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Red Nose Day 2015 - 13th March

Live from the London Palladium (January 2015)

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BR
Brekkie
The noses launched this week (which always seem to look the same nowadays IMO) along with the "Make your Face Funny for Money" campaign.

Also according to ITV the Telethon is being broadcast from the London Palladium which I think will give it quite a different feel to the usual TV Centre broadcasts - not that that is a bad thing.
JC
JCB
Yeah, I heard Lenny Henry on the radio Monday saying they're "shaking things up this year" and the telethon from the Palladium will be "more like a live comedy show".
BR
Brekkie
That can only be a good thing.
WH
Whataday Founding member
I imagine it's to give it the feel of the original RND which came from a theatre... i think?
DJ
DJGM

I imagine it's to give it the feel of the original RND which came from a theatre... i think?


The very first live Comic Relief was a live stage show that ran for about 7 hours at the Shaftesbury Theatre in 1986. None of it was broadcast live on TV, but an edited highlights show was made featuring mostly comedy performances,
plus some of the music acts ... Howard Jones, Joan Armatrading, plus a duet with Rowan Atkinson and Kate Bush, and of course a performance of "Living Doll" from Cliff Richard and The Young Ones.

It was broadcast as a special edition of the BBC's arts based documentary series, Omnibus.

Warning ... the following video contains strong language and adult humour.

(The above clip features Bob Geldof singing with The Young Ones, although I remember it with Cliff Richard
performing the song in the version that was broadcast on Omnibus, but not with Bob Geldof. The version
in the clip below is the one I remember. They must've performed the song twice, including the sketch.)


As I recall, two VHS home videos were also released featuring selected highlights from show.
Last edited by DJGM on 30 January 2015 12:25am - 3 times in total
NG
noggin Founding member
The noses launched this week (which always seem to look the same nowadays IMO) along with the "Make your Face Funny for Money" campaign.

Also according to ITV the Telethon is being broadcast from the London Palladium which I think will give it quite a different feel to the usual TV Centre broadcasts - not that that is a bad thing.


Yep - I think with the Sport Relief 2014 show coming as an OB from the Olympic Venues, and now Comic Relief 2015 coming from The Palladium, they are trying to make the shows feel even less similar to generic entertainment shows and Children in Need (the irony being that CiN has evolved recently into a more Comic Relief type show...) Think it is an interesting decision - plus with TC1 out of action, there aren't that many central London studios to chose from...
BR
Brekkie
It's a rare example of TV seeing a problem (the closure of TVC) as an opportunity.
IS
Inspector Sands
A good move, Comic Relief has long abandoned it's comedic origins and turned into Children In Need 2.

I imagine that they're trying to emulate Channel 4's Stand Up To Cancer telethon, which came from Westminster Central Hall and had a different atmosphere to similar studio based shows and the big O2 comedy gigs they've done before.

It will be interesting to see how it goes, they need to make sure it doesn't look and feel like the old-fashioned ITV 'Live from....' shows. Although with it's location I would have thought they'd venture outside as well

28 days later

BR
Brekkie
Programme info now on Digiguide for the night (can't find anything on the BBC site):

Quote:
ENTERTAINMENT: Comic Relief - Face the Funny
On: BBC 1 North West (1)
Date: Friday 13th March 2015 (starting in 14 days)
Time: 19:00 to 22:00 (3 hours long)

The biennial comedy and fundraising event comes live from the London Palladium. Lenny Henry and Davina McCall kick off the evening with a brand new Mr Bean sketch starring Rowan Atkinson alongside guest stars Ben Miller and Rebecca Front. Plus the culmination of Dermot O'Leary's 24 hours of non-stop dance and the announcement of the winner of The People's Strictly with Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly. David Walliams then joins Davina to present a special instalment of The Vicar of Dibley, which sees Geraldine finding herself in the frame to be the next female bishop and facing stiff competition from some very famous faces.
(Stereo, Widescreen, Subtitles, Series 5)

COOKERY: The Great Comic Relief Bake Off
On: BBC 2 (2)
Date: Friday 13th March 2015 (starting in 15 days)
Time: 22:00 to 22:40 (40 minutes long)

