The Red Nose Day 2025 highlights to look forward to
With Comic Relief in its 40th year, the unmissable Red Nose Day is almost upon us.
Developed by Lenny Henry and Richard Curtis as part of their tremendous Comic Relief efforts, the annual BBC telethon continues to attract some of the biggest names in showbiz for an evening of laughs, donations, skits and poignant stories.
Filmed live from Salford's Media City once again, the 2025 iteration of Red Nose Day will mark the first time in its history that Henry doesn't appear as the televised event's host, and with over £1.6 billion raised across the decades, his shoes are frankly massive ones to fill.
It's a good thing then, that this imminent TV spectacle has more than a few diamonds in its pocket.
This year's Red Nose Day falls on Friday, 21 March and will be broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 7pm.
The Masked Singer trio Jonathan Ross, Davina McCall and Joel Dommett; This Morning's Alison Hammond, Rylan, and Britain's Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon are all onboard to present the 7-10pm stretch, while comedian Tom Allen and Big Brother's AJ Odudu are given the reins via BBC Two for the final hour.
Joanna Lumley met Amelia Dimoldenberg to launch Red Nose Day 2025 for a sketch launched on YouTube in February.
Arguably the most thrilling package on the night will be a crossover between two of the Beeb's most popular titles: long-running sitcom Not Going Out and murder-mystery Beyond Paradise.
Written by the former's Lee Mack for Comic Relief, it was shot on location in Cornwall with Beyond Paradise's main cast in tow, including Kris Marshall, Sally Bretton, Dylan Llewellyn, Zahra Ahmadi and Felicity Montagu.
Mack himself spoke to Radio Times about Bretton being the lynchpin - her characters Lucy and Martha get caught up in a hilarious case of mistaken identity.
"Because Sal's in both [shows], it's the idea that these two worlds collide, that her two characters collide – and comedy ensues," he teased.
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"When something's new and different and throws you a bit of a curveball, that's exciting. So this time, I thought 'Rather than bring them to us, why don't I go to the world of Beyond Paradise?' So that's what I did. Because we are in a studio a lot, being out on location and being in that world is great.
"We kept up the pace of the gags but you're trying to tell a mini story with a beginning, a middle and an end in there as well. That's a lot to compact in. Plus there's the challenge of filming it because sometimes in a shot, you've got two characters played by the same actor..."
Meanwhile, money-raisers Helen Skelton and Gethin Jones are set to begin their retro challenge a day early on Thursday, 20 March, as they embark on a breathless 24-hour rollerskate.
Commencing via Morning Live that day, the pair will be decked out in nostalgic 80s, 90s and 00s gear as they hope to stay on their feet through "immense physical strain without sleep".
Skelton and Jones will be joined by a few familiar faces along the duration, including previous Comic Relief players who know exactly what it takes to tackle such feats of silly endurance.
Jones said: "I've never roller-skated before so I'm nervous about my ability to stand up on skates, let alone move around on them. But I'll give it all I've got and do everything I can to train and get ready because I'm determined to raise as much money as possible."
Made in Chelsea regular and BBC Radio 1 presenter Jamie Laing has only gone and signed up to be the Ultra Marathon Man for Red Nose Day.
The pistol will sound from London on Monday, 17 March, where he'll set off towards the northern city of Salford - a journey that'll rack up five ultra-marathon distances and take him five days in total.
"I haven't run properly since school, so to be faced with this challenge is pretty overwhelming, but I know the listeners will get me through!" he shared ahead of the challenge.
"I just have to focus on putting one foot in front of the other. I'm running from London to Salford to encourage conversations and awareness around mental health, anxiety and depression - something I have suffered with myself in the past. I wouldn't be where I am today without the help of others, so I want to thank everyone in advance for their support and donations.
'I want to help raise as much money for Comic Relief as possible. The donations, however big or small, will help people everywhere get the basics that everyone needs to thrive, not merely survive – food, healthcare, education, a safe home, and a fair chance at life. Together, let's change the lives of others for good!"
A healthy sprinkling of ballroom glitz is in the running order too, with Strictly Come Dancing favourites Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Anton Du Beke, Motsi Mabuse, Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly dusting off the sequins for a special sketch starring comics Russell Kane and Rachel Parris.
They're portraying two unlikely newcomers Johnny and Melissa, who thanks to inclusivity obligations are able to become the show's first-ever amateur professional choreographers.
Shot like a mockumentary, the piece involves a twist where Johnny and Melissa's celebrity partners pull out of the competition at the 11th hour with identical injuries.
People Just Do Nothing's Chabuddy G (Asim Choudhry) is trying his hand at the Gladiators arena to raise money on Red Nose Day this year.
Chabuddy is initially convinced that he's about to join the muscular Gladiator squad, but it's all a delusion as he's actually in Sheffield to be a contender. His first test? To challenge Bionic at Duel.
"It was amazing filming this sketch with the Gladiators gang for Comic Relief. A lot of people don't know this but the G in Chabuddy G actually stands for Gladiator!" he said in a statement.
Also confirmed for Red Nose Day is a parody sketch featuring The Inbetweeners stars James Buckley and Joe Thomas playing Oasis brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher for charity.
The sketch will revisit the brothers' rise to fame, following their journey from Manchester to become rock superstars, with cameos from celebrity guests including broadcaster Piers Morgan, comedian Hugh Dennis, and MoneySavingExpert founder Martin Lewis.
Buckley said: 'I had such a fun time with Joe, making this sketch for Comic Relief, and was honoured to be asked to be a part of it.
'Being a huge Oasis fan, getting to be Liam for the day was a dream come true.'
Thomas said: 'I grew up watching Comic Relief and the big sketch was always a highlight of the night. So it's both thrilling and nerve-racking to be a part of it.'
Red Nose Day 2025 airs Friday, 21 March on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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