by Red Nose Day returns today (March 17) and several celebrities have already been spotted sporting their newly designed charity noses.
Amanda Holden, Emma Willis and Sir Lenny Henry are among the famous faces caught in the spirit of generosity and fun. This is particularly important after a difficult year for millions of families due to the cost of living crisis.
Last year Red Nose Day brought in a staggering £42.8million. This has taken the charity’s contributions to more than £1.5 billion since its inception.
Here’s everything you need to know about Comic Relief’s annual charity event.
What is Red Nose Day?
Red Nose Day is the culmination of Comic Relief, the UK charity founded in 1985.
The day is celebrated with people worldwide taking part in all kinds of events and fun challenges to raise money for children affected by poverty.
Comic Relief was originally founded to help the hungry in Ethiopia. But over the years it has evolved to help raise money for vulnerable and disadvantaged people in the UK and Africa.
The first Red Nose Day was held in 1988 and raised a whopping £15million.
More than 30 million people tuned in to see Blackadder the Cavalier Years’ and the Young Ones on University Challenge at the televised event.
Over the decades, many celebrities such as comic book greats Dawn French, Kathy Burke, Catherine Tate and Jennifer Saunders have taken part in hilarious parodies.
Johnny Depp, Alan Partridge, the Spice Girls and Elton John have also contributed over the years to raise millions of pounds for charity. These include Age UK, Alzheimer’s Society, Children in Need, Mental Health Foundation, Mind, Coram, The Children’s Society, Catch22 and Porchlight
Date 2023: When is Red Nose Day?
Red Nose Day takes place on Friday March 17th.
BBC One will be broadcasting a special tonight featuring a variety of stars, live music, exclusive prizes, comedy and more.
This will be moderated by former Strictly Come Dancing contestants AJ Odudu, Paddy McGuinness, David Tennant, Zoe Ball and Joel Dommett.
Kylie Minogue is set to star in a one-off special on BBC sitcom Ghosts. There will also be a hilarious Love Island parody featuring unexpected contestants looking for love.
Red Nose Day: Weird Moments of Relief – In Pictures
Where to buy noses for Red Nose Day 2023?
The new plant-based red nose is available from Comic Relief and Amazon, and if you want to buy one at the last minute, Amazon has next-day delivery.
Comic Relief’s famous red nose has been revamped for 2023.
Described as the most drastic change to the famous snout since it first appeared in 1988, 95 percent of it was made from plant-based materials.
The new botanical nose was developed by Sir Jony Ive, the man behind some of Apple’s greatest creations. It features a unique foldable paper design for easy application.
“When I saw the new red nose for this year, I was very impressed,” said Indian actress and stand-up comedian Sindhu Vee, who starred as Mrs Phelps in the 2022 Netflix adaptation of Matilda the Musical. “It’s very delicate and very beautifully made – and I mean, who doesn’t like red noses?”
A whole host of famous faces have already put on their charity noses, including children’s book author and DJ Greg James.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the world has been pretty sad, especially in the last three to four years,” James said.
“So Red Nose Day is a great reminder to look out and help someone else.”
