Comic Relief

BBC inquiry called after guard's Red Nose Day insult

BBC chiefs launched an inquiry yesterday after a security guard told a radio guest with a severe facial disfigurement that she had taken "Red Nose Day a bit too far".

Comic Relief: £74.3m total sets Red Nose Day record

Comic Relief has raised £74.3m, the highest figure reached on the night of the show in its 23-year history.

Comic Relief telethon peaks with 12.4m

Comic Relief was an outstanding success for BBC One last night, attracting a peak audience of over 12.4m, early viewing figures indicate.

The Best of Comic Relief 2011

Do you remember when Comic Relief's fundraising was mostly restricted to buying silly red noses, cheap T-shirts and a novelty pop song in the run-up to the live telethon? That still happens, but these days you can't escape Comic Relief for weeks, sometimes months, before the big day itself, and it's subsidized by loads of celebrity-led specials. This year we've had the return of Let's Dance For Comic Relief every Saturday (celebs reenacting famous dances for phone votes), the Red Nose Desert Trek five-day endurance (celebs walk across Kenya for cash), [Chris Moyles' Longest Ever Radio Show (52 hours, raising £2.6m from listeners), 24 Hour Panel People (David Walliams enduring a day-long marathon of panel show guesting), a week-long Comic Relief Does Glee Club special for kid's TV, and probably a few more I've forgotten.

Comic Relief review: the agony and the ecstasy

Last night we endured the annual marathon of heartstring-tugging, tin-rattling mirth that is Comic Relief.

Comic Relief 2011: 10 funniest moments

The comedy hits of the annual telethon.

Comic Relief 2011: 10 most cringey moments

The comedy flops of the annual telethon.

Red Nose Day: Fake That ready for Comic Relief

Take That come face to face with their comedy doubles in a special sketch to be screened during tonight's Comic Relief TV extravaganza.

Another laughable (in a good way) telethon from Richard Curtis and friends hosted by Fearne Cotton, Jonathan Ross et al, and featuring sketches and silliness from James Corden, the cast of Outnumbered, Miranda Hart, Harry Hill, Steve Coogan and Armstrong & Miller to name but some. Most exciting-sounding is a Downton Abbey spoof featuring Ade Edmondson, Victoria Wood, Kim Cattrall, Harry Enfield and Joanna Lumley. And the special Red Nose Day edition of MasterChef, which will, if there's any justice, feature Gregg and John trying to perform simple tasks while contestants tut smugly.

Comedy, music and good causes - it can only be the show that makes you laugh until you give.

Harry Hill, Steve Coogan, Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, Ant and Dec and Armstrong and Miller are all doing something funny for money this year, along with the casts of The Inbetweeners, Outnumbered and Miranda.

We can also look forward to a specially shot mini-episode of Doctor Who, and James Corden will be back with the third instalment of his iconic Smithy trilogy - calling in favours from some very big names in showbiz.

Corden will also be one fifth of Fake That - a tribute band which boasts the talents of David Walliams, Alan Carr, Catherine Tate and John Bishop.

Never fear, though, the real Take That will be performing too. In fact, the night's going to be awash with boy-bands, as JLS are in the studio and it's The Wanted's turn to do the official Comic Relief single, Gold Forever.

The music line-up also includes chart-busting Adele, Annie Lennox, Elbow and Gareth Malone, who will be trying to turn some TV chefs into a Comic Relief choir.

Your hosts through this comedy marathon will be Davina McCall, Jonathan Ross, Michael McIntyre, Graham Norton, Claudia Winkleman and Fearne Cotton.

There have been 12 Red Nose Days since 1988, helping to raise more than £500million to help needy people in the UK and abroad.

There'll also be films from David Tennant, Jack Dee, Ruth Jones and Comic Relief stalwart Lenny Henry, each providing frequent reminders of how your money can help change people's lives for the better.