The current Red Nose Day 2017 total stands at a jaw-dropping £73,026,234 and Comic Relief couldn’t have done it without the great British public coming together and showing, once again, their incredible generosity over the past few weeks.
This Red Nose Day – on March 24 – saw some impressive, brand spanking new and sometimes downright daft endeavours all to raise a smile, raise the laughs and raise life-changing cash, including:
- The remarkable audience totals for the Red Nose Day night of TV on BBC One and BBC Two, peaking at 7.6million viewers.
- The ludicrously long, super-sized sofa, which squeezed 38 guests on for Graham Norton's Big Show Live on the Red Nose Day night of TV on the BBC
- Over 200 80’s classics played across 24 hours as Sara Cox danced her leg warmers off at the BBC Radio 2 studios
- Over 600 of the nation’s most famous and talented artists struck a pose, told jokes, dressed up, performed, sang, visited projects, jived and gave their heart and soul to support the campaign – all for free.
- The first ever Comic Relief Originals series on YouTube, which saw sketches from the biggest rising comedy stars in the UK today including Massive Dad, Birthday Girls, Daphne, Liam Williams and many more.
- Taking our comedy across through the country with our Comic Relief Live gigs
- The most excited people have ever been for the reboot of the viral hit – “Pink Windmill” – with 12 million views, 33 years after the original
- The Red Noses being brought to life for the first time for the Comic Adventure online comic strip, with some very recognisable voices.
- The single biggest mosquito net delivery in Uganda as part of the Red Nose African Convoy
- 35 skin-wrinkling minutes spent in a hot tub by near-naked Greg Davies during the TV show
- The world’s smallest comedy club (possibly) in TKMaxx in Cardiff city centre
- The first Red Nose Day Facebook Live pre-party with the viewers choosing to make Ellie Taylor massage Mark Wright’s feet
- 38 days anticipating the all-star Love Actually cast reuniting for Red Nose Day Actually
- The fundraising efforts of 5 pigmy goats racing for the trophy in Brighton
- 35 of the biggest online influencers’ downing tools for 24 hours in an unprecedented move for #RedOut
- Doctor Who fans still have the chance to sit down for brunch with not one, not two, but seven, Doctors, as part of Comic Relief’s Best Auction Ever (givergy.com/rednoseday)
- The Prime Minister’s red shoes, as designed by Charlotte Olympia and warn specially for Red Nose Day – and which are now being auctioned to raise money for Comic Relief
- The ‘I now can’t get this out of my head’ collaboration between Ed Sheeran, Kurupt FM and the People Just Do Nothing crew
- An unconceivable amount of jokes told across BBC Radio 1’s 24hour Lolathon with Scott Mills & Chris Stark, Blue Peter’s Comedy Classroom and the official Red advertising suite. Did you hear the one about…
- The ever changing hashtag character. #rednoseday Twitter hashtag with a different red nose character every day leading up to RND
On a more serious note, the money raised this Red Nose Day, will enable Comic Relief to fund inspirational work helping people living incredibly tough lives both here in the UK and across some of the world’s poorest communities. This will build on the progress that Comic Relief has helped to make happen thanks to the public’s enduring support, including:
- Helping 12.2 million people in need across the UK, since Comic Relief began
- Helping over 11.7 million people in Africa since the last Red Nose Day
- Helping almost 70,000 vulnerable young people across the UK since the last Red Nose Day
Comic Relief Co-Founder, Sir Lenny Henry, said: “Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone that has helped to raise an incredible amount of money this Red Nose Day for people who really need it most here in the UK and across the world. From the fantastic people across the UK who baked cakes, hosted parties and wore crazy outfits to work and school, to those who took on Red Nose Day challenges and donated, your money is seriously going to change lives. On behalf of everyone at Comic Relief, we cannot thank you enough.”
None of this would have been possible without the incredible efforts of the Red Nose Day partners including, Sainsbury’s who raised an outstanding £11,612,117, TK Maxx raising a grand total of £4,005,388 and British Airways who also raised £3,009,333, amongst many other incredibly supportive companies, and of course the BBC for their unremitting support of our campaigns.
