The BBC and Comic Relief have announced that Sport Relief hero John Bishop and four-time Olympic medal winner Sebastian Coe will captain two teams of celebrities and go head to head in a series of sporting challenges at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as part of the Sport Relief Night of TV on Friday 21st March.
Comedian John Bishop, who completed a punishing ‘Week of Hell’ challenge for Sport Relief in 2012 and Sebastian Coe, Olympian and chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, will each captain a team of stars who will battle it out in five different sporting events. The two rival teams will be made up of famous faces from the worlds of sport and entertainment – with the Clash of the Titans trophy up for grabs, the competition will be fierce, the challenges demanding and the potential for sporting upset high.
On the night, Clare Balding will present all the action from the London Aquatics Centre whilst over at the Lee Valley VeloPark Gabby Logan will be on hand, as the teams compete in a variety of events including track cycling, rhythmic gymnastics, synchronised swimming and a swimming relay.
It promises to be an incredible night of entertainment and the public has the opportunity to buy tickets to watch all the action from the two venues and cheer on their favourite team. Tickets go on sale today and are £15 plus bookings fees applied by Ticketmaster and at least £2.50 will be donated to Comic Relief by the BBC. Further details about the team line-ups will be announced in the run up to the event.
John Bishop said: “For Sport Relief 2012, I spent a week of pain cycling, rowing and running from Paris to London. To say it was tough, is a huge understatement. But now, two years on, I am back again to take on whatever challenges Sport Relief throws at me. Am I intimidated by going up against four-time Olympic medal winner Sebastian Coe? No, I say, bring it on! May the best man win.”
Sebastian Coe said: “As chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, I spent the best part of ten years preoccupied with the planning and delivery of London 2012. Not once did I imagine that less than two years later I would find myself back at the park competing. I hear John Bishop has quite a competitive streak but I know these venues inside out – something that, probably unrealistically, I am hoping will play to my advantage.”
On Friday 21st March the BBC will treat the nation to a special night of Sport Relief TV, with presenters Gary Lineker, Davina McCall, David Walliams, Claudia Winkleman, Jack Whitehall amongst others, hosting a star-studded show full of celebrity performances, comedy sketches, highlights from this year’s challenges and films about the incredible work Sport Relief supports. Del Boy and Rodney will be back on TV screens after 10 years with a special Only Fools and Horses Sport Relief sketch, featuring one of the show’s biggest fans – David Beckham. Four brave Paralympians will swap their sports kit for sequins and will take on a group dance challenge in a Sport Relief Does Strictly special, with Tess Daly revealing the judges favourite on the night. There will also be further announcements about more exciting sketches and specials in the coming weeks.
The Sport Relief Weekend takes place from Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd March and for the first time ever the public can run, swim or cycle in the brand new Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Games. For more information on how to join in the fun and games, raise cash and changes lives, go to sportrelief.com.
Money raised from Sport Relief will be spent helping some of the poorest and most disadvantaged people in the UK and around the world.
To buy tickets to the Clash of the Titans go to ticketmaster.com/sportrelief. For each £15 ticket, £10 will go towards event costs and at least £2.50 will be donated to Comic Relief by the BBC. The BBC will not profit from these ticket sales.
