Comic Relief. Copyright: BBC
Comic Relief

Comic Relief

  • TV variety
  • BBC One
  • 1988 - 2024
  • 21 episodes

Every two years the biggest British comedy stars and shows come together to raise money for charity. Stars Lenny Henry, Jonathan Ross, Griff Rhys Jones, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders and more.

Press clippings Page 16

Comic Relief to do 'full review' of investment policy

Comic Relief will carry out a "full review" after claims millions of pounds were invested in funds with shares in tobacco, alcohol and arms firms.

BBC News, 10th December 2013

BBC 'would broadcast' Comic Relief claims

BBC Director General Tony Hall has said the BBC will broadcast a Panorama programme featuring allegations about Comic Relief, if they are true.

BBC News, 22nd October 2013

BBC 'shelves' Panorama exposé of Comic Relief

The planned broadcast of a Panorama investigation into Comic Relief has reportedly been cancelled after a string of BBC executives ruled themselves out of making decisions about it. By the end of last year, Comic Relief was allegedly sitting on £261million in a mixture of shares, bonds and cash.

Tom Bryant and Nick Sommerlad, The Mirror, 21st October 2013

Red Nose Day 2013 tops £100 million

The final total for Red Nose Day 2013 is an incredible £100,331,808.

Comic Relief, 10th September 2013

Rowan Atkinson's Comic Relief sketch cleared by Ofcom

The Rowan Atkinson skit, in which he played a fictional clergyman who said praying doesn't work, did not breach broadcasting code.

Mark Sweney, The Guardian, 1st July 2013

Lenny Henry wins award for 25 years of Red Nose Day

Lenny Henry has received a prestigious lifetime achievement award recognising his 25 years as co-founder and co-host of Red Nose Day, which has raised more than £900m as part of Comic Relief, the charity which began in 1985.

Shahesta Shaitly, The Observer, 16th June 2013

BBC to face inquiry over Atkinson's Comic Relief sketch

Sketch featuring fictional Archbishop of Canterbury saying 'praying doesn't work' prompted more than 2,200 complaints.

John Plunkett, The Guardian, 22nd April 2013

RND needs less celebrities & more mercenary task forces

Forget the celebs, spend the money on removing corrupt dictators from power in poverty-stricken countries.

Simon Hoggard, The Guardian, 22nd March 2013

During the huge Comic Relief production Funny for Money (BBC One), the first segment was hosted by Claudia Winkleman and some guy. Try as I might, I couldn't remember Some Guy's name even after I wrote it down, but that could have been because I was so knocked out with the way Claudia looked. At first glance, she looked like a visitor from some planet where the women have beautiful legs and no eyes. But at second glance, I spotted that she did indeed have a pair of eyes somewhere behind her fringe, and at third glance I noticed that she was wearing a perfectly judged frock.

Here were the British showing the Americans how to do it. All we need now is a bit of confidence to go with the manifestly superior sanity. Unfortunately such confidence is hard to come by, because the Americans wield a heavy cultural influence over the rest of us even when they are doing something so glaringly wrong as to load an over-glamorous outfit onto an averagely glamorous woman. It's almost 70 years since the Second World War and the British are still in thrall to that postwar mentality by which it was taken to be self-evident that only the Yanks could build desirable cars.

Clive James, The Telegraph, 22nd March 2013

Rowan Atkinson angers his older brother over sketch

Rodney Atkinson says he was 'appalled' by his brother Rowan's foul language in his Comic Relief sketch about the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Tim Walker, The Telegraph, 20th March 2013

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