they’ve EVER faced, hosted by Radio 1’s Jordan North!
It’s time for Paddy McGuinness, Freddie Flintoff and Chris Harris to step up and face a grilling from their smallest – but toughest – interviewers yet… a selection of cheeky children from around the UK!
Tim Vine’s Joke In A Box
Tim Vine is on a mission: to reward the men and women of the UK’s military forces by spreading a smile! Concealed within a funfair-style fortune telling machine, Tim will be poised and ready to surprise the unsuspecting servicemen and women who’ve spent some of the last 12 months assisting frontline medical staff with Covid testing and vaccine deliveries.
Back To The Future: The Musical
Marty, Doc and Jennifer from Back To The Future: The Musical step into our studio for a special performance in a bespoke sketch created by Bob Gale, one the creators of the Back To The Future film trilogy. Featuring a new song from the musical, Put Your Mind To It, and the return of the classic Power Of Love.
Comic Relief does Cinderella
We revisit one of the highlights of Cinderella: A Comic Relief Pantomime For Christmas. In this all-star snippet, with Rege-Jean Page stepping aside from his Dukedom to star as Prince Charming, the worlds of theatre, film, comedy and music collide as Comic Relief re-lives the ‘stay-at-home’ adaptation of the classic festive pantomime.
Normal People vs Fleabag
It’s the mash-up you never knew you needed until now! BBC Three’s hugely successful and award-winning Normal People and Fleabag join forces to give us one hot priest and two lovestruck teens in a brilliantly funny and touching confession like no other.
Charley Mackesy’s Time Lapse Of Comic Relief Drawing
British artist, illustrator and author of The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse, Charlie Mackesy has taken to his drawing board to create a beautiful illustration for Comic Relief.
Appeal films
Throughout the Red Nose Day night of entertainment, viewers will be shown how their donations can change lives in the UK and around the world. Films shown during the evening will feature powerful personal stories of those supported by the work Comic Relief funds and will highlight a range of issues, from homelessness, to mental health, to food poverty and to showing how Covid-19 is impacting the vital work of projects internationally. They include a number of films that have been co-produced with local filmmakers in Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and India.
Additional Programming
The Great Comic Relief Prizeathon (Friday 19 March, 10.45pm)
Red Nose Day 2021 continues on BBC One after the BBC News at Ten with The Great Comic Relief Prizeathon – a brand new live entertainment special hosted by Jason Manford and Amanda Holden, where viewers have the opportunity to win big!
The hour-long show will feature special guests, comedy sketches, live music, and the chance for viewers to win a number of once-in-a-lifetime prizes.
Gordon Ramsay’s Bank Balance (Saturday 13 March, 6pm, BBC One)
Gordon Ramsay will be joining in with the fun and fundraising for this year’s Red Nose Day as he presents a very special celebrity episode (1×60’) of his brand new BBC One game show, Gordon Ramsay’s Bank Balance.
In this high-stake and high-pressured standalone special, Gordon Ramsay is joined by fellow chef and friend Gino D’Acampo and his son, Luciano, as the father and son attempt to raise as much money as possible for Comic Relief. A game of precision and poise, Gino and Luciana must hold their nerve as they go up against the volatile board. One wrong move and it could all be over…
Red Nose and Spoon Race (The One Show)
BBC The One Show’s very own Alex Scott and Jermaine Jenas will be putting their skills to the test as they set out to compete in the ultimate Red Nose and Spoon Race, starting on Wednesday 10 March. Alongside some incredible teammates from Comic Relief funded projects across the UK, they’ll be attempting to keep spirits high and Noses firmly on spoons whilst racing an epic distance of three full marathons in just three days.
On the Night Of TV on Friday 19 March, Alex Scott will be joining us live in the studio to talk about the challenge and announce the total raised so far.
Later… with Jools Holland for Comic Relief (Friday 19 March, 10pm, BBC Two)
Later… with Jools Holland returns for the fifth programme of the series, filmed at Jools’ creative home, his unique South London recording studio. This week, Jools will be chatting to actor, comedian and music lover Sir Lenny Henry, who will be choosing and discussing his favourite performances from the Later… archive. This episode falls on the same night as Comic Relief 2021, so as well as mining the Later… vaults, Sir Lenny will share a few of his favourite musical moments from the fundraising show across the years.
Saturday Kitchen and Blue Peter
Viewers will also be able to enjoy a host of specially-themed Red Nose Day episodes of some of the BBC’s biggest and most popular shows including Saturday Kitchen and Blue Peter in the lead up to the big day itself, featuring big stars, exclusive prize draws and some moving appeal films illustrating projects that Comic Relief funds.
Where the money goes
Over the years, Red Nose Day donations have made life better for people around the world and here in the UK. But in a year when everything changed, people already living the toughest lives were hit the hardest.
Red Nose Day donations will help tackle important issues including homelessness, hunger, domestic abuse, and mental health problems, all of which have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, in the UK and around the world.
Money raised will support some of the most vulnerable people and communities in society who have been hardest hit by the coronavirus crisis, including those now reliant on food banks, and provide vital funding to under resourced front line charities as they adapt and navigate through these difficult, uncertain times.
More about Red Nose Day
Red Nose Day is back on Friday 19 March and hopes to bring the UK together (although we may be apart) through laughter and helping others, showing just how powerful humour can be through the toughest of times. As Covid-19 continues to impact people all over the world, it has never felt more important to raise smiles and money for those who are struggling more than ever.
The theme of this year’s Red Nose Day is Funny Is Power – this campaign is all about empowering people to do good through humour, fun, and laughter. We want to show how funny can be so much more than we think, and how even the smallest action can have an impact when we are all united as a force for good.
Heartwarming moments of kindness and community strength have shone through even the hardest of times in the past year, with people rallying together to support their neighbours and strangers, family, friends and frontline workers, with seemingly small acts that have made a huge difference.
Share A Smile
And so, this Red Nose Day also sees the launch of Share A Smile, to bring a little more joy to homes across the country. Laughter has the power to bring us together and when we work together, we can help create change in the UK and around the world. That’s why we’ve created a poster for people to download from bbc.co.uk/shareasmile to add their joke and display in their window to Share a Smile with their friends and neighbours.
Comic Relief is also working alongside BBC Children’s on this special project, who have produced an interactive Red Nose map on the CBBC website to show just how smiley the nation is getting and some of the best ones will appear across CBeebies and CBBC shows including Blue Peter, Saturday Mash Up, Newsround and CBBC HQ over the weeks leading up to, and also on the BBC One night of TV.
Donation details
- To find out how you can get involved in Red Nose Day and to order your free fundraising pack, visit bbc.co.uk/rednoseday
- You can donate to Red Nose Day by visiting bbc.co.uk/rednoseday
- Funny Is Power. And no matter what you can give, your donation can make a difference. To donate, visit bbc.co.uk/rednoseday
