Comic Relief is a British charity organization that was founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis in response to famine in Ethiopia. It now raises money for countries in Africa and for disadvantaged people in the UK. It was launched live on Noel Edmonds's Late, Late Breakfast Show on BBC1, on Christmas Day 1985 from a refugee camp in Sudan. The idea for Comic Relief came from the noted charity worker Jane Tewson, then head of a British NGO Charity Projects and was inspired by the success of the first four Secret Policeman's Ball comedy benefit shows for Amnesty International (1976-1981). Initially funds were raised from live events, the most notable being a comedy revue at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London which was subsequently broadcast on television on 25 April 1986.
One of the fundamental principles behind working at Comic Relief is the 'Golden Pound Principle' where every single donated pound is spent on charitable projects. All operating costs, such as staff salaries, are covered by corporate sponsors or interest which is earned while money raised is waiting to be spent (granted) to charitable projects.
Currently, its two main supporters are the BBC and Sainsbury's. The BBC is responsible for the live television extravaganza on Red Nose Day and Sainsbury's sells merchandise on behalf of the charitymoreless
Comic Relief
BBC (Special Event 1988)
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Show Summary
- Special Event
Comic Relief is the BBCs biennial fund raising event, which raises millions for the charity of the same name. The charity supports people suffering both in the UK and the third world.
Comic Relief began on Christmas Day 1985 with a fund raising event on the BBC's Late, Late Breakfast Show hosted by Noel Edmonds. More live events followed until finally Comic Relief was allowed to take over the BBCs main channel on February 5th 1988 for the first of the 'Red Nose Day' variety shows. The result has been a phenomenal success, gaining national cult status and taking over the normal lifestyles of millions of people who pull out all the stops to do something seriously daft for charity and put their hands in their pockets for a good cause. The most common thing to see in the UK, in the run up to Red Nose day, is the Red Nose itself which has taken on many different forms over the past 20 years.
The effect of Comic Relief's variety show cannot be understated, raising the total raised from 15 million in 1985 to 337 million in 2003 and all of it goes to charity.
Each 6-hour show is an amalgamation of hundreds of TV Celebrities, Comedians and Musicians work, as they all pull together to partly amuse the British public, but most importantly make sure we know exactly why they're doing it. Regular film inserts are featured demonstrating the poor lifestyles people suffer and what we, the viewers can do about it. Celebrities like Lenny Henry, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Billy Connelly, Victoria Wood and Davina McCall deliberately subject themselves to poverty and famine in Ethiopia and other third world countries to create devastatingly real and poignant accounts of what the more unfortunate people around the world have to put up with every day of their lives.
This isn't just a show, it's a national institution and without it, there would be a lot more people a lot worse off around the world today.moreless
Comic Relief began on Christmas Day 1985 with a fund raising event on the BBC's Late, Late Breakfast Show hosted by Noel Edmonds. More live events followed until finally Comic Relief was allowed to take over the BBCs main channel on February 5th 1988 for the first of the 'Red Nose Day' variety shows. The result has been a phenomenal success, gaining national cult status and taking over the normal lifestyles of millions of people who pull out all the stops to do something seriously daft for charity and put their hands in their pockets for a good cause. The most common thing to see in the UK, in the run up to Red Nose day, is the Red Nose itself which has taken on many different forms over the past 20 years.
The effect of Comic Relief's variety show cannot be understated, raising the total raised from 15 million in 1985 to 337 million in 2003 and all of it goes to charity.
Each 6-hour show is an amalgamation of hundreds of TV Celebrities, Comedians and Musicians work, as they all pull together to partly amuse the British public, but most importantly make sure we know exactly why they're doing it. Regular film inserts are featured demonstrating the poor lifestyles people suffer and what we, the viewers can do about it. Celebrities like Lenny Henry, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Billy Connelly, Victoria Wood and Davina McCall deliberately subject themselves to poverty and famine in Ethiopia and other third world countries to create devastatingly real and poignant accounts of what the more unfortunate people around the world have to put up with every day of their lives.
This isn't just a show, it's a national institution and without it, there would be a lot more people a lot worse off around the world today.moreless
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Graham Norton
Presenter
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Chris Evans (I)
Presenter
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Ben Elton
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