An Extra Slice.
The four Comic Relief Bake Off star bakers are interviewed by Jo Brand, and one of them is declared the overall winner of The Great Comic Relief Bake Off 2015. The star bakers have each baked a cake in keeping with this year's Comic Relief theme, 'make your face funny for money', but which cake will stand out and who will be crowned Comic Relief Bake Off champion? Jo is also joined by The Great British Bake Off's resident judge Mary Berry, as well as Bake Off fan and comedian Frank Skinner and former Bake Off contestant Howard Middleton. The panel celebrates the shenanigans in the Comic Relief Bake Off tent, samples the audience's baps and looks at pictures of viewers' buns from home, as well as revealing unseen moments from the tent. Will Mary Berry dish the dirt on the bakers? Who will be crowned winner? And will the losers take it in their stride?
(Stereo, Widescreen, Subtitles, Series 2, 3 Star)

ENTERTAINMENT: Comic Relief - Face the Funny
On: BBC 1 North West (1)
Date: Friday 13th March 2015 (starting in 15 days)
Time: 22:40 to 01:00 (2 hours and 20 minutes long)

The fundraising spectacular continues from the London Palladium, with stars including Claudia Winkleman and Sarah Millican. There is also sketch comedy from Stephen Fry, Miranda Hart, Sheridan Smith and a horde of other national treasures. As Comic Relief heads late into the night the comedy gets edgier, with performances from Russell Brand, Doc Brown and Trevor Noah. And finally, a live sketch from Cardinal Burns takes viewers through to the night's conclusion as the fundraising total is revealed.
(Stereo, Widescreen, Subtitles, Series 5)

ENTERTAINMENT: Comic Relief - Making It Funny for Money
On: BBC 1 North West (1)
Date: Saturday 14th March 2015 (starting in 15 days)
Time: 01:00 to 02:00 (1 hour long)

Radio 1's very own Comic Relief hero Greg James takes viewers later into the night with an hour-long celebrity-packed extravaganza which gives a behind-the-scenes look at how the legendary night of TV comes together, featuring exclusive interviews from the star-studded cast of thousands who've made this year's show such a success. David Walliams shares his experience of filming with the legendary Professor Stephen Hawking for Little Britain, Stephen Fry gives us the lowdown on being a national treasure, Ben Miller reveals all about the return of Mr Bean, and there's much more Red Nose Day gossip to fuel the fundraising and even more laughter.
(Stereo, Widescreen, Subtitles, Series 5)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt taken from DigiGuide - the world's best TV guide available from http://www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=152398

Copyright (c) GipsyMedia Limited.


Rather underwhelmed to be honest - the main features wouldn't have looked out of place 20 years ago, while I think Bake Off, however popular it is, isn't the best use of the filler slot on BBC2.

The content in the later show sounds better and as suggested far more comedy orientated. Not sure if Greg James final hour is live or not - it seems a bit early for to go to the pre-recorded segment which is usually around 2am, although of course they always run late anyway.
LL
Larry the Loafer
Lenny Henry's presence on Comic Relief doesn't sit easy with me after The King's Speech sketch a few years back. When people complained about it and expressed worries that it'd prompt bullying in schools, Richard Curtis was very apologetic, whereas Lenny's reaction was something along the lines of "i'm not apologising, it was a funny sketch". Not only was it not funny (I mean, getting impatient over a stammerer trying to speak? really?) but to completely ignore what that sketch could've provoked was just stupid.
BR
Brekkie
So you disregard all his excellent work for the course over 30 years due to one sketch. Comedy is often at it's best when it makes you slightly uncomfortable - some people really just need to get over themselves.
LL
Larry the Loafer
I didn't say I'm disregarding it. I don't deny he's done a brilliant job in helping raise money and making a difference. I'm just saying that his attitude towards the idea of people being bullied left a bitter taste in my mouth. I don't get offended by very much in comedy, but this had a lot to do with context. If it was a post-watershed sketch show, it'd pass. This was their opening sketch at 7pm for a programme that (I presume) helps to tackle bullying.

But you have your thoughts and I have mine. Let's not get sidetracked and turn this thread into a debate.

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