Editing Comic Relief (section)

== Red Nose Day history ==
Comic Relief was launched live on [[Noel Edmonds]]' ''[[The Late, Late Breakfast Show|Late, Late Breakfast Show]]'' on [[BBC1]], on Christmas Day 1985 from a [[refugee camp]] in Sudan. The idea for Comic Relief came from the charity worker [[Jane Tewson]], who established it as the operating name of Charity Projects, a registered charity in England<ref>{{EW charity|326568}}</ref> and Scotland.<ref>{{Scottish charity|SC039730}}</ref>

On 4, 5 and 6 April 1986<ref name="Kate Bush Encyclopedia">{{Cite web|url=https://www.katebushencyclopedia.com/utterly-utterly-live-at-the-shaftesbury-theatre-comic-relief|title=Utterly Utterly Live at the Shaftesbury Theatre: Comic Relief|website=Kate Bush Encyclopedia|date=19 August 2017 }}</ref> the inaugural live fundraising show,<ref>{{cite web|last1=BBC Radio 4|title=The Reunion, Comic Relief|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00zd8fy|access-date=28 May 2016}}</ref> "Comic Relief Utterly Utterly Live", was staged at the [[Shaftesbury Theatre]] in London featuring popular [[alternative comedy|alternative comedians]] and pop stars (including [[Rowan Atkinson]], [[Billy Connolly]], [[Stephen Fry]], [[Lenny Henry]], [[Kate Bush]] and [[Cliff Richard]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0284008/|title=Comic Relief|date=25 April 1986|via=IMDb}}</ref>).  An audio recording was released on [[Warner Music Group|WEA]], which included a live performance of the charity single "[[Living Doll (song)#1986 version|Living Doll]]" by Cliff Richard and [[The Young Ones (TV series)|the Young Ones]].<ref name="Kate Bush Encyclopedia"/>

The highlight of Comic Relief is Red Nose Day.<ref name="Our History"/> On 8 February 1988, Lenny Henry went to Ethiopia and celebrated the very first Red Nose Day telethon. More than 150 celebrities and comedians participated. The event raised £15&nbsp;million and attracted 30&nbsp;million television viewers on BBC1.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pithers |first=Ellie |date=2013-01-31 |title=Lenny Henry remembers the first Red Nose Day in 1988 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/9839131/Lenny-Henry-remembers-the-first-Red-Nose-Day-in-1988.html |access-date=2025-02-20 |website=The Telegraph |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Shute |first=Joe |date=2015-02-19 |title=Comic Relief: how we came to love Red Nose Day - and how to raise money |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/comic-relief/11422653/Comic-Relief-how-we-came-to-love-Red-Nose-Day-and-how-to-raise-money.html |access-date=2025-02-20 |website=The Telegraph |language=en}}</ref> To date, [[Richard Curtis]] and Lenny Henry are still active participants of the Red Nose Day telethon, which continues to raise funds for numerous charities that help children in need and tackle worldwide poverty.

The charity states that its aim is to "bring about positive and lasting change in the lives of poor and disadvantaged people, which we believe requires investing in work that addresses people's immediate needs as well as tackling the root causes of poverty and injustice".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.comicrelief.com/apply-for-a-grant/vision-principles-uk-grant-making |title=Vision & Principles for UK grant-making |website=Comic Relief |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101216023542/http://www.comicrelief.com/apply-for-a-grant/vision-principles-uk-grant-making |archivedate=16 December 2010 |access-date=12 March 2011}}</ref>

One of the fundamental principles behind working at Comic Relief is the "Golden Pound Principle" where every single donated [[pound sterling|pound (£)]] is spent on charitable projects. All [[operating cost]]s, such as staff [[salaries]], are covered by [[sponsor (commercial)|corporate sponsors]], or interest earned on money waiting to be distributed.

Currently,{{when|date=December 2023}} its main supporters are the [[BBC]], [[BT Group|BT]], [[TK Maxx]] and [[British Airways]].  The BBC is responsible for the live television extravaganza on ''Red Nose Day''; BT provides the telephony, and TK Maxx sells merchandise on behalf of the charity.

Until 2022, [[Sainsbury's]] sold Red Noses in their Supermarkets, Local Stores and Petrol Stations. 

In 2002, Comic Relief and [[BBC Sport]] teamed up to create [[Sport Relief]], a new initiative, aiming to unite the sporting community and culminate in a night of sport, entertainment and fundraising on BBC One. Sport Relief was a biennial charity event, and the campaign deliberately alternated years with Red Nose Day, Comic Relief's flagship event. Red Nose Day occurs in odd-numbered years, and Sport Relief in even-numbered years.

In 2009, Comic Relief launched a website calling for a [[financial transaction tax]], the "Robin Hood" tax.

On 14 March 2015, at the end of that year's Red Nose Day telethon<!-- Although Red Nose Day was officially 13 March, the announcement came after midnight on 14 March --> it was announced that in the 30-year history of Comic Relief, the Red Nose Day and Sport Relief appeals had raised in excess of £1bn (£1,047,083,706).<ref name="billion">{{cite news |last=Laurence |first=R. |date=February 2021 |title=www.comicrelief.com |url=https://www.comicrelief.com/press-releases/sir-lenny-henry-dame-judi-dench-and-benedict-cumberbatch-help-show-how-powerful-humour-can-be-in-the-toughest-of-times-as-red-nose-day-returns/ |access-date=22 February 2021}}</ref>

In 2021 it was announced that Red Nose Day would become an annual event and, starting from 2022, there would be no more Sport Relief telethons. From the same year onwards, the appeal shows of Red Nose Day would now take place at the former Sport Relief studio at [[Dock10 (television facility)|Dock10]], [[MediaCityUK]] in Salford.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Red Nose Day |website=Comic Relief |url=https://www.comicrelief.com/rednoseday|access-date=2021-09-05 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=29 July 2021 |title=BBC's Children In Need and Comic Relief's Red Nose Day set to broadcast live from dock10 studios, MediaCityUK |url=https://www.mediacityuk.co.uk/newsroom/bbcs-children-in-need-and-comic-reliefs-red-nose-day-set-to-broadcast-live-from-dock10-studios-mediacityuk/ |url-status=live |publisher=[[MediaCityUK]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914132740/https://www.mediacityuk.co.uk/newsroom/bbcs-children-in-need-and-comic-reliefs-red-nose-day-set-to-broadcast-live-from-dock10-studios-mediacityuk/ |archive-date=14 September 2021}}</ref>

In 2024, on Lenny Henry's final telethon as a presenter, he revealed that the overall £1 billion announced in 2015 had risen to more than £1.6 billion (£1,602,539,154).