Red Nose Day TV Special To Tickle BBC Funny Bones

Today, March 13, is Red Nose Day in Britain – the major fundraising event of the year for Comic Relief. And to celebrate, celebrities young and old will appear in a TV extravaganza being screened tonight on BBC One and Two.

Presented by David Tennant, Davina McCall, Alan Carr, Jonathan Ross and others, Funny For Money will feature the last ever French & Saunders film parody – a version of Mamma Mia! performed by Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders – plus comedy items performed by Robbie Williams, David Walliams, Matt Lucas, Ricky Gervais, Harry Enfield, Peter Crouch, David Beckham, Sadie Frost, and Kate Moss. There will also be an appearance from Annie Lennox.

As part of the show, Comic Relief will also present a special version of Top Of The Pops that will feature performances by U2, James Morrison and Oasis, as well as Tom Jones and Rob Brydon singing the official Comic Relief single, Islands In The Stream.

The show will also a special appearance by the celebrity climbers who scaled Mount Kilimanjaro last week. The group – including Take That's Gary Barlow, Ronan Keating, Girls Aloud's Kimberley Walsh, Cheryl Cole, singer Alesha Dixon, television presenters Fearne Cotton and Ben Shephard, West-End star Denise Van Outen and radio DJ Chris Moyles – reached the summit of the 19,300ft (5,900m) peak as dawn broke on Saturday, March 7. They featured in their own BBC One documentary last night, and also met with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who has pledged £2 million to the charity.

“It has been a privilege for the whole team to meet the Prime Minister … and under such special circumstances,” said Barlow. “To think that our efforts on the mountain and the incredible generosity of the public have inspired school children and have now been supported by the Government is unbelievable. If the money raised can help control malaria and also help poor and vulnerable people in the UK, it will all have been worthwhile. What an unforgettable day.”

The Funny For Money TV special runs from 7pm to 1:30am. Viewers will have the chance to pledge money to go towards helping people in the UK overcome poverty, mental health issues, domestic violence and other issues, and people in Africa affected by AIDS, malaria, conflict and more.