Red Nose Day 2021 — Best bits…so far!

On: March 21, 2021, By: Bill Young

Red Nose Day 2021. Photo: BBC

Red Nose Day has to be the single most brilliant example known to man and/or woman of how an entire country demonstrates the ability to rally around a charitable cause. To label Red Nose Day in the UK as a cultural phenomenon is doing it an injustice. It’s an institution. The entire country gets involved. The entire British acting community in all genres lend their time and talents to this effort.

Comic Relief was launched on Christmas Day in 1985 by comedian Sir Lenny Henry and writer/director Richard Curtis and aired live on the BBC to highlight the famine crippling Ethiopia. Not long after, the concept of Red Nose Day was created to focus attention on Comic Relief’s activities, with the first ever RND event in 1986 raising an impressive £15 million.

Fast forward 35 years to 2021 where, no matter how you slice and dice it, we all need a laugh right now which makes the fact that Red Nose Day returned on BBC One this past Friday even better! While the importance of the mission and impact of Comic Relief has continued to grow each year since its inception in 1986, it’s never felt more important this year to have some fun and raise money to support people living incredibly tough lives.

Photo: BBC

Hosted by a stalwart group of socially distant presenters including Alesha Dixon, Sir Lenny Henry, Davina McCall, Paddy McGuinness and David Tennant, RND 2021 with its theme of ‘Funny is Power’, has raised over £52 million so far (£45 million during the 3-hour live performance) . Even with a virtual audience, comedy was front and center as usual…

Staged with David Tennant, Michael Sheen and Sir Lenny Henry…